tire failure

Had a blowout on my single axle trailer did not even know it till car next to me pointed to it . The side walls of the really good tires sported the trailer quit well.
The funny part was after I had pulled off and was standing next to the tire witch was smoking and smelled a lot had a new young stater stop and walk right by the tire and ask in his best voice whats the problem here? I think he was a little embearest when I pointed to the smoking tire he was standing next to.
Richard
 
I have had two blowouts on single axle boat trailers. I tow with a 1 ton dually and almost always have my 9 foot slide-in camper loaded. The first tire failure was on a 19' Arima and then several years later on my 22' C-Dory. In both cases it was a real non-issue. I can see very little of the boat behind the camper and the only indication that I was having trouble was seeing tire debris flying down the road in my rear view mirror. In both cases I was able to safely pull over to the shoulder and change to the spare.

To answer the original question posed in this thread-I can't imagine how anyone could lose control of their vehicle due to a flat tire on a single axle trailer. With the front of the trailer attached to the vehicle no amount of drag on one side of the axle could force the other tire to slide sideways. Perhaps if you were towing on glare ice-maybe?
 
For what it's worth, I put external tire pressure sensors on my trailer tires.

That way I know what is happening with them.

Bill Kelleher
 
Bill K":3fc1z7fp said:
For what it's worth, I put external tire pressure sensors on my trailer tires.

That way I know what is happening with them.
Click to expand...

Interesting: I've just been thinking about doing that on my toad and trailer. Haven't got deep into the research yet, and wondered if the monitors would be too big/blocky/heavy in proportion to the rather svelte trailer tires. Sounds like they work - cool. Which system did you go with? Did you re-balance your trailer tires with the monitors on them (I don't know if one ever does this).
 
The sensors are only an oz. or 2 and yes I had the tires balanced with them on. I also have switched them onto two other trailers one being my C-Dory trailer.

Here is the link to Truck System Technologies.

http://tsttruck.com/

Be sure if you order any you get the ones that have a replaceable battery in the sensors.

Model # TM-507SE

Bill Kelleher


Sunbeam":3h4w9avz said:
Bill K":3h4w9avz said:
For what it's worth, I put external tire pressure sensors on my trailer tires.

That way I know what is happening with them.
Click to expand...

Interesting: I've just been thinking about doing that on my toad and trailer. Haven't got deep into the research yet, and wondered if the monitors would be too big/blocky/heavy in proportion to the rather svelte trailer tires. Sounds like they work - cool. Which system did you go with? Did you re-balance your trailer tires with the monitors on them (I don't know if one ever does this).
Click to expand...
 
2 more pages and I think this thread is going to morph into the twin engine debate!! :lol:

I've had both single and tandam axle boat trailers and I am quite happy with my current single axle. But then my Stingray is only 3,000 pounds(dry). Just like engines there are pro's and con's to having 1 and/or 2.

I have a long, narrow, steep driveway with a 90deg. turn at the bottom - no turnaround so the boat must be backed down. The tandam axle I had was easier to back down because it was narrower but the single is far better at making the turn at the bottom.

As a mechanic I like the idea of the larger wheels on the single - less heat and wear on the bearings. The wider stance Is also good on uneven road surfaces.

Dare I ask if your tandam is " propped for twins " :mrgreen: The tires on most tandam trailers combine the weight rating of all 4. If so a blowout can significantly overload the remaining tire on that side. This does not mean it will blow out but it is possible. The thing to remember here is that a trailer does not normally have the suspension travel or shock absorption properties like a car. If you watch the tires on somebody's trailer at highway speeds - after it passes over a "hump" in the road - some of the boats weight is momentarily lifted off the axle - then when the suspension bottoms out the sidewalls absorb the additional weight - causing them to bulge. This is when that second tire may blowout because it is having more weight put on it then the static weight of the trailer.

Just like on the water - lower speeds and smooth surface - less problems 8)

Regards, Rob
 
My single axle trailer is rated for 5200 pounds....I think....judging by the bearings, 6 lug wheels, and tire size. And there are times it has every bit of that on it when the 22 is loaded up. I really haven't had any issues with it at all. I have also had many other tandem set ups. In fact, my car trailer is a tandem. I have flats on both setups over the years and feel they are about the same in that catagory. However, in general, tandem trailers really seem to make towing a breeze as they are not "busy" at all going down the road. Singles.....well they are always wagging around doing stuff in comparison.....they're having a good time! With a heavy tow rig it doesn't really matter, but with a marginal one you probably really have to pay attention to what you are doing. They both work.....if money is no problem the tandem is generally better.
 
One can obtain increased carrying capacity and tire strength by moving up in load range in the exact same size tire. Down side is that they cost a little more.

I moved up from the 15" load range D tires on my 22 to load range E.

The higher Load range carries a higher ply rating and is stronger and more durable. The load range E's now on my trailer carry a 10 ply rating and can carry more weight than the old D rated tires.

The higher load range tires are not in stock at as many tire stores and sometimes they must be special ordered.
 
I have a single axle for the C Dory 22--I would prefer a tandem axle, but don't see spending the $$ to "upgrade". I have about 8,000 trouble free miles so far. The trailer is rated for " 4350lbs" with 15" rims at 65 PSI and ST225/75 x 15 load range D (my old tires were rated at about 2540 @ 60 PSI )

Today I put new tires all around (spare was brand new, 8 years old). The new tires are 225/75 x 15 Load range E--rated at 2830 lbs each tire, at 80 PSI! So you have to watch out--do you want to inflate a tire to 80 PSI that is on a rim rated at 65 PSI? For me the answer is no. So my carrying capacity is probably not really increased--but I do have a heavier wall tire--as noted this is a 10 ply rated, vs an 8 ply rated…
 
Hi Bob, what air pressure are you running in the tire then? I've always been told that with car tires, you run the recommended tire pressure from the owners manual, which is usually less than the tire max. On the other hand, I've been told with RV tires, which I'm not sure would include trailers, you run the max listed on the tire. Would be interesting to see any charts that provide a scale of pressure vs. weight. I came across this recently also with what pressure to run in my car tires with the additional tongue weight of the trailer. I got an interesting reply:

Subject: RE: FW: Tire info
From: Colin Przybyla The Tire Rack <colin@rerack.com>
Date: 7/16/2013 9:14 AM
To: "mcs2442@gmail.com" <mcs2442@gmail.com>
Hello
We don’t have a specific recommended inflation for the 2010 Toyota Highlander when towing. The
recommended inflation when towing should be obtained by Toyota, since they do validation testing with
a loaded trailer to determine the max towing capacity. You may need to contact Toyota directly if the
information is not in his owner’s manual, since the dealer will likely not know the recommended
inflation pressures when towing.
Your OE tire sizes are P-metric and achieve max load at 35 psi, so increasing inflation will not increase
load, but may provide less sway as the vehicle travels down the road. If you are using a standard load
Euro-Metric tire, the max load is achieved at 36 psi and Euro-Metric XL the max load is achieved at 41
psi, so increasing inflation above those levels will not increase the load capacity of the tires, but may
provide less sway as the vehicle travels down the road.
Best regards,
Colin Przybyla | Sales Specialist

I've always ran the tire sidewall shown max pressure in my trailer tires. Considering the side loads placed on tandems (or more) while turning, I'm not sure running them with any less is beneficial and may actually be disadvantageous. You do bring up a good point about wheel (rim) max pressures also. Anyone increasing to a higher load range tire, should insure the rest of the equipment can handle the load as well. My load range C tires, using 50psi, show a max weight rating of 1,760 lbs. On a tandem that's 3520 per side or 7040 for the boat and trailer. My C-22 and trailer weigh 5065 total, with 4660 of that on the axles. In my mind I have plenty of reserve weight capacity on my load range C tires when everything is working properly. With a blown tire I'm going to slow down and just limp along to a safe place to put the spare on. :-) For tires that should be replaced every 4-5 years, I'm not sure I see the need to upgrade to a more expensive tire. Colby :smiled
 
Colby,
Excellent points. First, my local dealer told me they have a high demand for the 225/75 x 15, and the E range was only a few dollars more than the D range, so they carry the E range. I had checked on availability yesterday, and asked the dealer to have the newest tires available (they got early Dec 13 for me). Seemed reasonable.

In RV's we weigh each corner of the RV, and then inflate the tires according to the manufacture's charts. RV tires often are $500 to $650 each, so this is a significant purchase on the larger RV's. For example I am carrying 110 i my steer axle, and 100 in my duals. I am carrying about 36,000 lbs total.

For the trailer, I will carry at 65 lbs. It just so happens that Maxxis (the brand I purchased) has a load chart on the internet:

http://www.maxxis.com/trailer/trailer-t ... tion-chart

At 65 lbs my capacity is 2540 lbs per tire, more than the "trailer" is rated for--but that is fine. It is also the load which the load range D tire is rated max. The prior tires were only inflated to 50 PSI (don't remember brand). which would be the 4350 lbs the trailer is rated for….and would be a load range C--a bit confusing, because the trailer tag says load range D at 4350 lbs. However, I suspect that different brands of tires are going to have slightly different capacity. That is true for RV tires, so probably true for trailer tires.
 
Roger,
The RV rims are stamped on the outside of the rim. They are 22.5" tires, with aluminum wheels. (Edit--I looked at the RV rims, and they have a number of code letters, plus the max pressure of 125 PSI, and the tire width of 8.25")

I just looked at the trailer rims, and neither have any markings on them, but look to be the same manufacture (two different boat trailers). The C Dory Load Rite trailer on the sticker is embossed "15x6J rims at 65 PSI". I read that most rims have the pressure stamped on the inside. I did not confirm this when the tires were off today.

I have heard to rims splitting when too much pressure was applied in RV trailers.
 
thataway":39d62q00 said:
Roger,
The RV rims are stamped on the outside of the rim. They are 22.5" tires, with aluminum wheels.

I just looked at the trailer rims, and neither have any markings on them, but look to be the same manufacture (two different boat trailers). The C Dory Load Rite trailer on the sticker is embossed "15x6J rims at 65 PSI". I read that most rims have the pressure stamped on the inside. I did not confirm this when the tires were off today.

I have heard to rims splitting when too much pressure was applied in RV trailers.
Click to expand...
That's good to know. I would have simply assumed that the rims could handle way more than the tires. And you know what happens when one ASSuMEs :lol: . Once again, I've learned about a potential disaster prior to creating it. Thanks.
 
colbysmith":zufbz610 said:
Wish more tire manufacturers had charts like that, easy to find! ;-)
Click to expand...

I also inflate my tires going by the weight on them (tow vehicle, RV, trailer). I know Michelin has charts, and from what I've read similar sized tires across manufacturers call for about the same air pressure per load weight. I wonder if that is relatively universal and correct or if it's wrong?

I'm under the impression that the recommendations on "stickers" on the vehicle are more or less for people who just want a number but don't want to weigh or figure out a more precise/appropriate inflation amount (?). The max tire pressure on the tire would be for maximum recommended load.
 
I don't know if they still use them , but years ago some trucks came with split rims. My 1977 Land cruiser had them. The bead on one side was removable - the tube and tire was installed then the metal ring was pried on and locked in a groove. A lot of accidents with these - tire shops were supposed to cage or chain them before inflating. I never saw one of these explode but the car cleanup guy at the dealership where I worked once tried to install a 16' tire on a 16.5' rim(havn't seen them for a long time either) - he had it installed and thought if he put enough air pressure in it he could stretch it that half inch. Don't know how much he had in it but everybody in the dealership knew when it exploded! :shock: He was knocked out, lost 2 fingers and had his arm broke in several places.

Compressed air can be a bomb - but I have not heard of a normal type rim exploding before.

I just bought new radials to replace the bias ply that came with my boat. The tread was very low after 3 years. Just went out to look at them - they are 225/75/15 load range D rated at 2540pds at 65pds.max - looked at the inside of the rim - it says rated for 2600pds. Couldn't find an air pressure limit marked on the rim. Am hoping the radials will last longer than the bias did.

Higher load range tires should last longer, but they will give a slightly rougher ride.

Regards, Rob
 
Sunbeam, I think the maximum tire pressure stated on the tire, is for the maximum load of the tire. I understand the email I copied in an earlier post of mine states that each auto manufacturer would have data for the maximum load they rated their vehicle at with a set tire. Ie, in my case regardless what the tire said, the 2010 Toyota Highlander when towing, the recommended rear tire pressure is 36. (I eventually found this in my owners manual...) I suspect this has more to do with the max rated load capacity of the vehicle, not the tire.
 
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