Trailer Tires Question?

I was wondering when to replace my original trailer tires on my 02 Shorelander trailer w/ 100hp motor, 17ft Lund Fisherman. Life expectancy,age etc..The tires look fine and dont have a lot of miles on them.Also, I have a spare thats never been used.Do people rotate the spare in to get more life of tires? Same question on my 04 5th wheel,its a seasonal camper so its sits in one spot all summer,they look fine(tires covered).

The tires should be fine as long as they are not cracked or weather checked. You can use the penny test on the tread to check for depth also or a tire depth tester. General rule with penny is as long as Abe’s head is covered by tread you are ok. With a tester you will want to be at least 3/32 before changing.You may also want to check tires for uneven wear or feathering either from inside to center of tire or vis versa outside to middle. This can result in a toe or camber issue.

Just went through this. There are many whould would agree that any tire over 6 years old needs replacement, regardless of wear.

Check out this page:

http://www.safetyresearch.net/safety-issues/tires/

The one BIG question you need to ask yourself is this. If I get a blowout at 65mph, how much damage will I do to my boat and or trailer? Will a blowout increase my risk for a fatal crash? Would a blowout be a major pain in the azz? Meaning is it really worth it to push it one more season?

For me, a blowout or tread separation on a custom Ranger Trail trailer can cause significant damage to the fiberglass fenders. A blowout at 65mph would be a dangerous situation I do not want to go there. Made the decision a lot easier for me.

-J.

I’ve replaced all the tires on my trailer now, and in less than 6 years. I have a 17″ Lund Fisherman, same style trailer as well. Replaced mine one at a time (including the spare that was rotated in) as they blew out and beat the heck out of the fenders and even tore off lights. They looked like new, always were inflated right, and didn’t have that many miles either. Every tire place I talk to says they never look worn when they go… boat (like a lot of trailers carrying weight) trailer tires just go. They take a lot of abuse due to lack of suspension on trailers.

Getting that blowout on the highway at 65 in a construction zone sucks. I’ll try to just make a point of replacing mine sooner than later in the future. It stinks, because you just never know, and the tires aren’t cheap.

I’m with Jon on this. Did mine last summer. It’s a 2001 Mr Pike. I upgraded to radials and slightly wider. So did all three. The unused spare and another I had became new tires on my around town utility trailer. One of the boat tires became a spare for it. Why take a chance on an old tire.

Think I would look at how much you use the trailer. How far you go with it and then maybe decide. If you are just going around the corner or maybe a mile down the road to the landing having a blow out or flat eventually may not be that big of issue. Now if you are hading to the cabin every weekend or other long trips I think I would get on it before a problem come up.

Getting my work truck tires done later this week due to weather checking. The tires have about half tread on them but the truck has been sitting for the last 2 years. I also think these are the original tire so that would put them at 7 years. A flat or blow out on my work truck would most likely happen at the worst time and Im sure the cost of tires would be small compared to the potential lost income.

I agree on replacements. When i was trailering to michigan every weekend, i changed tires once a year, usually right before the beginning of the season. Even a 1/2 day lost on the road was a tragedy avoidable.

Good info,thanks all..A change is in order and a good time to do bearings as long as its in the shop