PDA

View Full Version : Look at those tires on a used trailer!!


sourdough
07-19-2017, 02:57 PM
Got a phone call from an old friend I haven't seen in 40 years Saturday. He was stuck in my town due to a blown trailer tire. He got in touch with my friend that owns a tire shop and got it taken care of and went on his way saying he would stop by on the way back; he did today.

My friend bought a used 2013 (maybe 14?) bumper pull toyhauler. Said the tires "looked" like new and the guy almost never used it, so, he took off from S TX headed up to the cool pines of NM with his bikes in the back. He said at 100 miles he lost the first tire and bought 1 (ONE) new tire to replace it. Then, outside of our town, about 7 hours from where he had the first blowout he lost another tire at closing time for tire stores. He got that fixed. This was his first trip in the "new to him" trailer.

I asked if he had inspected the tires and he said they "looked like new".....and were almost never used. I asked if he had REALLY inspected the other 2 and he said they "looked OK" and he was going to see if he couldn't make it the 9 hours or so back. He's been gone about 4 hours and I hope I don't hear bad news back while he's traveling.

Just wanted to share that since we have some new folks buying "new to them" trailers. It underlines the importance of KNOWING what is on the ground and keeping fresh tires on the RV and keeping them properly maintained. Oh, he said when he pulled the spare off the back to put it on the ground with the first failure.....it wouldn't even fit; it was a 5 hole wheel and his wheels are 6!! You can't be too careful! Check and double check.

Cheryl
07-19-2017, 03:07 PM
Got a phone call from an old friend I haven't seen in 40 years Saturday. He was stuck in my town due to a blown trailer tire. He got in touch with my friend that owns a tire shop and got it taken care of and went on his way saying he would stop by on the way back; he did today.

My friend bought a used 2013 (maybe 14?) bumper pull toyhauler. Said the tires "looked" like new and the guy almost never used it, so, he took off from S TX headed up to the cool pines of NM with his bikes in the back. He said at 100 miles he lost the first tire and bought 1 (ONE) new tire to replace it. Then, outside of our town, about 7 hours from where he had the first blowout he lost another tire at closing time for tire stores. He got that fixed. This was his first trip in the "new to him" trailer.

I asked if he had inspected the tires and he said they "looked like new".....and were almost never used. I asked if he had REALLY inspected the other 2 and he said they "looked OK" and he was going to see if he couldn't make it the 9 hours or so back. He's been gone about 4 hours and I hope I don't hear bad news back while he's traveling.

Just wanted to share that since we have some new folks buying "new to them" trailers. It underlines the importance of KNOWING what is on the ground and keeping fresh tires on the RV and keeping them properly maintained. Oh, he said when he pulled the spare off the back to put it on the ground with the first failure.....it wouldn't even fit; it was a 5 hole wheel and his wheels are 6!! You can't be too careful! Check and double check.
We have a new trailer. How long should we expect the tires to last? I don't go over 100 km and keep between 90 to 100 km. Will use it for some weekends and 1-2 week trips about 3 to 4 months of the year. Should you track the kms?

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

hornet28
07-19-2017, 03:33 PM
We bought our used Hornet on a Sat morning and the next Fri had the new tires put on. The only way I'd run the tires that came on a used trailer was if they showed me a receipt showing the tires were just recently purchased. The hassle of a blowout with possible damage to the trailer makes new tires worth it

CWtheMan
07-19-2017, 03:47 PM
We have a new trailer. How long should we expect the tires to last? I don't go over 100 km and keep between 90 to 100 km. Will use it for some weekends and 1-2 week trips about 3 to 4 months of the year. Should you track the kms?

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

Mileage is not a factor when used as sparingly as your trailer is.

Idle time, in your case, is probably the most dangerous factor to the tires expected life cycle (3-5 years from day of first use. That use started when it left the factory.).

Chapter #4 in the following reference will provide you with loads of information about tire maintenance and proper storage for your trailer.

http://www.mcgeecompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/complete-manual.pdf

Johnny's Journey
07-19-2017, 04:16 PM
Five year rule of thumb. Good tire shop's here in California will look at the date code and if the tires are older than 5 years by law are not allowed to repair or even mount NOS or used loose tires. Your friend was just outside that window of 5 years based on year of trailer and how long the tires were made just prior. Even though they looked new the environment still took it's tole on them. Google class action cases in regards to this topic.

sourdough
07-19-2017, 04:33 PM
We have a new trailer. How long should we expect the tires to last? I don't go over 100 km and keep between 90 to 100 km. Will use it for some weekends and 1-2 week trips about 3 to 4 months of the year. Should you track the kms?

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk


As CW has pointed out mileage will not be your issue. Deterioration of the tire will be the culprit. There are varying opinions on how long to keep the tires but in our case we will keep them 3 years. I thought differently when I bought this trailer in 2014 buy my first blowout came in 2016. I always keep my tires inflated and under loaded. I've gone up a load range so that helps as well. You need to make sure you have a reputable brand as well. If you have the OEM tires they would be suspect at best to me. If it's a heavy trailer, 10k up, I would contemplate replacing them sooner rather than later since RV manufacturers are known to put questionable tires on trailers that are maxed out to start with.

busterbrown
07-19-2017, 04:39 PM
Too many publicly traded stories of severe structural damage due to a tire blow out. Degradation of a tire happens even when tires are stationary (probably more so as rubber compounds do not get dispersed properly).

Simply put, investing a couple hundred dollars each year on quality tires (changed out every 3 years) is a no brainer for me. With my reputable tires and active TPMS system in place, I worry alot less. YMMV.

Johnny's Journey
07-19-2017, 04:46 PM
Okay, I spoke of 5 year rule because I'm a car person first and very new to travel trailers. What happen's to tires after time no matter the use is the same. So back to trailers. 3 years is the rule then. And as said just a moment ago sitting is more the issue. Thanks for that bit of info.

Cheryl
07-19-2017, 05:50 PM
Thanks for the info. I never would have guessed they had such a short life span.

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

B-O-B'03
07-19-2017, 07:25 PM
I bought our trailer new in February of 2015, it was a holdover 2014 model.

The date codes on the tires were from 2013 and this season, the start of our third, I replaced the OEM tires, even though they still looked brand new (We had put just over 5K miles on them so far).

It was not worth my time or the hassle of potential damage to the trailer to keep them.

It was under $500 to replace them with 5 new Carlisle HD, mounted and balance, that I will feel comfortable keeping for 4 + seasons.

-Brian

Ken / Claudia
07-19-2017, 08:14 PM
A few years ago a young co worker was proud to tell me about his first rv a 10 year old TT. It sounded great. I told him check the tire dates, if older than 5 years get new ones even a new spare. Well, you guess it, he did not check the tires because they looked good. 1st trip he went hunting and got nearly 200 miles and blew the first tire. Made it the next 20 miles and got 5 new tires. Lost a day of vacation. Sometimes the old guys do know what they are talking about.

Cheryl
07-20-2017, 07:42 AM
A few years ago a young co worker was proud to tell me about his first rv a 10 year old TT. It sounded great. I told him check the tire dates, if older than 5 years get new ones even a new spare. Well, you guess it, he did not check the tires because they looked good. 1st trip he went hunting and got nearly 200 miles and blew the first tire. Made it the next 20 miles and got 5 new tires. Lost a day of vacation. Sometimes the old guys do know what they are talking about.
Lol! Grateful for the advice from "seasoned" RVers.

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

Desert185
07-20-2017, 08:24 AM
Sourdough makes a good point.

Until I joined this forum I was admittedly ignorant of trailer tire requirements. At the time of joining, all I had was an older, used, enclosed, 7,000# GW, utility trailer with original to me P tires at least a decade old. I was lucky. As increased awareness caused me to pay more attention to replacement I noticed signs of impending failure. DT to the rescue with Carlisle's upgraded from LRC to LRD.

mfifield01
07-20-2017, 11:57 AM
I learned the hard way about trailer tires on my previous boat trailer. I blew one on a single axle trailer. Luckily, nothing really got damaged. I checked the age on the tires and they were 7 years old. I did some research and came to realization that 4-5 years is the max on trailer tires.

Ironically, I was telling my DW that I should look at new tires for the trailer about 2 miles before it blew.