Tire Wear

Certainly two and three axel trailers do scuff tires--and you would have to look at the trailer as it is turning to see which tire is dragging the most. On the other hand, not much you can do about it, and I would just replace the tire.

Tongue weight should be about 7% of the total weight for a boat--5 to 10% are the range given. As long as the trailer is tracking well, and the rear of the truck is not overloaded, then the higher weights often give a better ride. (But it is very easy to overload the truck--with "stuff". Probably the best course is to weigh the entire rig, the trailer hitched to the truck, the trailer only and truck only on a scale. This will give you all of the information you need to know.

If you can move the boat/winch post, and not have it excessively overhang the bunks/rollers, that is certainly easier. I like for the trailer bunks to come to the edge of the transom Some trailer axels are easy to move, some are not. If the axels are just "U" bolted on, then they will be easy to move, but you need to be precise in the amount of movement on each side.
 
Tom-

I'm no trailer expert, but I've got plenty of time to spend today, so I'll give you my two cents, just for kicks!


Ok guys see what you can make of this. I have a two axle trailer with 22 c-dory on it. Its three years old and has untold miles on it. Lots of trips to the san juans, several to the big c, twice to B.C. on the fairy, and lots to the local ramp. Only one tire, the front right(passanger) is almost bald. Now every time I pull the boat out of the drive way I have to turn to the left and go to the end of a cul-d-sac to turn around counter clock wise. so is their something wrong with the set up of the trailer or is that tire getting dragged more then the others?

********

I don't think that left turn is doing the number on your bald tire, and an out of balance tire wouldn't wear evenly bald. Three things come to mind: The axle end may be bent on that tire, the brake system may somehow work that tire more than others, or that tire may have a slow leak that makes that tire soft and wear quicker.

I'd check the alignment by taking a 2 x 4 or something else straight and see if the sidewalls of the two tires on each side of the trailer touch evenly at axle height. Do you have regular axles with leaf springs or torsion bar suspension? The later might be easier to get out of alignment (?)

The easiest way to see if that brake caliper/rotor or shoe/drum is working harder would be to check the remaining brake lining. If it's working harder, the wear should be greater there than on the other wheels.

To check for a slow, perhaps undetected leak, all you'll have to do is check it more often.

**********

My next question is about balance. If I weight the tounge and find, as I suspect, that its a little front heavy. Should I move the boat and wench or should I move the axles?

*********

While it seems like either would work, I'd base my decision on how the boat fits on the bunks.

It's easier to move the boat back some on the bunks and slide the winch stand back accordingly, but I'd think it would be more important to make sure the boat fits as well as possible on the bunks (and center guide rollers). Also, you don't want to move the boat back so much that you hide the tail/brake lights from side view by others behind and to the side of you.

So if a little movement wouldn't negatively affect the considerations above, I'd simply move the boat and winch stand back, but if the boat needs to stay where it is on the trailer pretty much, then move the axles. This last task is a bit more complicated, as you have to be sure you keep them parallel with each other, etc.

If you have a roller trailer, much the same considerations would apply.

Right or wrong, this'll get you started at least!

See ya' and Susan in Seattle!

Joe. :thup :teeth
 
Has anyone figured just how much to move the axles on a C-25 trailer, for instance, to balance it out? Would this be lbs/inch? I guess one could move the axles and then re-weigh the tongue weight, but how much should one start with?

Has anyone tried this?

Boris
 
Boris-

While it would be possible to calculate the approximate necessary change in boat position from an analysis of all the weights and dimensions involved, some advice from someone who has done this such as another C-Brat or a trailer dealer/manufacturer would seem as more practical way to do this.

One thing more to consider when moving the balance of the boat around to get the proper tongue weight to allow the best tracking would be to be sure the loads on the axles are very close to even.

This probably takes care of itself once the boat is loaded so that 5-10% of the weight is on the tongue and therefore 90-95% is on the axles, but it would be nice to weigh each axle independently to check it out.

The thing that also really affect this loading is the height of the trailer hitch and ball. Too high a trailer tongue causes weight transfer to the rear axle, and vis-a-vis, resulting in heavier tire wear on the overloaded axle.

The level on the trailer tongue is a great additional check to the whole system's workability.


Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Boris,

About 4 yrs ago, my surge brake actuator was beginning to be affected by the heavy tongue weight setup by the trailer mfr. Actually it wasn't totally his fault, he had to estimate the tongue weight BEFORE the engines were put on, they played it safe by erring on the heavy tongue side.

My tongue weight was pushing 750 lbs. So I carefully measured each end of the axles to a common center point near the tongue. They were perfectly square as setup by Pacific. I then moved the axles back 12 inches, remeasured the tongue weight (at absolute level), and continued this 1 or 2 inches at a time. Stopped at 17 inches, it now weighs 450 lbs, brakes work very smooth now. That tongue weight is set as a worse case minimum it will experience: full tank of gas (minimum tongue weight since the tank is aft of the axles), no water (tank is in bow), no raft on bow, no ice chest up front, no gear, etc.

My most difficult problem was loosening the slightly rusty nuts from the frame hangers (even soaking overnight in WD40), ended up replacing about 1/4 of them.
 
In 2006 I replaced my trailer tires with the Goodyear Marathon radials. I have only done one long trip of 2k miles with these tires and probably less than 200 additional miles.

The other day as I was getting ready to launch my boat I saw one of my tires was missing a large patch of tread. In the middle of the tread the about a 4in by 4in area missing with the steel cords broken and sticking out. These tires still look like new so I was surprised to see this.

I took it to Americas Tires since they are the local Goodyear dealer. The manager told me that trailer tires are evaluated on age only. I does not matter how little they have been driven. They did determine that it was a ply separation that caused the problem and I did get some compensation but it still cost me $45 for a new tire.

The manager told me that sitting in the sun is the biggest factor. He said that for his trailer he buys the cheapest trailer tires and just replaces them every two years.

I have some concern about the other tires that I bought at the same time. Has anyone else had any problems with the Goodyear Marathon tires?

Steve
 
Seabran

I own two sets of Goodyear Marathon, the best trailer tyres that Canada can produce. One is on a RV trailer, and is about 9 years old. Towed to Arizona, the desert, etc. for about 10,000 mi. The other set of 4 is under Journey On, and is 3 years old also with ~10,000 miles. I have not had a single problem, even though both sets get full sun every day in So Cal. The only time I've had trouble with trailer tyres is when I used cheap tires and/or didn't check the pressure.

The point here is that dealers try to sell tires, and avoid responsibility. I would imagine that the tire was faulty but the dealer had his story together. Goodyear still has the best trailer tires and replacing them every two years has to be a little odd.

Let's hope that I now get through the summer OK, tyre-wise.

Boris
 
Thanks Boris,

That does give me a little more confidence in the remaining tires. I know that the news reports about old tires say we should not use tires older than 6 years. I don't know if that applies to trailer tires. I will try to get the expected life out of these tires.

Steve
 
Hello,
I bought a new Scout 19' center console in 1997 with a EZ Loader trailer rated for a 3900 pound boat. The boat had a Yamaha 115hp motor and the boat held 55 gallons of gas and probably weighed around 2500 to 3000 pounds. The trailer came with a set of tires named Planet. They wore in flat spots and looked like the were worn out in about three thousand miles. I have never seen tires of such poor quality. I put two new 265 x 15'' Michelin light truck load range E radials and for the next eight years never a problem. They still looked new after an easy ten thousand miles. The radials ride nicer, no cold weather thumping like bias plies, they run quieter, cooler and they wear better. On single axle trailers if you measure from the front center of the trailers hitch or coupler and to the center point at the end of each axle the measurement should be the same. Then move the the drivers side of the axle back just 1/8 of an inch so it will climb out of a ditch. Keep the tires balanced and the sun off the tires when you are not using it. I won't buy any tire other than Michelins. I don't sit on the side of the road changing tires much. Call me crazy I leave the maypops, gonna pops, Planets, and other cheapo tires for the good deal seekers. Putting a boat worth 50k or more on top of some cheap rubber makes no sense to me unless you are not dealing with highway miles and speeds. Geez just a lurker!
D.D.
 
I have been told that even the Good Year Marathons are made in China (I cannot confirm this). Older tires were certainly excellent. But the general rule of thumb is to replace tires at 7 years of age. (even without sun exposure, there is some tire degridation with ozone and other smog components. I replaced RV tires which were 7 years old last year--still lots of good tread on them...but not worth having a blowout.

Incidently, with the weight distributing hitch and trailer exactly level, there is no wear on my tires this year....of course we have only gone about 1500 miles. It may well be that I will have to replace tires after 2 to three years--and that may be the cost of "doing business"...
 
Many people are not aware that the date of manufacture of the tire must be stamped on it. On some brands the code can be a little hard to break. Especially on trailer tires you may be buying tires that are several years old before they are sold! Tires age and deteriorate over time even when stored. Any time you buy new tires ask the dealer to show you the date code.
 
Today I received a check from Goodyear for damage to my trailer and tire replacement.

After the tread separation mentioned above we had another Marathon separate on the Yellowstone trip. The entire tread came off taking out the fender and bending the u-bolts and brackets. The tread and fender went over a guard rail never to be seen again.

After changing to the spare I had to drive another 60 miles to get replacement spare. The rest of the trip was without a right side fender. When I got home I ordered a replacement fender and emailed Goodyear.

Good thing I kept the bad tire. Goodyear had the local dealer send the tire to them. I also had to take pictures of the damage and provide receipts for the fender and the new tire I bought on the road. Goodyear provided a damage settlement for the whole amount after I signed a release.

They did get a good deal since I did all the work. More trouble to find someone to replace the fender than do it myself.

I have heard that the Marathon tires are being made in Canada, New Zealand, and China and that it is the China ones that are coming apart. I don't know how to tell from the tire where it was made. At least they stood behind their product.

Steve
 
SeaSpray":2jbl87qe said:
<stuff clipped>
I have heard that the Marathon tires are being made in Canada, New Zealand, and China and that it is the China ones that are coming apart. I don't know how to tell from the tire where it was made.<Stuff clipped>
Steve
Click to expand...

Taste it. If it tastes like lead or melamine, it's made in China! :lol:
 
rogerbum":2mrlr285 said:
SeaSpray":2mrlr285 said:
<stuff clipped>
I have heard that the Marathon tires are being made in Canada, New Zealand, and China and that it is the China ones that are coming apart. I don't know how to tell from the tire where it was made.<Stuff clipped>
Steve
Click to expand...

Taste it. If it tastes like lead or melamine, it's made in China! :lol:
Click to expand...

Yeah, but if it does, then you die!

Joe. :lol:
 
If I toyo once I toyo a thousand times. Thats how I remember what kind of tires to buy. Starting in about 1970 we had a fleet of cars ( over 50) that run 24 hours a day in Washington state, California, Colorado and Georgia. We tried the cheapest tires first. It was quickly proven that was the wrong way to go. After a few other tests we settled on Toyo. We could put an easy 50,000 miles on them, then cold capped the casing and got another 50,000 mile. That is 100,000 mile per tire. Even at the cost of the best it was a money saver in the long run. Since that time, all tires for pickups, cars and motorhomes have been Toyos. Tried Michlens once which I bought from Cosco. Didn't hold a candle to Toyos. I have wondered many times if Cosco was buying their seconds. Michlens are suppose to be top of the line. One set maybe proves nothing.
Just thought I would share this story because this experience is over a long period of time. We also converted these cars to propane. When I sold this business, some of these cars had over 300,000 miles on them. Last I heard , over 500,000. They were meticulously maintained. :thup
captd
 
I may be one of the exceptions, but I have had trouble with the Marathons. I bought a new c-dory in 2006 on an EZloader trailer with Marathons. In July of 2008 the tread separated on the passenger side tire on Hwy 34, east of philomath oregon. In July of 2009 the tire tread came totally off, making a mess of my trailer but no major damage, on Hwy 34, East of philomath oregon. Pretty amazing coincidence. I replaced each tire each time with a Schwab and haven't had any trouble. Neither of those tires had more than 3000 or so miles on them. Proper inflation, checked regularly. I never went after Goodyear, not worth the frustration. But I won't go back to Goodyear.
 
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