As you can see from the picture below, I have a little single axle trailer. We had a blowout several years ago. No major damage done, although the wheel well got pretty badly beat up. So I put on Goodyear Marathons, and I'm religious about checking the air pressure. Also, when the trailer is parked, I cover the wheel on the south side of the trailer that is exposed to sunlight. We tow the trailer about 5000 miles a year -- sometimes more, sometimes less -- and some of it is over fairly rough dirt roads.
So here's my question -- would you routinely replace the tires, even if they look pretty good, after several years? Or do you wait until they start to look a little worn out? (These still look fine -- lots of tread, no cracks or anything.) I'm one of these "belts and suspenders" safety people, so I tend to err on the side of conservatism. But on the other hand, I don't want to spend money for nothing.
Mine are in service no longer than 6 years from the date on the DOT stamp. I also upgraded a load range on the advice of my tire salesman. There seems to be a disagreement as whether 5 or 6 years is appropriate. If I was only replacing 2 tires and had previously had a problem, I would get a stronger tire and replace after 5 years. It is my understanding the replacement rule does not apply to some commercial tires like Michelin XPS Ribs.
3-4 years is too soon, unless you have money to burn!
Most suggest replacing tires at about 7 years....no matter the wear.
Well, if they are showing wear, replace them sooner!!
The point is, that they won't always show that they are breaking down, so you want to replace them after about 7 years. You would probably get more years.....I had a set of tires on a Utility Trailer, that must have been 20 years old....but I wasn't heading down the highway with it, or loading it with much more than some 2x4s or the lawn tractor. When I thought I was going to be going out of state with it, I got new tires!
Bill & Claudia / DD Jenn / DS Chris Dogs: Sophie, Abby, Brandy, Kahlie, Annie, Maggie & Beau RIP: Cookie (Sheltie) & Gidget (Lab-mix) over the Rainbow Bridge.
2000 Winnebago "Minnie" 31C, Ford V-10
Purchased April 2008 FMCA# F407293 The Pets
The best thing you can do for your tires is keep them inside.....if that's not possible....cover them.....the sun and weather are the biggest factors in tire life other than tread wear. I let mine go 5 to 6 years if they show no signs of sidewall cracking or excess wear.
05 Dodge 3500 Q-Cab,GearVendor 8 Sp,PacBrake,Banks intercooler & intake,TST R49,Transferflow 70 tank,TrailerSaver Hitch,05 Raptor 3612,Second AC, solar 6 battery sys Xantrex 3000, WEB SITE
http://home.earthlink.net/~wbrown02/wildbillwashere22/index.html
3-4 is too soon UNLESS they have been exposed to prolonged and intense sun exposure..then maybe.
5-7 is more reasonable. We live in a non-intense sun climate (Northwest) and our rig is inside covered storage when not in use. I replace +- every 6 years.
"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane"
GMC Duramax/Allison (LBZ)
Komfort 277TS Our Rig Picture
Reese Dual Cam HP
Lots of other stuff nobody cares about
I put 175R/13, C load rated, Goodyear Marathons on my small (1,400 lbs. loaded) trailer 4 years ago. We've put about 15,000 miles on them since then. Speeds are always kept below 65 mph and pressure checked each driving morning. The trailer is parked in the shade on the north side of the house. This summer we left McCook, Nebraska in the morning with our destination of Caprock Canyon State Park, Texas. Just outside Turkey, Texas the curb side tire came apart. The entire tread was on the road 100 yards back. The tire didn't blow-out; it still has air pressure in it. Luckly the trailer was not damaged and the spare got us home to Dallas the next day. None of the tires showed any tread wear or cracking. I replaced all the Goodyears with Maxxis 8008 and I will buy new ones every 3 years from now on. I view it as cheap insurance.
I replace after 7 years per DOT code, but I also do not buy Chinese tires.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded) Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories. I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
A friend of mine just bought a fifth wheel,four years old, low almost no mileage and the tires are shot, badly cracked, but good tread.The tires on my trailer are the same age but have lots of miles but look to be in good condition.I will change all four in two years regardless of how they look.
profdant139 wrote: As you can see from the picture below, I have a little single axle trailer. We had a blowout several years ago. No major damage done, although the wheel well got pretty badly beat up. So I put on Goodyear Marathons, and I'm religious about checking the air pressure. I'm one of these "belts and suspenders" safety people, so I tend to err on the side of conservatism. But on the other hand, I don't want to spend money for nothing.
Your advice will be greatly appreciated!
Depending on the loaded weight of your trailer, you might consider using a higher rated tire
i.e. if you have C rated tires now, go to a D rated etc etc etc. The size of tire you can use of course depends on how much room you have. Some feel that this might be "overkill" or a finanically unnecessary margin of safety but you said your were a "belts and suspenders" kind of guy. I run E rated tires and would run G rated but the space between the tire and the trailer is to small. Unless my tires are not safe, I replace my tires every 5 to 6 years depending on how they are wearing. I prefer to run on the top %70 of my tires wear not the other way around. Replacing, fixing, waiting for GS road service to come and change tires is not my idea of RV fun. All the "John Wayne" fans may want to change their own blown tires, not this RVer
downtheroad wrote: 3-4 is too soon UNLESS they have been exposed to prolonged and intense sun exposure..then maybe.
5-7 is more reasonable. We live in a non-intense sun climate (Northwest) and our rig is inside covered storage when not in use. I replace +- every 6 years.
As a first cut I would agree and would extend the max to around 8 years if always covered, not subject to the sun, have been protected like with 303 every so often and the tread and sidewalls look new. Otherwise the 5 to 7 years is a good target for replacement IMHO.
Offline
