Trailer Tire Failure - Not a good way tho start the weekend

[3930dave]

Here we are limited to 55 when towing...

Doesn't stop those flying by at 75 or 80... where's a cop when you need one?

It would be interesting to know the history of the ST spec. I wouldn't be surprised if it was put in place when 55mph was your national limit - 10 mph over that legal limit was reasonable headroom for that time, but inadequate today.

Most peoples experience is the same..... even cheap P tires do not have the blowout rates that many ST brands do. IMO, legislators view ST tire failures as not a direct threat to life - as most jurisdictions do not allow people to be transported in trailers. That bureaucratic "logic" isn't much use though if you are driving down the road in a compact car, and somebody loses control of a large trailer in front of you due to a blowout.

I think the better brands (Greenball, Maxxis) are building their ST tires well above spec. I'd bet that if you took samples across the ST market, and tested them on a tire dyno at 69mph, you'd find (statistically) high failure rates. It would be easy for an RV magazine to do that testing, but most wouldn't due to revenue conflicts..... one of the reasons I keep hanging out on TBN !

Rgds, D.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Yep.. As I said, I went down to a local new/used tire guy and put on 4 13" Michelin Radial X's Load C tires (supposedly pulled from a Honda) that had ~60+% tread left for $15 after one of the ST tires blew. Have pulled S-10 pickups ~60mi at 55mph with no problems where as the ST blew pulling 2 lawn mowers @ 55mph.

 

[vsteel]

I have had good luck with the Taskmaster Provider series of tires. They are a trailer tire rated at 81 MPH.
Provider ST Radial - Taskmaster

I have run 1000 miles in a day with them on the interstate doing 75 MPH (speed limit 80 with traffic doing faster than that), though I was only loaded to 8K on a 12K equipment trailer.

 

[joefromga]

Where is the speed limit 80?

 

[bcp]

Where is the speed limit 80?

From:
Speed limits in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[joefromga]

Dang. I was hoping it was by my house.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Where is the speed limit 80?

The higher the speed rating the stronger the tire is in resisting centrifugal force and the better it is in rejecting heat, both of which is a good thing in preventing blowouts. Many auto tires are rated beyond 100mph (112mph for cheapies) just for safety reasons.. Trailer tires should be the same IMHO.

 

[joefromga]

They probably don't have to so everyone is racing to the bottom when it cones to trailers tires.

Why is that trailer more expensive? Better tires.

"naw, man, tires are tires, he's just cheatin' you outta your money... "

 

[vsteel]

Wow, I didn't know such a large part of the country had 70mph as the max. Almost all of my driving is in the 80mph states.

Trailer tires are rated poor because they are not for carrying people. Since lives are not at stake they are under a different set of rules. Yes I know collateral damage can kill someone, but, they only consider the trailer is not supposed to have people in it going down the road. Hence most trailer tires are rated at 65 mph and all ST tires are rated at 80% duty cycle.

 

[clemsonfor]

Yesterday on the interstate, driving to the lake to enjoy the day on the water, I had a catastrophic failure of the drivers side tire on my double PWC single axle trailer. Not any fun at 65MPH but fortunately I was pulling it with my truck and not the SUV, I was miles from an exit and could not get completely off the shoulder as there was a 20' sound barrier. The real experience was changing the tire while cars were passing within a few feet at 70+mph, unbelievable todays drivers would risk killing someone because they are to stupid or distracted to change lanes. Fortunately a state trooper was kind enough to pull behind and put his vehicle between me and traffic, even with his lights on several cars refused to change lanes and came within a couple feet of hitting him. IDIOTS - Now on to my questions:

I bought these tires brand new 5-years ago, my loaded trailer weighs 3000lbs and I had checked the tire pressure maybe an hour before the blow-out occurred. Max pressure is 65psi cold and both tires where at 61psi and I didn't add any air. Tires maybe had 2000 miles on them and trailer is always store under cover and I park on 2x6 to keep the tires off the dirt.

- Worst case I was 200lb below max load, I really believe I was closer to 500lbs below but I will need to weigh the trailer to be sure. Would being 4psi below max pressure cause a blow-out?

- After putting on the spare I drove another 30 miles to the lake and felt the tires, the newer radial was uncomfortably hot to the touch while the OLD bias spare was notable cooler, is this normal?

- What is my solution? Do I need to consider larger wheels with heavier ratings or are there better brands I should buy?

Kenda Karrier ST175/80R13 Radial Trailer Tire w/ 13" White Mini Mod Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2
Tire capacity:◦Load range: D
◦Ply rating: 8
◦Maximum load: 1,610 lbs at 65 psi

That's 65 cold. Was that when you checked them. they can climb as much as 5psi at that load rate I bet this time of year. so you may have been closer to 55psi cold. I would of liked to see a warm trailer tire closer to 67-69psi.

And I am with Chris on this one, 5 years is toward the end of its life. Sure you would hope to get 2-3 more years out of it but some just don't last

 

[dfkrug]

....and don't forget to check those valve stems, too!

2 weeks ago, I was preparing to use my dual-axle trailer to pick up some motorcycles 75 mi from here. In
my safety check the night before, I aired up the 15" trailer tires. I noticed that one of my
valve stems seemed a little cockeyed after adding some air. So, it pushed it a little side-to-side
with my finger, and it started to hiss air!

It seems that all 4 stems were failing at their base, just below where the brass core inside ends.
Defective crappy rubber.

The trailer is nearly 10y old, and the tires are still fine, but I had to replace all the stems. Thankfully,
I was able to do so without dismounting them off the hubs.

 

[Gunny]

Good points raised here. I put new tires on my 5th wheel every 5 years, there's always a lot of tread left when I do, but I had a spare tire, that had never been on the ground, simply explode while on the mount, ruined a perfectly good tire cover when it went.
I also have new valve stems put in when the tires are mounted, the steel bolt on types, just in case. Another thing that I don't think has been mentioned, but I am adamant about having the tires balanced. I had one place here tell me that they never balanced trailer tires, so I took my business elsewhere.

 

[3930dave]

....and don't forget to check those valve stems, too!

2 weeks ago, I was preparing to use my dual-axle trailer to pick up some motorcycles 75 mi from here. In
my safety check the night before, I aired up the 15" trailer tires. I noticed that one of my
valve stems seemed a little cockeyed after adding some air. So, it pushed it a little side-to-side
with my finger, and it started to hiss air!

It seems that all 4 stems were failing at their base, just below where the brass core inside ends.
Defective crappy rubber.

The trailer is nearly 10y old, and the tires are still fine, but I had to replace all the stems. Thankfully,
I was able to do so without dismounting them off the hubs.

That is a great point df. Was putting my all-seasons back on the old Civic this Spring - had one valve leaking like yours, and those Coopers are only about 3 (half) seasons old.

I keep a dollar store spray bottle around, filled with soapy water for checking tires/valves. There was a really bad batch of Chinese rubber valves around - they do rot pretty fast.

Don't forget the MC tire valves, that is the most critical tire most of us will ever use.

Rgds, D.

 

[Beltzington]

For my health I really need to stop trying to save a few dollars at box stores. After ordering tires and wheels from Sam's they called me Tuesday to say they had come in, great please mount and balance them and call me when they are ready. We can't do that, why, well it costs $15 per wheel, yes, I know and paid that when I bought the tires. Sorry, we work on a first come first serve basis so you will need to come in. Fine, then after spending 20 minutes in line I was told it would be 3+ hours for my tires to be ready. I told them it really didn't make any sense for me to wait 3 hours would they call me when they are ready. Next day I was called and told they were ready. Spent another 15-minutes in line to pick up my wheels, after signing the paper work I went to put them in my truck and found they had not been balanced. When I asked the over worked casher what was going on she called the service guy out and I was privileged to hear them argue for 5-minutes on why the tires weren't balanced. I then asked the tech if they put the high pressure valve stems in and he said casually they didn't need them as the tires shouldn't be inflated over 35psi. So... I yelled at the wife when she got home tonight because she is from the south and is accountable for all the morons who spent to much time listening to southern rock and not enough time learning how to follow simple instructions written on a work order. So far no apology for the 100+ mile round trips to pick up wheels and tires that are still not ready. To think I bought a Sam's membership to save $75 makes me the village idiot.

 

[sd455dan]

"What was the speed rating on the tire that failed? "

Not high enough :laughing:

No idea, many have stated 65mph but it is not listed on their website:

Kenda Tire | Turf - Trailer - Golf Car - Specialty | Karrier

In case you have forgotten, here is what a blow-out at 65mph looks like. I was discussing this with my wife and she reminded me that last year I was complaining about my expensive radial tire tread being deformed so maybe a belt was coming loose or it just made it past Kenda quality control. I bought this brand based on reading online reviews so apparently their are many who are happy with the tire, but as the quote goes, "your milage may vary," mine certainly did.

this is making me feel all warm and fuzzy:laughing:

hauling hay today, and one of my 235 85 16 LT radials let loose (sounded like a shot gun)was doing about 55 mph

Made it home with an old spare michelin 10 ply recap,

wasn't specific when I dropped the tire off an when I picked it up it was a trailer tire, although it says E rated-


we will see?

 

[Midniteoyl]

this is making me feel all warm and fuzzy:laughing:

hauling hay today, and one of my 235 85 16 LT radials let loose (sounded like a shot gun)was doing about 55 mph
View attachment 474598View attachment 474599
Made it home with an old spare michelin 10 ply recap, View attachment 474600

wasn't specific when I dropped the tire off an when I picked it up it was a trailer tire, although it says E rated-View attachment 474601


we will see?

Looks like those LT tires are nearly bald and way past replacement time.

 

[sd455dan]

Looks like those LT tires are nearly bald and way past replacement time.

Yep,
the other sides tires have been replaced more recently- and have more acceptable tread

 

[3930dave]

For my health I really need to stop trying to save a few dollars at box stores. After ordering tires and wheels from Sam's they called me Tuesday to say they had come in, great please mount and balance them and call me when they are ready. We can't do that, why, well it costs $15 per wheel, yes, I know and paid that when I bought the tires. Sorry, we work on a first come first serve basis so you will need to come in. Fine, then after spending 20 minutes in line I was told it would be 3+ hours for my tires to be ready. I told them it really didn't make any sense for me to wait 3 hours would they call me when they are ready. Next day I was called and told they were ready. Spent another 15-minutes in line to pick up my wheels, after signing the paper work I went to put them in my truck and found they had not been balanced. When I asked the over worked casher what was going on she called the service guy out and I was privileged to hear them argue for 5-minutes on why the tires weren't balanced. I then asked the tech if they put the high pressure valve stems in and he said casually they didn't need them as the tires shouldn't be inflated over 35psi. So... I yelled at the wife when she got home tonight because she is from the south and is accountable for all the morons who spent to much time listening to southern rock and not enough time learning how to follow simple instructions written on a work order. So far no apology for the 100+ mile round trips to pick up wheels and tires that are still not ready. To think I bought a Sam's membership to save $75 makes me the village idiot.

Ouch. Tires aren't supposed to be that complicated, at least in a perfect world....

I haven't yet, but I know people here who order from Tirerack.com, at least when our dollar is healthy. Any etailer can still mess up, but I'd expect that a reputable one would ship you the corrected product and pick up the faulty ones at their cost - at least on your side of the border.

Service levels are often not that high up here, and many products are definitely less available - I picked up my Greenball tires in NY state.

The local tire shop I've counted on for years is no more, so I will probably price online next time.

I've done well with balancing beads (powder) in my LTs..... I should quit being lazy and figure out what the smallest tire they will work with is..... maybe I'll put a bead breaker on my Christmas list.....

Rgds, D.

 

[Btown]

this is making me feel all warm and fuzzy:laughing: hauling hay today, and one of my 235 85 16 LT radials let loose (sounded like a shot gun)was doing about 55 mph <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=474598"/><img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=474599"/> Made it home with an old spare michelin 10 ply recap, <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=474600"/> wasn't specific when I dropped the tire off an when I picked it up it was a trailer tire, although it says E rated-<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=474601"/> we will see?

What is that trailer rated for? It looks like a landscape trailer, but I think I see it is a gooseneck. You have about 9,000 lbs of hay on that. Your trailer weighs at least 2500 lbs. Thats 11,500.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Ouch. Tires aren't supposed to be that complicated, at least in a perfect world....

I haven't yet, but I know people here who order from Tirerack.com...

Rgds, D.

My brother only deals with TireRack and even with shipping and mounting they come out cheaper. TireRack is about an hour away and is where I bought my last set for $400-$600 less than any dealer, including Tire Barn. Came with 2 yr hazard and lifetime balance and rotate.