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Lets talk about trailer tires!

5K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  SailNet Archive 
#1 ·
I never hear anything about trailer tire reviews! I'm looking for a new set for my boat's dual axle trailer (36' trailer, 8500-9500#) and I'm stumped.

I was getting some sway over 45 mph so I thought it is time to replace the tires before the sidewalls fail (previous season was solid, no sway). They were pretty hot after 5 minutes of towing, although the pressure is fine.

I have only seen very few reviews on the web about various tires like Goodyear and Carlisle, and these were scary to say the least! Are trailer tires really that bad from these two companies, or (here is what I think) is it just owners ignoring the tires and not maintaining the pressures, load conditions, max speeds and not replacing them every couple of years?

Anyhow, I'm confused.

I take care of my equipment; I'm not going to cheap-ass out on my trailer tires with a $155,000 boat and trailer hanging on the fate of a $100.00 tire.

Are there "good" tires and "bad" tires? I'm loading up 225/75R15's with only about 75% of the rated capacity. Where should I look for help with selecting a good reliable tire, and not just receive a $7.00 per hour employees opinion? Nothing would anger me more than have a kid give me a "commission" answer (the "best tire" is the one that is making him the most money) or a rice-racer "buy a z rated radial and some dubs for that sucka" answer.

I understand load ratings, Max pressure loading, heat index, and other things about the tires, I just need to find out what receives the best user reviews, regardless of cost or other influences that should be set aside when considering the value of items we might haul IN or ON the trailer.

I have searched the wild web without a single positive review on any tire!

(Remember that commercial that said, "it's not your brand [or something] tires, but what rides on it." That's my deal.
 
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#2 ·
Lancer-

Are you sure it is the tires? Sway could easily be caused by improper balance of the trailer. How much does the trailer weigh when fully loaded? How much tongue weight do you have? It should be about 10-15% IIRC.

BTW, did you stow the gear on the boat differently or add any equipment to the boat between last season, when it worked fine and now. Try shifting some of the contents of the boat forward in the boat, and see if that affects the swaying. If it does, then the issue is more likely a trailer balance issue than a tire issue. Even the addition of a single battery for your house bank, in the stern of the boat could shift the balance enough to alter the tongue weight drastically, since it is at the end of a relatively long lever arm...

Trailer tires have to function under fairly extreme conditions, and if ignored, they tend to fail rather dramatically. They're generally narrow, small diameter tires inflated to much higher pressures than car tires are. Given the small diameters, they have to rotate much faster to go the same speed as a larger diameter car tire, so bearing condition and tire pressure are more critical to maintaining their ability to do their job.

A tire from any of the manufacturers that meets the size and pressure requirements of your trailer should work relatively well. I would look at Consumer Reports, BoatUS's Trailering Magazine, or one of the trailer boat specific magazines, as one of them probably has done some tire reviews.
 
#3 ·
I had my 9000 lb rig for 14 years. Never changed the tires even though they showed a lot of checking. I probably should have but I didn't. Don't remember the brand except that they were not a common brand. I doubt it is the tires, I would look at possible changes in load distribution or perhaps axles. Did you change tow vehicle?
Tandem or triple?
 
#4 ·
i've moved the CG toward front this time to see if it would reduce the sway, which it didn't. We stopped and moved some things around, and it still didn't change! I've also switched from pulling it on a long bed ford to a hummer, same reaction.

After a few calls around to the trailer dealers, they seem to think the tires are the next probable option.

The biggest question is how in the heck to figure out which tire to get?

Carlisle tires sound like total junk, so then I looked at goodyear and firestone, which had horrid ratings from customers too. That leaves the shipshape trailer tires in a radial (I think).
 
#6 ·
If you've actually shifted the boat forward, and the thing still sways...it ain't the trailer balance... :) Have you gone over the trailer, and made sure the leaf springs and all the bolts are properly tightened down? I just think that tires would be the last cause... since you didn't change the tires... Also, what pressure are the tires at???
 
#7 ·
I have to agree with most above, tires just don't start swaying. Of course anybody that sells them is going to say it will. If the tread and sidewalls are in good shape, there's no need to replace them. Have you double checked your tire gage to be sure the presure is accurated? Swaying and getting hot are two distinctive signs of under inflation. You mentioned moving the boat forward. Maybe it needed to be moved aft. You might have to go to a truck scale and see what the tongue weight is. I'm sure Trailer Boats Mag has done some tests in the past, but not sure how you could access them
 
#8 ·
I would recommend getting as many ply tires as available in your size. i used to be able to get four ply in my size, but they are no longer offered, by anybody.

Depending on the tires you have, you will find the inflation pressure is significantly higher than your truck tires. Mine are on a small trailer, with light load-1100lbs, and run at 50 psig. Inflate to maximium sidewall rating, less will sway.

Too much weight on the tongue will cause sway. Some trailer and towing packages require a form of sway bar running from the trailer tongue to the side of the truck hitch. This is a trailer sway bar, not the one on your truck.

The next possible cause, aside from excessive speed, is that you've changed towing vehicles. Short wheelbase vehicles, like a Blazer, are hell for towing. For a short distance at low speed, ok. But if you are going to tow any distance, and at highway speed, you'll want a longer wheelbase vehicle, like a full size truck.

If the tires are properly inflated, I would rule them out as causing sway. For an objective opinion peddle the rig on over to your local R/V dealer. He deals with towing issues all the time, is not in the tire business, and can discuss all factors with you. He'll also have some strong opinions on trailer tires. In fact, wandering over and looking at the biggest, most expensive fifth wheel on the lot may tell you something about what rubber the manufacturer trusts. Tell him your friend Camaraderie is looking for something in the way of a 60' chick magnet R/V, in stainless steel, that will accept his Raytheon wheel pilot. That should break the ice. (g)
 
#9 ·
Trailer tires are much different than any other tire design. Mainly because the side walls have the same number of plys as the tread section of the tire. This gives it more stability and therefore less sway characteristics. Here is a link to some technical info. Also the home page is a very good place to get your tires.
http://www.easternmarine.com/em_showroom/tech_info/trailertires_tech_info.html
Wayne
 
#10 ·
Sailaway-

Neither the long-bed Ford or the Hummer would probably be considered a short-wheel base vehicle. :D

Generally, too much tongue weight will cause the tow vehicle to have problems with steering, since the trailer's weight will cause the truck's suspension to load up in the rear, and reduce the weight on the front tires. Trailer sway is generally caused by too little tongue weight, not too much IIRC.
 
#11 ·
Be VERY careful with sway bars & weight distribution hitch rigs when using surge brakes. I am alive today by sheer luck when a 'by the book' weight distro setup defeated my trailer brakes. Down hill in a light rain almost did me in.
Those contraptions work fine on electric brakes but are very questionable on surge brakes.
 
#12 ·
We have a heavy "Performance" trailer out of Florida under our Chrysler 26. Boat and trailer together weigh about 7500 lbs. We bought the trailer used with Carlisle tires and the sway was really bad. I thought we might loose it several times on a two hour trip. I moved the boat forward a foot which did help a little. We dumped the old Carlisle's for BF Goodrich commercial truck tires and keep 38 psi in them. The difference in trailer v truck/car tires is the sidewall. Trailer tires are made with thick side walls and crappy tread and that goes for just about all of them. The idea (manufacturers) was that they needed to be strong in the sides and the tread didn't matter because the tires would die of old age and cracking before enough miles were put on to wear them down. The tread didn't need to tout handling since, well, who would know unless they rode in the trailer. BF Goodrich commercial tires are very thick and heavy and track great! I love them. Go to a tire store and put your hands inside them and compare to non commercial. There will be a dramatic difference. My opinion is - commercial truck tires beat trailer tires. We still get a very slight sway on occasion at high speeds 65-70 but I suspect it is because we don't have proper anti-sway equipment.
 
#13 ·
You might also want to look at the springs and make sure one of them is not broken! I have some issues with an equipment trailer, and an RV travel trailer that both had broken springs.

Tires will also cause sway, especially if one of the tires has a broken inner cord. ST trailer tires are also not as good as an LT - light truck tire!
Unfortunetly with 15" rims, LT tires with wt carrying capacity do not exist as much as 16" LT tires. I in fact, got rid of my 225-75-15 trailer tires on my equipment trailer, and went with a 215-85-16 10 ply/LR E and the trailer rides better empty than I have ever felt it ride. Especially empty!

A hwy style rib tire will handle the best typically if you go with an LT tire. Otherwise, Dico builds good trailer tire, I have Coopers on three of my trailers, Dico on the fourth!

marty
 
#14 ·
The only way to know how much tongue weight you have is to weigh the loaded trailer and then weigh the tongue. I have seen recommendations from 5 to 15% of the total trailer weight. Take it to a truck stop scale, drop the boat and weigh the truck, pick up the boat and weigh it again. See if you can get all the axles on different scale pads

Our new to use "stink potter" and trailer weighs about 5k and the tongue weight at the tow height is about 75 pounds. Just over 1%. This tows like a dream, we have to look back and make sure it is still there. I can pick up the tongue about an inch, then it gets real heavy.

I do not recommend a 1% tongue weight. If anybody lives nearby I have a trailer tongue scale.

The sidewalls on a trailer tire are different than a regular tire. When you turn a dual axle trailer sharply the tires will slide sideways and put a real strain on the sidewalls. Go to an empty parking lot and make a sharp turn and watch in your mirror.

Xort is right about the WD and sway bars. I don't think you could put it on a boat trailer anyway.

When you check the springs, one or more might be cracked in the middle, right over the axle. Might be hard to see.

I was just checking around and "C" rated tires are 2150 pounds max each. 4 x 2150 = 8600. "D" tires are 2540. 4 x 2540 = 10160

36' and dual axles with that much weight might be the problem. I recommend weighing the trailer loaded before going any further. You might just need to add an axle to the trailer.
 
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#15 ·
I agree with Atlanta, a third axle might make a world of difference on a rig that big. It would most certainly track better. If you do consider getting away from Trailer tires make sure you get a good brand of commercial tire. LT tires still tend to blow out when they get hot. Remember the Ford Exploder blow outs a few years back? They were LT's. Commercial tires are built for abuse and are darn near bullet proof.
 
#16 ·
I've got a resolution this morning. CHECK THIS OUT!

I went outside to look at my season-old tires. I found weathered and cracked FIRESTONE tires in their place... ALL LT tow rating designation. Someone at chatfield swapped me tires when I was parked at the marina. What a scumbag person that must have been. Both rims were black, so I didn't notice it, but these have more grease on them.

I've replaced them with ShipShape Master tows rated at "D", and guess what? POOF! The sway is gone!
 
#18 ·
that turning and sliding is called "scrubbing" or dry turns. They kill tires.

My GMC K2500 Manual says the Diesels should be loaded thus: 10% to 15% at the tongue, not to exceed XX LBS ( I already forgot the max). Anyhow, this got me to thinking, what does the ford and the Hummer say? I went out and one says 5-10% and the other says up to 15%. I guess it would be important to review your operators manual before towing, but 15% would be a smart figure to use if you don't have one.
 
#20 ·
Lancer, I still think you should take it to a scale next time you are out. Only costs $10 here and well worth it.

D rated total 10160 and you are towing a 36' trailer, 8500-9500#. and $155k boat. I would prefer the peace of mind knowing what the actual weight is and I would add the extra axle for safety.

You are very lucky the loaner tires didn't blow and cause who knows what damage.
 
#21 ·
Lancer-

Well, at least you know what the hell was causing the problem... but it sucks that someone would be such a low-life... it could have cost you a lot more than a set of tires. I'd report the theft to the local police as well as complain to Chatfields... or whereever the trailer was when the tires disappeared.
 
#25 ·
The tire theif was probably a power boater.
Now that's pretty low. But your probably right, how many trailer sailboats do you actually see at a ramp?

A couple of years ago we had a travel trailer and I spent a lot of time on the RV forum reading about trailer weights and blowouts. You'd be suprised how close the tires are maxed out and how many drive overweight and know it. Especially the truck camper guys pulling trailers. Some are way over.:eek:

One thing I did learn is everybody that trailers a boat or anything else should weigh it. Maybe there should be an endorsement on the drivers license to be able to trailer. Something simple that would make people realize how dangerous trailering really is.
 
#26 · (Edited)
If you live near a DOT scale on the side of the freeway, you can weigh your rig for free if it is not open, otherwise, stay away from it and let teh big rigs go thru! I do this a lot with my rigs just to verify my wts etc. A dump scale will work, as will any other place that has a public scale, landscape supply, gravel pit, moving van/storage places..........

Try to keep the hitch wt to that 10-15% range, I find 17-18% is nice for single axel trailers vs 13-15% for tandems. Max wt depending upon the year of GM you have, is probably 5000/500 dead wt, and 10K/1000HW with a weight distribution. Some newer ones will be 7500/750 or 12500/1250 with a WD system. If you have a titan IV like on my GM dually, you are good to 12500/1250 or 14K/1750 w a WD system. But I have a 2.5" reciever.

Some receivers are good to 10K/1000 like my Torklift hitch on my 96 GM truck, no matter if dead wt or WD setup. As I tow an equipment trailer with 1500-1600 HW< and 10500-11K on the axels with a pintle hitch, so a WD is not applicable, as would a boat trailer with surge brakes.

Marty
 
#27 ·
One item that I think has been overlooked is the proper height of the hitch in relation to the trailer axles. Depending on what your towing with and if you have an adjustable height on the ball, you could be loading up either the front or rear axle of the trailer. Both can cause sway and overload the trailer tire rating. For example, if you tow with a 4 WD pick up your hitch height is probably going to be higher than 2 WD vehicles. If you don't adjust the ball height to have a level trailer, you will put more weight on one of the trailer axles and therefore tires. You can see this at the spring connection point between the front and rear trailer tires. That pivoting lever that holds the spring ends should be level.
 
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