Lifespan of Trailer Tires

[ultrarunner]

I've never had a bad Michelin and I do buy them for loved ones...

Prices vary a lot... the last set I bought the difference was nearly double from low to high...

 

[MillWeld]

These are pretty convincing testimonies. Why don't trailer tires last longer? Is it the inevitable skidding tandems undergo when turning? Does the short lifespan also apply to the big 18 wheelers? and cars? or does the mileage do them in before time does?
Bob

 

[newbury]

I hate extra work, with 60+ tires on the ground, my solution is to invest in

tire plugs
valve stems
Schroeder valves
long handle 4way lug wrenches
extra rims with mounted tires of each size needed
extra free takeoff tires from friends
standardize as much as possible on rim sizes
multiple heavy duty hydraulic long throw jacks, bottle jacks with wood blocks, tractor jack
12v air pump(last resort)
air compressor, large capacity, with high torque impact wrench and sockets
multiple tire gauges
visually inspect tires every time I use a vehicle/trailer.
HFT tire changer but most often take tires to be mounted to excellent local tire place
patience is greatly facilitated by knowing all the above are available for resolving a low air problem.
being retired helps with perspective on the problem.

I'd add a jug of Slime or similar for those truly inconvenient to change emergencies.

<snip>
My life is worth a lot more than the cost of 4 tires. And so is yours.

I think you should make that 5 tires.

 

[Bird]

These are pretty convincing testimonies. Why don't trailer tires last longer? Is it the inevitable skidding tandems undergo when turning? Does the short lifespan also apply to the big 18 wheelers? and cars? or does the mileage do them in before time does?
Bob

Interesting question about it applying to cars. I have mixed feelings about that, but no real evidence. Our 2002 Crown Vic has Michelin tires that were on it when we bought it just over 4 years ago. I don't know when they were put on, but the date code on the tires indicates they'll be 10 years old the middle of this year. We've only put 30k miles on the car in the 4 years we've had it (41k miles on it when we bought it). Of course when not in use, it's parked inside the garage, so it's out of the sun. And Discount Tire checked them and rotated them last month. I would think that IF they thought they could sell me some new tires they would have said so.

My 2001 Ranger has BFGoodrich tires that I had put on there five and a half years ago, and I've put 41k miles on them since. The date code is on the inside side of these, so I'm not real sure what it is, but I suspect they're pretty old. It's been 6 months and 7k miles since they were rotated. I'll probably let Discount Tire do that again Monday.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Do the math on your vehicles tires and you will see you are not even close to carrying the max weight. Now do the same on a trailer and most times you are right at the limit. That and the relatively small size is why they do not last.

Chris

 

[texasjohn]

I've got slime in my Kubota RTV tires. It's good at showing me where the leak is so I can plug it...looks wet at the spot but does not plug leak, only slows it down. I depended on it until while on a hunting trip I ran over something causing medium speed leak allowing return to camp...lost 1 day hunting what with 80 mile round trip to town, tire places refused to patch tire because of slime, only one place in all of medium sized town with about 8 tire stores had right sized tire...directional mud grips. Bought 2 for about $300. Got back home, bought two rims, got local tire store to patch tire...been holding air a year now and I have 2 spares(right and left) which I now take on trips along with changing equipment.

A jug of slime is about $30 and takes 2 as I recall for my slow speed RTV tire size, all around. This experience, only slows leaks, convinces me to not use it further but invest in spares, plugs and compressors as my preferred way to stay rolling with minimum lost time in inconvient situations.


Your slimey experience may vary, but this is mine.

I'd add a jug of Slime or similar for those truly inconvenient to change emergencies.

 

[texasjohn]

Agreed, and even big truck tires seem to fail with regularity... I travel I35 regularly and can depend on dodging tire remains 2 to 3 times in a 15 mile trip to town.

Do the math on your vehicles tires and you will see you are not even close to carrying the max weight. Now do the same on a trailer and most times you are right at the limit. That and the relatively small size is why they do not last.

Chris

 

[aczlan]

A jug of slime is about $30 and takes 2 as I recall for my slow speed RTV tire size, all around. This experience, only slows leaks, convinces me to not use it further but invest in spares, plugs and compressors as my preferred way to stay rolling with minimum lost time in inconvient situations.
Your slimey experience may vary, but this is mine.

Was that tube slime, or tire slime? I accidentally bought a jug of tube slime and it doesn't work well in tubeless tires (not much in the way of fibers, just oozes out). Works great in tubes though.

Aaron Z

 

[Bird]

Slime is just one of many brands of stuff to put in tires to stop them from leaking, and my experience has been that there really isn't a single one of them worth buying. When I was a fleet manager, I was given some other brands to try in my own tires, and I doubt that I'll ever waste money buying another one.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just checked a few of my tires... seems they predate the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, which was enacted in 1972 and mandated a federal program to provide consumers with accurate information about the comparative safety and damageability of passenger cars.

I guess prior to this there was no uniform industry standard?

 

[texasjohn]

Tire slime. Green and gooey with black flecks in it...never heard of tube slime til now.

Was that tube slime, or tire slime? I accidentally bought a jug of tube slime and it doesn't work well in tubeless tires (not much in the way of fibers, just oozes out). Works great in tubes though.

Aaron Z

 

[texasjohn]

Ultra runner, I'll see you and predate your tires with one I have...a WWII TIRE marked RED RIVER ARMY DEPOT. Has tube and was on ground of 315 gallon sprayer until a year ago when its mate completely fell apart and I replaced both rims and tires. Still holds air...kinda a museum piece now with its army green rim. Yes, it's badly checked and cracked.

 

[bindian]

Of all the brands out there, at the bottom of my respect list are Goodyear and Carsile. Never, ever would buy one. Now for my road tires I use Michilen...Pricy, but weird wear, tread separations, unbalance conditions, have stopped since I started the using them. Those conditions are evident in my friends takeoffs...they also now avoid Goodyear and Carsile. Me, I use the takeoffs on ranch equipment till they go/blow(yes sometimes just sitting still), then just mount the next spare/rim and keep rolling...at low speeds, on ranch.

I've stuck with Michilens, for truck use, ever since I got 100,000 miles out of the set of Michilens on my 2002 Ram 2500 when I bought it new with 11.3 miles on it.
hugs, Brandi

 

[aczlan]

Tire slime. Green and gooey with black flecks in it...never heard of tube slime til now.

I didnt know that thy made it either until I bought a gallon to use in the golf cart tires and wondered why it didn't seal right... Worked great in the tubed tires though.

Aaron Z

 

[Alan L.]

One of the tires on my trailer blew up just sitting there. But it is about 13.5 years old.

 

[MillWeld]

Do the math on your vehicles tires and you will see you are not even close to carrying the max weight. Now do the same on a trailer and most times you are right at the limit. That and the relatively small size is why they do not last.
Chris

I may be lucky. My 4 tires are rated at 2540 lbs for a max of >10,000 lbs. I try to limit my gross trailer wt to 5000 lbs because that's my truck tow limit. Sounds like loading tires to the max is an expensive way to haul. What do you think?
Bob

 

[newbury]

I've got slime in my Kubota RTV tires. It's good at showing me where the leak is so I can plug it...looks wet at the spot but does not plug leak, only slows it down. I depended on it until while on a hunting trip I ran over something causing medium speed leak allowing return to camp..

So did slime slow the leak and allow you to get back to camp?

I used similar stuff on a recap on a Dodge van and managed to drive about 40 miles to where I could get the tires replaced. Both recaps failed at the same time and I only had 1 spare. The recap I drove on ended up having the stuff oozing out like syrup, but it held air.

Like I wrote, it's good when actually fixing the tire is really inconvenient. Such as bad weather and you need to get some place. Or no phone service to call AAA.

Otherwise call AAA and let them handle it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I may be lucky. My 4 tires are rated at 2540 lbs for a max of >10,000 lbs. I try to limit my gross trailer wt to 5000 lbs because that's my truck tow limit. Sounds like loading tires to the max is an expensive way to haul. What do you think?
Bob

It will help but it does not change the fact time is not on your side.

Chris

 

[2458n]

Saw a Michilen car tire advertising 90,000 mile warranty today. My collection of trailers are seriously under tired. The best trailer I have needed four tires a year ago. I will run LT as I was told all tire molds for trailers went off shore a couple of years ago.

 

[texasjohn]

Stob in ground size of pencil punched hole in tire, you could hear air and see spurts of slime as tire rotated. My son dropped me at deer stand, raced 2 miles back to camp, made it with rim about 2 inches from ground and maybe 4lbs air in tire...remember this is a light RTV so low pressure still provides some support.

AAA isn't for me...I try to be self sufficient and do things for myself. Sadly, seems that every time I call on professional help I have to review/inspect and correct to get done right, anyway. Last time I called a wrecker (was stuck in boggy drainage area adjacent to pavement) I advised driver to stay on pavement and that I would pull the cable out to the car and attach myself. His "no problem, I'll take care of it" turned into him getting stuck, too and him calling a 2nd wrecker and him wanting me to pay for both tow charges. I paid one charge to pull me 20 feet back onto pavement.

Don't get me started on the numerous egregious errors I have found in work of lawyers and real estate agents I was paying good money to represent me. I'm not really a complete perfectionist, just expect people to know their profession and add more value than I can, personally and avoid careless and expensive errors.

So did slime slow the leak and allow you to get back to camp?

I used similar stuff on a recap on a Dodge van and managed to drive about 40 miles to where I could get the tires replaced. Both recaps failed at the same time and I only had 1 spare. The recap I drove on ended up having the stuff oozing out like syrup, but it held air.

Like I wrote, it's good when actually fixing the tire is really inconvenient. Such as bad weather and you need to get some place. Or no phone service to call AAA.

Otherwise call AAA and let them handle it.