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About 1/3 of the outside perimeter of one tire has very odd wear. Gaps between the treads look spongy (but aren't). Never seen it before. Ideas?
I did use it anyway today to deliver lumber to a neighbor 1/4 mile away driving at a speed of 2.5 mph. That's about my limit until I replace it.
I don't know if it's the cause but I always balance trailer tires. I find they wear better.
Looks like a factory defect. Voids in the molding.
Can't think of any real world thing that would have chewed it up evenly like that.
Looks to me like you hit something in the road. I can see a lot of scuffing and torn rubber.
That is one of the original tires I put on the trailer - maybe 8 to 10 years ago. Very odd wear. Manufacturing defect makes the most sense to me but given the age, is that reasonable ? I'll see what a dealer says.
If that's the inside, my first look would be to see if the axle is bent, or even worn out bearing. Looks like the tire has been pulling against the way the trailer is headed. Has the trailer ever been overloaded?
Definitely agree with Tom! I'm furious with the quality of rubber in general and tires companies are sneaking in!!!!
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It's absolutely garbage. Here is two tires from less than six months and one a year and half. The one tire was a original from years ago that came with the trailer. And the bigger tire is a new old stock Firestone tire from the 60s I had bought from a old guy years ago. It still looks brand new!!!!!
Is that mower tire Chinese?
It is outside wear, the axles are only 2 or fewer years old and trailer has not been overloaded. Axles are bent up in the middle as they were when bought and installed.
Any sign of something being jammed between the tire and guard (dent / scratches etc)? Could have chewed up the tire pretty quick, then been spat out again.
Quote from: kelLOGg on August 26, 2022, 05:22:58 PM
That is one of the original tires I put on the trailer - maybe 8 to 10 years ago. Very odd wear. Manufacturing defect makes the most sense to me but given the age, is that reasonable ? I'll see what a dealer says.
I don't think after 8-10 years its a manufacturer defect. I like Ianab idea of something getting stuck and then getting spit out, I could see me driving over the chunk of wood I blocked the trailer with and forgot to remove.
My landscaping trailer wore the outer edges of the tires when it was new. After I loaded it down a few times, the axles lost some of their spring and it got less bouncy and more stable.
Tires have become one of those areas where you have to bite the bullet and shell out some cash to get good tires. Store bought tires are mostly trash now. And don't use Traveler brand inner tubes(Tractor Supply). Trailer manufacturers use the cheap tires to keep the prices down. I had bought some no name tires for my lawn tractor and they wore out in less than two years.
I ordered Carlisle ag tires for the front of my Kubota and upgraded my 17'car hauler/logging trailer with Maxtor tires which have a thicker sidewall and are much more stable.
Sounds like a two axle trailer. That right? A pic in your gallery?
I think I did run over a chock but don't remember which side. There are no fenders. They are Karrier tires and there is a pic of the trailer in my gallery but I think it is when I had mobile home tired on it. I will update tomorrow.
It looks like ply separation underneath that is causing the tread to break up, as much as I can see from a picture anyhow.
looks like it skidded, maybe brakes set to high when empty, but that does not explain the uneven wear.
Quote from: Southside on August 26, 2022, 05:59:29 PM
Is that mower tire Chinese?
I wouldn't doubt it. It's on a little extreme poly dump trailer I had rigged up as a spray trailer with boom. One of the big tire places had a new one and put it on and when I was spraying out in the CRP it went flat not long after. So I took it off and took it back and had them put a tube in it. Then it went flat. And the other original tire that came with the trailer is still fine. Makes me more furious they bent the rim in one place and didn't notice it till I got home and said screw it at the time. Rarely I let stuff go like that if something gets screwed up by somebody else!!!! Now I got a crappy rim, shot tire and tube 😤
I bought the tire changers from Harbor Freight because of so many issues all around with shops. Yeah it takes muscle, but its surely faster than taking it to a shop. And if the work sucks, you know who to go see about it! 8)
I think the other tire place I go will fix me up with the bigger tires. They give me a smokin deal on them when they scratched up my aluminum rim on my truck. It's hard to get stuff done right without getting stuff damaged.
That sounds like a good idea! That's why I always like working on and fixing my own stuff!
Kinda getting sideways on the subject. I've always been particular on stuff being right. I've had new machines where they said it will get scratched up. My response is I'm not most people and I don't care if it's going to get scratched up. When I'm buying it or anything it's going to be right or I'm going to get compensated for it!! My friend that owned a ASV/ Kubota dealership I did a lot of business with knew it better be perfect when I come and picked new stuff up!
There is a current pic in the gallery.
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Quote from: barbender on August 26, 2022, 09:15:08 PM
It looks like ply separation underneath that is causing the tread to break up, as much as I can see from a picture anyhow.
I've also seen that pattern also on some of my tires with broken ply, one way to tell is raise the tire off the ground and spin it. If there are broken ply, you will see a little "hump" or high spot right where the odd wear is because the tire has extremely high contact pressure at the hump so will tear and rip the rubber. I also see a radial discontinuity in the bond line on the left side of the sidewall, and that indicates the tires may be to be out of round at that point. That would indicate a damaged ply, also.
Or it could be the other things people are discussing. Either way, I agree with you, it's time to put new tires on the trailer?
It's always a good idea to replace trailer and truck tires every 5 years if they are seeing road service, both because it's required by the DOT for commercial drivers and I've had a few real bad experiences with tire failures, and typically after the magic 5 year time frame. In some cases, like my log trailer, I put new rubber on it every 3 years.
Speaking from experience with many tires as both a mechanic and my Goodyear Tire plant apprenticeship that included time in the tire lab, I agree with several comments above. I suspect that tire has internal ply separations that have occurred over time, not from any specific event. Could be an indication of heat from the internal stresses. Many if not most current trailer specific tires are made in Asia FWIW. My OE RV trailer tires were USA on our Lance trailer and I was lucky to catch a sidewall bubble on the inside of one tire, in spite of not that old. Those come mostly from a separation of materials internally not some event. With tires-"stuff happens". I'd replace them all or at least that one. When a tire "speaks to you" it's best to listen.
You could also spend all day reading web opinions as to how old a tire must be before it's "too old". ;D Motorcycle forums are famous on that discussion-it's right behind oil threads.
My current tire set on my utility trailer came from Walmart via their website, not regular store stock, which is pretty meager.
Much greater choices on their website! When bought that way you get free mount & balance when they come do in.
Two of my 4 trailer tires are just under 3 years old and the other two are close to 10 maybe. I am replacing the older ones. I inquired at COSTCO today if they replaced tires if I brought in only the wheels. They said "yes". Is that a good place for tires?
I've seen a similar problem when an acquaintance borrowed a trailer and managed to bend one of the axle's slightly back.
To diagnose, place a long straight edge against both sets of tires. It should be touching in 4 places - front and back of each tire.
If they are not co-planer, check the opposite side. If it's straight, you have a bent axle - probably at the spindle. If both sides are not co-planer but in the opposite directions, the axle may have shifted slightly in the springs, or there could be a broken spring mount.
Tandem axle wheels do not steer/turn, they slide/skid.
I have seen tires whacked like that when the driver made a too sharp turn with a loaded trailer. I have also seen the sidewall roll over enough to break the bead.
Quote from: kelLOGg on August 27, 2022, 12:23:08 PM
Two of my 4 trailer tires are just under 3 years old and the other two are close to 10 maybe. I am replacing the older ones. I inquired at COSTCO today if they replaced tires if I brought in only the wheels. They said "yes". Is that a good place for tires?
I would answer, "hard to know" I get my tires at a family owned Cooper tire. A BIL used to be a partner of mine. I went to ask about good trailer tires, and they told me the ones they used to recommend as the best are no longer available, and all they have to sell now are the cheap versions. hmmm. so I can buy their best tires, but not as good as a few years ago. and the best are no longer available. hmmm. Just like in the pics, some tires last what seems like forever, and others that cost the same will rot just setting in the yard.
I contacted eTrailer and found that I bought the tires 11 years ago. Definitely got to replace 2 tires. And 2more on the sawmill - they are 20 now.
There is a date code on the tire, usually on the inside, that gives the week and year built. When buying tires for the RV I always specify that I won't take tires older than 6 months since they will age out before they wear out, I've heard of people buying new tires and later find out that they were over 2 years old when installed.
The sun has added it's impact too.
Quote from: kelLOGg on August 27, 2022, 04:43:14 PM
I contacted eTrailer and found that I bought the tires 11 years ago. Definitely got to replace 2 tires. And 2more on the sawmill - they are 20 now.
If you know they are over 11 years old, then yeah they could just be breaking down with age. Seems a common problem with mobile sawmills, at least ones that don't get moved a lot. The tires expire due to age, even if they still have 90% tread left. On a regularly used vehicle you probably wear the tires out in 2 - 5 years, so don't see the age related problems.
Quote from: kelLOGg on August 26, 2022, 05:22:58 PM
That is one of the original tires I put on the trailer - maybe 8 to 10 years ago.
That is likely your answer. Tires wear don't just wear with mileage, they're also affected by age. Most tire manufacturers suggest 6 years as the replacement interval. My dad has a trailer that doesn't get used much and the tires are quite old. I walked by it the other day and both tires had somewhat similar "wear" to yours. It appears the tread is separating where the bottom tread meets and sidewall.
I never paid much attention to this until we started selling tires at our repair shop. A tire with broken belts or separating tread is almost guaranteed to be over 7 years old.
Alan
I get my trailer tires from the local farmers COOP. They have a range from best to worst, and cheap to not so cheap. They can also prefer some. Typically I go up one load rating when buying trailer tires and always check the speed rating also. I blew out a fairly new tire on the interstate because I was way over it's speed rating and didn't know it.
Quote from: gspren on August 27, 2022, 05:06:19 PM
There is a date code on the tire, usually on the inside, that gives the week and year built. When buying tires for the RV I always specify that I won't take tires older than 6 months since they will age out before they wear out, I've heard of people buying new tires and later find out that they were over 2 years old when installed.
Date codes are molded into the sidewalls by federal law and uniformly done. They are not on the inside. The sticker with a number on the tires interliner is the tire builders piecework number that they are paid by. Most are black on white tiny stickers.
Google will tell you how to read the sidewall codes.
6 months? ::)
At Goodyear factory where I worked, the warehouse was a separate operation (except for skilled trades which meant I worked in there too) and they stockpiled tires every union contract cycle and honestly said, a properly stored tire is not bothered by 6 months or much more storage.
UV, ozone from electric motors and stable temperatures and a tire lasts a very long time in storage.
Do as you wish but 2 years is not a bad tire based on what I know.
My Lincoln is a 2019 model- would you throw away those tires since they were coded for early 2019 production and the car has ~ 24k on the odo?
Load ratings are a good guide to buy trailer tires. prices relate to ply/load ratings.
Trailer tires don't have high speed ratings ever.
Over the years I've found tires to be a tough buy, even when I was a Goodyear employee they didn't really make us a great deal. They said it was at cost but that was a blatant lie. Tire price points are heavily protected, no matter if it's a club price or not and small retailers don't get a good markup on tires to play with discounting. The fleet or dealer price is unobtanium to the average joe and far below retail deals. Vehicle manufacturers pay a contract price so low you'd wonder why retail is what it is for the rest of us. Tire store advertised sales are sort a thing of the past, but in the end it's how much of a gouge you'll pay.
Tires are a crap shoot any more. I have a great friend that I get all my tires from. He runs a mechanic shop that specializes in tires and alignment. He says the things we used to get away with are becoming a thing of the past. According to him the quality is lacking anymore. I think it is the new normal I keep hearing about.
I usually type "Best Trailer Tires" into the search engines and examine the many many lists that come up. I usually find a few brands that are listed at the top more than others. That narrows it down and then its the usual size, price, performance research after that. I don't have many problems with tires that I have bought. Its the tires that come with the new equipment that are the problems.
Maxxis tires are among the best available. They are my go-to for RV trailer tires.
Watching a tandem axle trailer making a low speed turn on pavement is a sight to see - the wheel and tire and axle will flex as the two wheels deal with the sideways force during the turn. It's probably a good practice to straighten the rig out rather than leaving the wheels under that stress if leaving it for a while.
I gave up on ST tires and use LT tires - paying strict attention to the weight capacity. Some time ago ST tire manufacturer choices were limited but LT tires were plentiful. Trailer tires have a very hard life and tires older than 5 years probably should be replaced.
A tire failing on a travel trailer or 5th wheel RV can take out a lot of plumbing and trim as it unwinds and whips. Riding with a slack or flat tire can generate enough heat to catch the tire and trailer on fire. It's just not worth the risk to scrimp on any tire - but especially trailer tires.
For my boat trailers where I putting a lot of high speed highway miles to N from the lakes, I always use Goodyear Endurance Tires, with an N speed ratings up to 87 mph, so are perfect for high speed Interstate driving. I have not found a tire that is as good. There may be some out there, but these have been excellent.
https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/goodyear-endurance (https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/goodyear-endurance)
I've also had fair to good results with Kenda/Karrier trailer tires, these are load range E with an M speed rating, 81 mph.
https://www.etrailer.com/question-378333.html (https://www.etrailer.com/question-378333.html)
Quote from: Magicman on August 28, 2022, 09:07:19 PM
Maxxis tires are among the best available. They are my go-to for RV trailer tires.
As a former long time Goodyear employee I hate to admit it, but I have Maxxis tires on our RV trailer too. They are made in Taiwan by Cheng Shin.
Funny thing is Cheg Shin's are not thought of as a high end motorcycle tire.
I went with Maxxis tires on my 17' car hauler/logging trailer. Stiffer sidewalls are the best feature. Much more stable when under load.