What's up with my trailer tire?

[scsmith42]

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.

[Magicman]

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.

[doc henderson]

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.

[kelLOGg]

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. 
  

[gspren]

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.

[Southside]

The sun has added it's impact too.

[Ianab]

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.

[alan gage]

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

[YellowHammer]

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.  

[kantuckid]

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.  

[customsawyer]

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.

[rusticretreater]

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.

[Magicman]

Maxxis tires are among the best available.  They are my go-to for RV trailer tires.

[Greenie]

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.

[YellowHammer]

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

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

[kantuckid]

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. 

[rusticretreater]

I went with Maxxis tires on my 17' car hauler/logging trailer.  Stiffer sidewalls are the best feature.  Much more stable when under load.