Boat trailer tires

[BUCKSKNR12]

I learned the hard way that boat trailer tires are to be replaced by AGE rather than Tread life or Mileage. Its recommended to replace boat trailer tires every 5 years (max 7 years) regardless how much the tire was used. Apparently the tires start to break down every year even if in a covered garage or shop. Also look after the DOT emblem to determine the age of your boat tire. Should be a four digit number after DOT. First two numbers is the week the tire was made, the second set of numbers is the year the tire was made. Dot 1212= 12 week in 2012. The four digit number usually is on one side of the tire only, facing the hub.

[The Quadfather]

Thanks for posting that. I will put this on my to do list.
I learned the hard way about wheel bearings last summer. I was certain I had the beginnings of a leak. (how hard could that be to tell?) I took it to my mechanic who I respect(ed)..... He said I was all fine no problem. Part of me was thinking it's been 5 years,, why not just replace them.
I went to Eastern WA. on a week long fishing trip, and had a bearing malfunction. Didn't know if i would make it home before they seized. Better sometimes to just replace things at a perodic time intervals, rather than when stuff blows up on the road.

[Gringo Pescador]

Thanks for that info - I have my new-to-me cataraft trailer and a 2006 pop-up trailer we just picked up. I still need to do the wheel bearings on the pup but will be checking the dates on both now too!

[Racer]

Thanks for that info. Age is something that I had not thought about. Better check them now.

[Bodofish]

Another factor in the tire life is how often you move them. The age thing is predicated on the act that most people move their boat or RV two three times a year. What kills the tires is sitting on one spot and stressing the ply’s, stretching and relaxing the rubber around them (cold molding) and then expecting them to roll round again. So the age thing is not so much of an issue if you use your boat or move it every week or two (not just a foot or two) and keep the tires rolling as they were designed to do. The same thing happens to any tire but it's seen on recreational cars, the hot rod that comes out on the odd sunny Sunday or the restored antique or classic that's only driven to the show.

[hewesfisher]

Another factor in the tire life is how often you move them. The age thing is predicated on the act that most people move their boat or RV two three times a year. What kills the tires is sitting on one spot and stressing the ply’s, stretching and relaxing the rubber around them (cold molding) and then expecting them to roll round again. So the age thing is not so much of an issue if you use your boat or move it every week or two (not just a foot or two) and keep the tires rolling as they were designed to do. The same thing happens to any tire but it's seen on recreational cars, the hot rod that comes out on the odd sunny Sunday or the restored antique or classic that's only driven to the show.

This is also very common with RVs, and in that circle, tire age or "born on date" is what many use as a replacement indicator regardless of any other factor. The sad thing with most boat trailers is they come from the mfr with the cheapest import tire on the market. Carlisle is a very common trailer tire brand (import) and it doesn't have a stellar reputation.

[MotoBoat]

Another factor in the tire life is how often you move them. The age thing is predicated on the act that most people move their boat or RV two three times a year. What kills the tires is sitting on one spot and stressing the ply’s, stretching and relaxing the rubber around them (cold molding) and then expecting them to roll round again. So the age thing is not so much of an issue if you use your boat or move it every week or two (not just a foot or two) and keep the tires rolling as they were designed to do. The same thing happens to any tire but it's seen on recreational cars, the hot rod that comes out on the odd sunny Sunday or the restored antique or classic that's only driven to the show.

This is also very common with RVs, and in that circle, tire age or "born on date" is what many use as a replacement indicator regardless of any other factor. The sad thing with most boat trailers is they come from the mfr with the cheapest import tire on the market. Carlisle is a very common trailer tire brand (import) and it doesn't have a stellar reputation.

I had not considered the track record of Carlisle. Just assumed since it was on the trailer, and that it is a readily available brand. That It was a good replacement brand. That said, the first set of Carlisle were on the boat trailer for 25 + years before replacement. That was the original set installed at the factory, by Caulkins (no longer in business). Last year, I replaced the spare from that set of tires. It was still holding air, but the side wall cracking had been substantial for many years. Anyway, it was during that replacement. That the tire guy informed me of the method tire manufacturers use, to date there tires and how to decode that information. That very old spare tire was a 35 year old, bias ply model. As one might expect, the bead was rusted to the rim. Yet, the tire never tore when removing it from the rim. Although this is no measure of the tires quality or durability on the road, had it seen road use as a spare. But thought it to be doing well holding 35 psi and not tearing off the rim. Probably could have gotten another trip or two, to Eastern Wa out of the sucker!......LOL!!

As a side note. I had a neighbor replacing his trailer tires last year. He had replaced them many years ago with 15" car tires. He told me the entire story how that tire replacement had taken place on the road, during a fishing trip. He had planned on replacing those tires, once again with another set of car tires. I told him that, it was very likely a tire shop, could not legally replace his trailer tires with car tires. I wonder how often, this is attempted by boat owners?

[Bodofish]

Another factor in the tire life is how often <Snip> move their boat or RV two three times a year. <Snp> classic that's only driven to the show.

This is also very common with RVs, and <Snip> Carlisle is a very common trailer tire brand (import) and it doesn't have a stellar reputation.

Goodyear has had few black eyes in the trailer dept. too but from what I've gleaned it was from their Canadian made tires. Something tells me they over anticipated sales and ended up dumping a lot of tires on the Mfg. market. I learned the hard way about cold molding and tires even though I've been well versed in cold molding in other areas. I parked the boat where tire was sitting on a seam in the concrete. After years of settling one slab was higher than the other. It made a weak spot on the tire and you guessed it, it blew. That was an eye opener! I did a lot of festering over tires but I was sure glad I had insisted on a spare for the trailer. The prices of the Goodyear’s are almost double the price of the nearest competitor but they are a radial. For the price I started down the path of why shouldn’t I change all the tires out to a different brand. First and foremost Goodyear was first with radial trailer (RV) tires, the beginnings came from the aerospace and aircraft side of the house. The goal was to design a tire that could withstand a lot of idle standing time and be brought back into service without fear of damage from impact. All the qualities you need in an aircraft tire. That was the beginning of about a 45min dissertation from a tire engineer. I had just entered my personal info into the request more information on their web site, expecting nothing more than a contact your local retailer and what happens, an engineer from Akron called my cell. So about 5 min into the whys and why not’s I started to glaze over. Needless to say, any company the size of Goodyear that will take the time to call a single customer about a trailer tire, gets my business.

[Bodofish]

Moto,
Changing out trailer tires with auto or truck tires is a pretty common thing. You would have to take the rims to a tire store to get them to do the work. A lot of Jet Boaters have opted to switch to A/T type tires because they run on gravel roads a lot getting to rapids and fishing holes. The reasoning is better sidewall strength. Sorry but I don't buy it, even if they go up a load rating and most of them are running double axel trailers which by design tear tires apart. The tire engineer had quite a bit to say about putting car tires/truck tires on a trailer, needless to say not the best idea, what makes a good driving tire does not make a good trailer tire, totally different loads are applied to each.

[MotoBoat]

Moto,
Changing out trailer tires with auto or truck tires is a pretty common thing. You would have to take the rims to a tire store to get them to do the work. A lot of Jet Boaters have opted to switch to A/T type tires because they run on gravel roads a lot getting to rapids and fishing holes. The reasoning is better sidewall strength. Sorry but I don't buy it, even if they go up a load rating and most of them are running double axel trailers which by design tear tires apart. The tire engineer had quite a bit to say about putting car tires/truck tires on a trailer, needless to say not the best idea, what makes a good driving tire does not make a good trailer tire, totally different loads are applied to each.

Truck and car tires used for a Boat trailer application, does sound like a a load issue. Another thing I find interesting. Tire guys, generally don't recommend balancing boat tires. Now I get that no one is riding in the boat during towing. So ride comport from vibration is not a concern. But how about damage caused by vibration. Rivets on boats, shaking nuts and bolts loose. Helping to knock loose license plates and fenders, Should this be a concern?

[Bodofish]

Yeah, not sure what the deal with balancing is. I drilled the guys at our local Goodyear shop and they were quite emphatic about no balancing. They said it would just make the bouncing worse if they tried. I persisted and they finally said, If the boat bounces after you put them on, we'll give a try.". So far, I can't see any vibration nor can I feel any so I guess at this point listen to the pros. I could feel a strap being drug behind the boat that popped loose after the boat found the sweet spot on the trailer. I can surely think of no reason why balancing would make it worse. I'm just going to roll with it.....

[MotoBoat]

Interesting! That the tire guys say balancing a trailer tire only makes the bouncing worse. May have something to do with the overly stiff suspension on trailers. When a p/u truck is loaded you can see suspension movement. Not so much with a boat trailer. In fact, no noticeable load difference between loaded and not.

[dougw]

I think it has a lot to do with the weights you subject the tires to. I honestly have one tire that has been on my trailer for upwards of 30 years.... No lie. It is a very light boat though, and it gets a lot of use. It pays to use them and to check the pressure regularly. Also, don't buy a cheap tire that is not rated for the weight you are subjecting it to. Buy the most tire you can afford that meets or (preferably) exceeds the weights you are going to be hauling. Oh, and as a side note, ORIGINAL bearings. Okay, I am cheating here. The trailer axle is off a 1930-something front end. Those bearings were made when things were overbuilt, and made to LAST!!! Some of you have seen my trailer and can understand that statement! LOL

[hewesfisher]

I had not considered the track record of Carlisle. Just assumed since it was on the trailer, and that it is a readily available brand. That It was a good replacement brand. That said, the first set of Carlisle were on the boat trailer for 25 + years before replacement. That was the original set installed at the factory, by Caulkins (no longer in business). Last year, I replaced the spare from that set of tires. It was still holding air, but the side wall cracking had been substantial for many years. Anyway, it was during that replacement. That the tire guy informed me of the method tire manufacturers use, to date there tires and how to decode that information. That very old spare tire was a 35 year old, bias ply model. As one might expect, the bead was rusted to the rim. Yet, the tire never tore when removing it from the rim. Although this is no measure of the tires quality or durability on the road, had it seen road use as a spare. But thought it to be doing well holding 35 psi and not tearing off the rim. Probably could have gotten another trip or two, to Eastern Wa out of the sucker!......LOL!!

When my Carlisle's reach the recommended age replacement date, the new set will NOT have Carlisle on the sidewall. I've learned an awful lot about tires by reading a couple RV forums (primarily to gain knowledge about our Class C), and though I don't necessarily read the trailer sections on a regular basis, Carlisle seems to be one of the most despised brands by those folks pulling trailers. ALWAYS, use a tire that is rated for the load, is properly inflated, and check them regularly. I'd rather spend an extra couple hundred dollars on good trailer tires than thousands to replace my boat.

Passenger car or light truck tires tires on a boat trailer? Never, ever and Bodo is spot on with reasons why.

[Bodofish]

I'm not so sure the blame lies solely on Carlisle, I've read an awful lot of RV forums and yeah there's a lot of bitching about them but I'm sure a lot of it is self-inflicted. All the forum members would have you believe they religiously move their rigs, monitor the pressure, put the UV guards on. I don't buy it most of them go out and buy the cheapest tire they can find beat the crap out of them and when they fail through lack of maintenance they blame the manufacturer. I'd be willing to bet in most cases if the tires were brought to the mfg for a post mortem, the forums would be a lot less fun to read. Regardless of how much they hate Carlisle most of them will buy them again because they are the right price point and they really need to have something to b!tc# about.

[hewesfisher]

I agree Bodo, but even those folks who do properly maintain their tires have experienced premature tire failure with Carlisle trailer tires. In many cases, the tires are supplied by the trailer mfr, not chosen by the consumer. Same holds true for me with the Carlisle tires on my boat trailer, they came with the trailer, I didn't choose them. I keep my boat and trailer inside a temperature controlled building, check my tire pressures prior to every trip, and use my boat regularly, but the fear of failure remains a constant nagging thought in the back of my mind every time I roll down the road.