Trailer tire failure

[gunnin4six]

Since the ski season is officially over (it is 2°F here in Rochester, NY today), maybe there is someone out there who can help me with my problem.
I have a '97 Eagle Spirit trailer for my '98 Ski. I am going through tires faster than handles. Every tire lasts 2-3 years before it fails, and every failure is a bulge in the outside sidewall.
These tires have no more than 5000 miles on them, and I am very careful around curbs and barriers. When they fail, they look brand new (outside of the bulging of course). My guess is an axle/tire alignment, but the trailer rides very nice, even at 75mph.
Does anyone else with this style trailer have this problem and better yet, solved it?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
THANKS!

[M3Fan]

RE: Trailer tire failure

What is the brand of the tire? Most guys around here are big on Goodyear Marathon tires.

[gunnin4six]

RE: Trailer tire failure

I have used Goodyears as well as generics, they all seem to last the same amount of time.

[502Python]

RE: Trailer tire failure

My previous trailer was an Eagle. It blew both Carlyle tires within 25 miles of each other at approx. 2500 miles. I replaced them with Goodyears and had no more problems. Check your weight rating on the tires. I always try to upgrade to the heaviest tire rating.

[Rick]

RE: Trailer tire failure

Do the sidewalls show cracks. It may be dry rot in the tires due to immersion into the water and then prolonged exposure to the sun. You might want to cover the tires when they are in the sun with vinyl covers. The milage isn;t as bad for tires as is the exposure to the sun for long periods.

[gunnin4six]

RE: Trailer tire failure

Since blowing the original tires, I keep a very close eye on them and they have shown no signs of cracking until it fails. The failure is always a large blister (2"-4" in diameter) in the sidewall, usually close to the tread. Since keeping an eye on them, I do notice that the tires will get very hot to the touch after 10 miles or so, much hotter than my trucks tires.
502Python, all of my tires have been "C" load tires. I have tried to get "D" loads, but all of the distributors I go to tell me they can't get "D" load tires in my size?

[mrese]

RE: Trailer tire failure

Just curious, at what psi do you keep your tires inflated. If the axle/tire was out of alignment, you should see more of an uneven wear pattern. Are you running trailer tires, or regular auto tires. Most trailer tires I have seen have the weight allowance printed on the side (i.e. 2450 lbs per tire).

[ssaxet]

From you discription, IMHO your over loading the tires.... heat is from under inflation or overloading ... go weigh the trailer and boat with your stuff in it and get tires that exceed the actual wt of your boat and trialer...

[502Python]

I would agree with ssaxet. The ones on my '98 Eagle were "C" rated. When my trailer was loaded with boat , gear and coolers etc. I was over the limit. Pulling the trailer at 70 mph in 100 degree heat caused complete blowout at speed. I made sure to get "D" rated tires on my '99 when it was new, now I am well within the weight range. Unfortunately, I learned the "C" tires are the bare minimum for a Sport Nautique on a single axle trailer. When extras are added, you are pushing the envelope. You can upgrade to "D" tires if you move up a size and have 6 lug hubs as long as they will fit under your fenders. If you have 5 lugs, I would suggest weighing your rig and keeping it below your weight rating and traveling at the rated speed ( I think a mere 60 mph speed rating ). Another idea is to find a truck tire with an LT (Light truck) rating that will fit in your fender wells. Most LT tires have a higher rating than "C" rated trailer tires and just as many or more sidewall plies. Good luck.

[ag4ever]

I personally would not go with LT tires, as I feel the trailer tire have a better construction for the unique loads that are generated by a trailer. (Side loading and direct loading as the trailer has a nautral sway no matter how stable it is)

I have Titan tires on my trailer from the factory (Magnum), but have been changing them out to Cooper trailer tires one axle at a time. I swear by these tires, as I had a failure of my hub where the studs sheared off and sent my wheel/tire running down the highway seperate from the trailer. The fender of the trailer actually sat down on the tire for a few thousand feet before a bump in the road raised the trailer enough to realease it from it's captive grip. When I went to retrieve the tire/wheel, I was surprised to see that the tire was still fully inflated. In fact the tire still held full pressure for six months after the incident, and only lost pressure when I pulled the valve stem prior to throwing out the tire/rim.









As you can see by the tire the fender cut down to the steel belts, and you can see the line of rubber on the fender where the tire was spinning as it was held captive.

[gunnin4six]

Since all of this started, I check the psi very frequently, and keep them at about 5psi below the max written on the tire. These are trailer tires, and I believe the wt rating is 1760lbs. So if I do the math, 2400 boat + 800 trailer + gas and gear puts me at or slightly over the rating of 3500 lbs. But I wouldn't think a couple 100 pounds over the rating would create this much of an issue. I have one last option, there is a trailer place locally that may be able to help me get creative to get a higher load rated tire on the trailer, otherwise I will have to continue to pay the sacrifice to the tire gods for another couple of years until I get my new baby, i mean boat.

ag4ever, THAT IS SCARY! I could not imagine that happening to me with a single axle.

Thanks everyone for all the responses!

[ag4ever]

Yes 100 pounds over the load rating could, and probably id causing your problems if you are running them at 5 psi under the rated inflation pressure. The tires or any tire irregardless of what it is mounted on is rated for a certain weight rating dependent upon three things only: size, load rating and air pressure. If you reduce the air pressure in the tires, then you reduce the load capacity of them at the same time, so by reducing the air pressure by 5 psi, you reduce the load rating by approximatly 150 pounds each tire, so now you are over by more than 250 on each tire. Also you might be surprised to find out how much the boat+trailer+gear actually weighs. I scaled mine once, and found out that when I have about 2/3 of my gear and 1/2 tank of fuel, I am over the "labled" rating of my trailer. I am with-in the tires rating, but the sticker on the trailer is lower than the sum of the tire ratings.

First thing I would recomend is to run the max pressure (cold inflation, so if it is over that number when being pulled, leave the air in there). Then, if you still have problems, get a larger size tire with a higher load rating. If you need to, the axle can be "lowered" or spaced further from the trailer to allow more space for a larger tire.

BTW, my truck and boat combined scaled at over 12,500 pounds with no occupants in either.

[braibert]

Do all your hubs spin freely?
Champion trailer has some nice disc brake replacements. They are very easy to chage out. The drum brakes could be draggin on the inside causing extreme heat!
Also, if you have a bearing or brake rubbing problem, make sure the spindle on the axle is still good.

If your trailer tires are perfectly balanced, the hubs do not heat up then your tow vehicle could be highly suspect. I have seen trailer tires wear out very fast on a tandem axle trailer when the tow vehicle is out of alignment or balance.

Good luck.
Bob