tire advice needed

B

blackfish

New member
while I was doing the bearings on the trailer (following Marks tutorial
thanks Mark)
I noticed my tires have see better days
just wondering what I should be looking for at the local tire shop number of plys, max weight that sort of stuff
I have 22cd sitting on a single axle loadrite trailer

thanks Dave
 
I would take a look at Carlisle's trailer tire radials. Most here like Goodyear marathons, but Carlisle are reported to be pretty decent. I just had four installed and it came to about 400 dollars mounted and balanced tax etc.
D.D.
 
Particularly with a single axel trailer under a CD 22, the heaviest duty tire you can buy, plies, load range etc. One flat on a lonely highway will cost much more than a few extra dollars spent on buying the heaviest duty and best trailer tire money can buy.

I personally thing brand isn't an issue. They all are decent, but heavy duty is the key.

I can also tell you that trailer tire failures will most often occur at high highway speeds. So, heavy duty tires of any brand driven at speeds not in excess of 65 absolute maximum will last long and not fail you unless of course, you hit that occasional bit of angle iron on the road.

Also, tire pressure maintenance is also very important.

Now, to bias or radial is the next question. I do radial trailer tires, and I don't really know why.
 
A subject near and dear to my heart. We went RV'ing last summer and had to buy trailer tyres somewhere in Colorado, over 4th of July. My choice was to not get them, and sit in the trailer park, or buy Big O's brand of Chinese tyres. Bought 3 of those, they got us home and have worked fine since. They even came with a 3 year guarantee (cost extra, not available in California.)

So what's the discussion? Well, Goodyear Marathon (which both the boat trailer and RV trailer came with,) are now Chinese. I assume they're made for Goodyear at some Chinese tyre factory. Carlisle advertise they are the only trailer tyre made in the USA and I believe they're correct. If you don't want to buy Carlisle, your only other choice is Chinese, and from my experience, as long as you buy the load rating on the old tyre, they're all the same. So go to some tyre store you trust, and hold your nose, show them your old tyre and take what they give you.

As to upgrading the rating to heavier duty tyres, I tried that in a 22' sailboat. I went up on the wheel size and from 4 ply rating (obviously long ago) to a 6 ply rating. Wrong move. The trailer mfg had sized the springs to work with the 4 ply tyres, and the stiffer sidewalls of the new tyres beat the boat up as we went down the road. Cost me 4 wheels, and 4 tyres to learn that lesson.

Boris
 
You should be following the trailer manufacturer recommendations on tires IF in fact they make any recommendations. On my dual axle trailer, there is nothing about a tire being too tough, or even a comment on bias versus radial. Of course, the radials have thinner sidewalls, and work as little springs all on their own. So, I stand behind, the heavier duty the better as long as it doesn't violate a specific trailer specification.
 
I don't think they are all the same. I bought 5 new Goodyear Marathon radials. They were all well maintained and not damaged by debris.

The first one I noticed a patch of tread separation while launching. Goodyear gave me a discount on a replacement. The second one was on a trip. I had just checked the pressure at a stop 30 minutes prior. The entire tread separated and tore off my trailer fender. Had to by a whatever replacement on the road. After sending the tire back to Goodyear via a dealer they replaced it and paid for the damage. The third tire separation was noticed by a trucker who stopped me and it is still sitting in my back yard.

If you read the trailer/rv blogs I think you will see it is a case of:

You pay your money and take your chances.

Good luck,
Steve
 
Having had bias plys on our dual axle trailer I can tell you the radials offer a much better ride. Bumps tar strips etc are not transferred to the truck as much as the with bias ply. When cold the radials don't have flat spots, no thumping until they warm up. As far as brands go the ones I took off Trail America brand they were a poor excuse for a tire. Being somewhat slanted against buying Chinese if I can help it I went with the Carlisles. I only got about 5000 miles out the Trail Americas. I want to put Michelins on but I only have 14 inch rims and Michelin does not make a 14 inch tire with a heavy enough load rating. Plus I would have to raise my fenders and spring for four or five 16" rims. In August I will trailer to Yellowstone and Grand Teton so we will see how the Carlisle's do. I have trailered our boat from Maine to Florida which weighs in about 5500 pounds including the weight of the trailer. For me I'm a sucker for brand names.
On our last boat the trailer came with a brand called Planet Tire. They were trash in about 3000 miles. Those tires would not make a pimple on a Michelins rear end. That was a single axle trailer rated for 3900 pounds. I put a set of Michelins on it and never had any other issues. Michelin does not make trailer tires per say, but I have had success matching load ratings. if you are staying local, you run May Pops or Gonna Pops if you are a serious road warrior I'd stick with brand name tires that were not made in China. But that is just me! :)



D.D.
 
I replaced 3 of the tires on my 22's trailer with "Power King Towmax STR" tires that Les Schwab recommended (the 4th is a relatively new Carlisle). I have had good service from my local LS and there are lots of LS dealers in the West so figure it won't be hard to get service. Time will tell if this was a good decision or not.

Warren
 
Funny how us humans get brand/company hooked with just one good deed. I did with America's Tire Co (Discount Tire back East). When I was towing my previous boat, a 31ft trimaran (lighter than my CD25) to Miami from Califormia, one tire on my tow vehicle went bad. America didn't have the exact replacement (a light truck tire) so they put the best equivalent passenger tire on as a temporary fix (I was in a hurry to stay with the caravan group). In Miami they replaced the tire with the right one for free, all very professional.

So when 3 of the 4, 5 yr old Carlisle tires on my CD25's trailer developed large blisters on a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco 3 yrs ago, I went to America's tire. I wanted to try Goodyear Marathons, but they convinced me their Chinese "Greenball" tires are better in their opinion (and cheaper). Went one load range higher (to E from D), radials vs bias that I had before. The ride is incredibly smooth now, stable and handling is fine, and nothing bounces off my table while trailering anymore. Those original bias ply tires were really shaking up my boat evidently, and I didn't know any different.

I've got about 7K miles now on them, very satisfied, no problems whatsoever (now I did it, shouldn't have written this BEFORE my trip up North next week).
 
The local Les Schwab dealer in my area recommended a Gladiator tire. I believe it is Chinese. I have about 4000 miles on the tires for the boat trailer, and about 1000 on the tires on my Airstream (all Gladiators). So far, so good. Even if there is not a Les Schwab in an area that you might travel to, you can call them for information on the nearest dealer that also carries that tire.
 
I recently replaced all four tires and rims on the Miss Emily and did a good deal of research. Ultimately I went with Maxxis M8008 tires. This decision was based mostly on internet/blog reviews and partly on local availability and cost. Although I have only put a few hundred miles on them, they seem to be performing nicely. BTW, I found the galvanized rims (new) on e-bay and got a set of 4 for $100. My stock rims were heavily corroded between the brake disk and inside rim surface that make contact. The area between the stud holes.
 
You could look on The Hull Truth and search trailer tires. There is a lot of discussion there about each brand available and peoples experiences with them. The Maxxis tires that Miss Emily is using seem to be well regarded.
Eric
 
Carlisle tires seem to have more to them than comparable other brands. Compare the specs. I have had good luck with them on my utility trailer, and Carlisle came stock on my EZLoader trailer. My 5th wheel camper came with GoodYear Marathon tire. So far they are working okay.

What ever you get, make sure you get "trailer tires". Some dealers will try to tell you car or truck tires are just as good, but don't believe it. Trailer tires are a lot sturdier in the side walls. Also make sure all the tires, including the spare, are the same brand, size, etc. Otherwise, your trailer can be all over the road.
 
thanks for all the advice
got to love this site

as to what Rick Proffer is saying "Also make sure all the tires, including the spare, are the same brand, size, etc. Otherwise, your trailer can be all over the road."
I hadn't thought of this, of course the spare now has never been used
seems a waste to just throw it away but maybe this would be the way to go.

thanks again the all the help
 
Since seeing Charlie's thread about the God's inventing Tandems for trailer towing, ( and I agree any trailer loaded with anything that you value, should have tandem axels --- same reason, sort of, that I believe in twins over singles for power, --> safety and duplicit redundancy), I am looking at replacing near 6 year old tires with 80% of their tread and no sidewall checking, but, they are over 5 years old and they are on a single axel trailer.

So, It is looking like it should be "Carlisle" Trailer Specified tires of the proper size, but the question :?: :?: is:

Going from Bias to radial, I will get a softer ride, yes, but should I go up one load range level because, 1. Radials have softer (thinner) sidewalls, 2. It would stiffen the ride some to match the trailer spec'ed ride (spring tensions) and 3. I am still running a single axel trailer, (which I have given some thought to modifying to be a tandem axel with parts from the manufacturer ---Pacific).

What are my best choices for the new tires? Stay with same load range? OR ..... and I have 2 on the ground, and a very brand new spare that has never been on the ground. Does it need to go or can I still use it for a spare, to get me to where I can replace one of the other tires if they should blow?

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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If you are changing the tires on the ground because they are old, just remember the spare is just as old even though it has not been on the ground (have you checked the air in your spare). The spare may be considered "just the get home tire", but consider that you may be in the middle of the hot desert (that is what caused your old tire to blow in the first place) and you have 100 miles or more to get home. If you blow an old tire because it is old and it cannot be repaired, then you probably will not be able to find an exact replacement (brand, model, size). All the tires on a trailer, including the spare, should be the same brand, model, and size. Never mix bias and radial - could have big trouble. A load range is a load range, regardless of the type of tire (radial or bias). The load range of the tire should match the load range of the axle, which should match the load range of the trailer.

If the tires you have are the original tires for your trailer, and the boat on your trailer is not overloading the trailer, then the load range for the tire is probably sufficient. You can increase the load range if you want, but you may get a little extra bounce if you have a light load.

If your trailer was made for a single axle, you may not have the room to add another axle. I have not seen kits to add an axle to a trailer. That does not mean they do not make them - I just have not seen one. You would usually add an axle to add additional weight (load) to the trailer. There is a lot more to increasing the load on a trailer than adding an axle. The whole structure of the trailer is different, probably need to add brakes, additional lighting, etc. You would be better off buying a tandem trailer, but then the trailer may be a lot longer than your boat. Unless you are overly concerned about safety, then I would recommend staying with the trailer you have. If you really must have the tandem trailer, then you should also consider dually's for your truck. To me, it is not coast effective for the load.
 
RProffer said,
"If your trailer was made for a single axle, you may not have the room to add another axle. I have not seen kits to add an axle to a trailer. That does not mean they do not make them - I just have not seen one. You would usually add an axle to add additional weight (load) to the trailer. There is a lot more to increasing the load on a trailer than adding an axle. The whole structure of the trailer is different, probably need to add brakes, additional lighting, etc."
Click to expand...

I would add an axel not to increase the load range capability of the trailer, but to increase the safety. Could add a second axel of the same load range as is there now, (thereby increasing the load range total of the trailer) or add a somewhat lighter duty axel, that would be there to share the load with the front axel, should something disastrous happen there. I don't think it would mean a longer trailer, only sliding the existing axel forward some and then adding the tandem axel aft of the original, splitting the difference with each, for and aft, from where the original axel was placed.

There may be much more to this process than I can guess, and I have not discussed this with the trailer folks so have no idea what their input is, but can guess --> "just buy a new trailer".

Thanks, this is still all in the idea :idea: stage so will keep the thoughts bouncing around. (There is lots of room :roll: for that.)

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

SSC_CPR_and_Patient_225.thumb.jpg
 
Part of the question about changing axels is the type of axel--the torsion axel is easier to change position than the leaf spring axel. Some states require brakes on all wheels. I don't see any negative to going to a higher load rating tire, as long as the load does not exceed the axel load rating. I don't see why a tandem axel boat trailer will be any longer than a single axel (22 C Dory here). I consider the single axel 22 trailer to be more of a yard trailer, and the tandem to be a road trailer. Some axels are just bolted on the frame, and easy to move; others have to have holes redrilled and are more difficult.

Good point on the spare, but I must confess I have always thought of the spare as just enough to get to a place where I can buy a new tire. (Same with RV's) Another option is to carry just a tire--However with many of the small trailer wheels, the complete set up is not that expensive--most tire services can mount a tire, even on the road. But some road services are not tire services.

There is a lot of controvrsy about the brands of tires. Goodyear Marathons used to be the "gold standard", but I understand that they are now built in Asia. Cooper is one of the few building tires in the US--but I think that some of their trailer tires are built in Asia. The Trail America I have on the Caracal--which are 5 years old--look terrible, and I am going to replace them, even though I only drive the trailer a mile or so--and am way under the capacity. Some have not had good luck with the Carlisle--others have had good luck.

I found that my 25 trailer did far better with radial tires, but I also went to the WD hitch, so that may have had some influence.
 
From years of towing trailers I have one thing to suggest. Do not skimp on quality tires. Be sure to get trailer tires. One trip we were forced to use an auto tire on a tandem trailer. It lasted only 95 miles in the hot Florida winter.

Make sure that any tire you buy has a weight rating high enough to carry your load. If you do not know the exact weight of your trailer get to a truck scales SAP.

The best investement we ever had was in BOAT US Trailer Club. If you tow a trailer sooner or later you will need help and Boat US helped us several times.
 
Well, Carlyle tyres are now Chinese, or so the local dealer tells me. I'm convinced that no matter what the brand on the sidewall, they're all similar. Just get them from a reputable dealer.

Boris
 
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