Dual vs Triple axle trailer

[Bhigdog]

I'm posting this here rather than the trailer forum because I'm hoping for wider exposure. On my way back from St Johns I blew two tires on my trailer. Both were only 3 years old and had less than 5,000 miles on them and were pricey Goodyears (made in China). I had two spares but had to spring for amother $140 Chinese POS I don't want because I was afriaid to proceed without a spare. I weighed the loaded trailer when I got home and I'm 1060 pounds UNDER tire rated gross weight ( trailer 9,500 tires four @ 2650 each ). I'm at my wits end with blowing out trailer tires. I'm considering adding a third axle to the trailer. I need feed back on the pro's and con's of a third axle other than the added tire cost. I've heard that tri axle trailers are bad for scuffing tires in turns. Anything else? Please..............Bob

[mdsbob]

Were the tires of the same side of the trailer (left or right) or were they on the same axle? I guess another possibility is the same tire location on 2 different occassions?

[Restorer32]

We had the same problem. Going to heavier rims and tires solve it. Talk to your local truck tire dealer, not the teenage kid behind the counter at Mr Tire.

[Bhigdog]

Both on passenger side. first the rear blew, changed it, an hour later the forward blew. same side different axle...........Bob

[Tom Martinez]

I aquired a used 3 axle 24" TPD last year and couldn't be happier, I've noticed very little extra scuffing compared to a 2 axle trailer. I can say that it pulls very stable and solid, better in cross winds too. I like it so much that even though I bought it to haul a big pre-war classic I just decided to use it to pick up a little foreign job that weighs half as much just because it feels safer and handles better than my 18" 2 axle. The round trip is 6,000 miles, but it's worth the safty factory alone.

Regards, --Tom

[Guest billybird]

I owned a double axle trailer for 12 years, hauled my car all over the country and get this; I didn't even OWN a spare. Yeah, that was dumb but I never needed it. By the way, the trailer always ran AMERICAN MADE Goodyear radials. Six years ago I bought a new trailer because I wanted a gooseneck. It ia a triple axle. I promptly blew out 4 out of 6 CHINA MADE tires within 5,000 miles. After replacing as you put it, the POS with better tires, no problems so far. I now, paranoid, carry TWO spares. So it seems to be in the tire quality and not in the number of axles. I do believe you get better weight distribution with three axles and it pulls VERY smooth. The scuffing when turning is just a by-product of three axles.

[Bhigdog]

I owned a double axle trailer for 12 years, hauled my car all over the country and get this; I didn't even OWN a spare. Yeah, that was dumb but I never needed it. By the way, the trailer always ran AMERICAN MADE Goodyear radials. Six years ago I bought a new trailer because I wanted a gooseneck. It ia a triple axle. I promptly blew out 4 out of 6 CHINA MADE tires within 5,000 miles. After replacing as you put it, the POS with better tires, no problems so far. I now, paranoid, carry TWO spares. So it seems to be in the tire quality and not in the number of axles. I do believe you get better weight distribution with three axles and it pulls VERY smooth. The scuffing when turning is just a by-product of three axles.

Trouble is whats a better tire? I put on 4 Load range E Carlisle's (China) and blew 2 in the first 1000 miles. So I went to GoodYear's (China) load range D and just blew 2. I'm trying to decide between 4 new load range G bias ply tires (China) or adding another axle. I can add an axle for about $1400 including tires or I can keep blowing out a couple of $140 tires a trip. Then again I can add an axle which just gives me more tires to blow out...............Bob

[Guest billybird]

Well, I've had very good service from Goodyear Marathon Radials. American made. A lot of these same tires are now made in China. I didn't know if I should but since you named them; All my tires that blew out were Carlisles as well. It seems we are all over the proverbial barrel with all the foreign made junk we must choose from. I don't know what the answer is except what has and has not worked for me. I've even heard of some people trying truck tire on thier trailers.

[Bhigdog]

The 2 Marathon Radials are what blew. I junked the Carlisles I had and bought "American" Goodyears except if you look REEEAAAALLL close, in itty bitty letters, they say China. Well back to the 3 axle question. What are the negatives/positives?....................Bob

[Guest prs519]

Bob,

Seems to me you are limiting yourself. Someone out there makes a tire of the quality you need and will be eager

to sell it to you. Seems to me the name means little anymore. Some of the sidewalls feel about as tough as a rubber

band. When you find a real tough sidewall, seems to me, you will have a tire that is likewise. I do not claim many

credentials as a tire guy, just offering a couple of observations. Surf the net and I believe you will come up with some

starting points, at the least, for finding your tires. Good luck!

Perry in Idaho

[Bhigdog]

Bob,

Seems to me you are limiting yourself. Someone out there makes a tire of the quality you need and will be eager

to sell it to you. Seems to me the name means little anymore. Some of the sidewalls feel about as tough as a rubber

band. When you find a real tough sidewall, seems to me, you will have a tire that is likewise. I do not claim many

credentials as a tire guy, just offering a couple of observations. Surf the net and I believe you will come up with some

starting points, at the least, for finding your tires. Good luck!

Perry in Idaho

I tend to agree with you and am thinking of trying a set of 14 ply rated lite truck/trailer bias ply tire. What I like is they hold 110 pounds pressure. Tire dealers tell me there is no trailer tire available that is not made in China. How can this be??????????????? So the next question is ..............Has anyone had experiance towing with bias ply tires?.....................Bob

[Trulyvintage]

I tow every day ...

In just about every of the lower 48 states

On asphalt - concrete - gravel - dirt roads

With a tandem axle enclosed custom trailer

Trailer tires are ST rated at 65 m.p.h. - that means 65 miles per hour maximum

regardless if you are empty or loaded

Heat kills a tire quicker than anything else

Go faster than 65 m.p.h. - cook your tires

I run 16 inch ST steel belted 10 ply E load range trailer tires at 80 p.s.i.

I do carry a spare - never had to put it on

I change my tires every 30,000 miles

I buy what is available on the road - usually Chinese brand

Jim

Edited August 4, 2012 by Trulyvintage (see edit history)

[Dandy Dave]

Bias ply tires are all we had in the old days. We have had 2 and 3 axle car/machinery, and horse/cattle trailers since the 70's on the farm and never had a lot of trouble with tires back then. It is actually recommended to run bias ply tires on a trailer because the sidewalls are heavier and the trailer will not sway as much. The problem is that they would wear out faster. A lot of home built trailers back in the day had house trailer axles and tires, 5,000 miles is about all those tires were good for back then. If my memory serves me correctly, I think that they were 14.5's. Dandy Dave!

Edited August 6, 2012 by Dandy Dave (see edit history)

[edinmass]

I was wondering when this would come up, as there has been lots of severe tire failure on trailers of late. Collectors with the large heavy cars are having a particularly hard time the past few years. We had a husband and wife end up in the ditch with a loss of life and severe injuries while towing lately. 15 and 16 inch radial trailer and LT truck tires on trailers today are just not safe with high speeds, high loading, and cheap tire production when hauling the big cars at high speed. Even the so called good brands have a terrible failure rate. Last year I went through 7 tires in 5600 miles over 10 days of hauling in the west in high heat, high speed towing. I just solved my problems by ordering 17.5 inch, 16 ply, rims and tires. They run 125 lbs air pressure, and are rated for 8000 pounds caring capacity per tire. A 16 inch tire maximum rating of capacity is 3250. Overall if you buy the trailer with the 17.5 on it new, they are less expensive than running 16 inch tires that last less than 10,000 miles each and keep blowing out all the time. The 17.5 rims and tires direct fit your existing trailer set up for 16 inch by 8 lug axles. According to most guys I have been talking to they get almost 100,000 miles on a set of 17.5 trailer tires, which make them less expensive money wise over the long run. Check out the link below for tires and rims. I will be going to 19.5 wheels on my F 350 soon also. Cheap Chinese tires are going to kill a lot of people before most people come around to upgrading to a safe and secure tire set up. Ed

Rickson Wheel Manufacturing

[Shop Rat]

Bhigdog, you probably already know this but when you do get tires make sure the tires are the age the dealer tells you they are. About two years ago now our RV had a rear tire to blow out. The chassis was a 2001 and the rig was titled as a 2002. Turns out that the tires were already three years old when we bought the rig and the tires had been sitting out in the sun all that time. The information is stamped/embossed into the sidewall of the tire. One of the national TV networks did an hidden camera segment on this problem. They found many dealers that were knowingly selling tires that were too old and they were selling them as recently new to unsuspecting people

Don't leave the lot until you verify that the tires/dates you chose are the ones on your trailer.

[Guest T-Head]

I agree with Trullyvintage and I have never had any problems on either a 24' or my present 22' with heavy loads and long distances. I also use 16" wheels and tires on 5000 lb. axles, 60-65 mph is the most you should be running. Trailer manufacturers also recomend the same maximum speeds in their manuals.

What tire size are you running and what are the axles rated at Bob??

For anyone out there thinking of getting a trailer don't buy shop by price. Cheap trailers have 3500 lb axles and wheels and tires that are to small. Upgrade to a min. of 5000 lb axles and 16" wheels.

For heavy weights and high speeds you need to to do like Ed mentions above.

Edited August 4, 2012 by T-Head (see edit history)

[Guest GaWajn]

I also agree with Trulyvintage. Speed is the biggest problem. Add a third axle ... keep going fast = keep blowing tires.

[Bhigdog]

I agree with Trullyvintage and I have never had any problems on either a 24' or my present 22' with heavy loads and long distances. I also use 16" wheels and tires on 5000 lb. axles, 60-65 mph is the most you should be running. Trailer manufacturers also recomend the same maximum speeds in their manuals.

What tire size are you running and what are the axles rated at Bob??

For anyone out there thinking of getting a trailer don't buy shop by price. Cheap trailers have 3500 lb axles and wheels and tires that are to small. Upgrade to a min. of 5000 lb axles and 16" wheels.

For heavy weights and high speeds you need to to do like Ed mentions above.

24' trailer with 5000# Dexter Torqflex axles. 225R15 tires. So far I've blown out 2 Carlisle load range E in less than 1000 miles. And 2 Goodyear load range D tires in about 3000 miles. I weigh 9500 which is at least 1060 under max gross and never under inflate. I do tow at about 65 even when the limit is 70..........Bob

[Trulyvintage]

What I do when purchasing 15 inch trailer tires:

For 15 inch trailer tires I locate ST Radial 10 ply Load Range E

in a 7.00 x 15 size - they will fit a 15" x 6" rim

I specifically use a 7.00 x 15 because they have a narrower and slightly

taller profile - they have less sidewall flex - they last longer

Wherever I am on the road, I look up ' tire wholesalers ' or ' tire distributors '

for the area and try and purchase wholesale as a courtesy cash sale

I pay about $100 each loose for a 7.00 x 15 ST 10 ply Load Range E trailer tire

They are Chinese - but I am not into political bashing - I buy what is stocked

I run aluminum rims with high pressure valve stems, I have my tires balanced

and inflated to the maximum 80 p.s.i.

I install ALL OF MY TRAILER TIRES myself once they are ready to be mounted

No impact wrench - no over torquing of the lug nuts

Jim

[Guest BillP]

This is OT, and not the problem discussed here.

When you own a trailer you tend to look at other people's rigs and how they are set up. It's surprising to me how many operators of tandem axle trailers run tilted, either trailer nose up or down. This puts greater weight on one or the other trailer axles and as a result the tires on that axle. It's an easy and essential part of tow vehicle/trailer set-up. Use the correct ball mount.

[Bhigdog]

Here's an interesting tid bit of info..................Bob

Special Trailer (ST) Tire Speed Ratings

Industry standards dictate tires with the ST designation are speed rated to 65 MPH (104 km/h) under normal inflation and load conditions.

However industry standards also stipulate, if tires with the ST designation are used at speeds between 66 and 75 mph (106 and 121 km/h), it is necessary to increase their cold inflation pressure by 10 psi (69 kPa) above the recommended pressure for the rated maximum load.

Do not exceed the wheel’s maximum rated pressure. If the maximum pressure for the wheel prohibits the increase of air pressure, then maximum speed must be restricted to 65 mph (104 km/h).

The cold inflation pressure must not exceed 10 psi (69 kPa) beyond the inflation specified for the maximum load of the tire.

Increasing the inflation pressure by 10 psi (69 kPa) does not provide any additional load carrying capacity.

More Tire Tech Information

[Bill Harmatuk]

This is OT, and not the problem discussed here.

When you own a trailer you tend to look at other people's rigs and how they are set up. It's surprising to me how many operators of tandem axle trailers run tilted, either trailer nose up or down. This puts greater weight on one or the other trailer axles and as a result the tires on that axle. It's an easy and essential part of tow vehicle/trailer set-up. Use the correct ball mount.

Thats right! I was waiting to see who mentioned it first. A common problem with dual axel trailers. The front wheels carrying all the weight.

For boat trailers, people in Florida swear by Maxxis tires. I use load range D Maxxis for my over loaded single axel boat trailer.

Bill H

[Shop Rat]

We never had good luck at all with the Carlisle tires that were on our tow dolly. They kept "cupping" and would blow or come close to it.

We had Goodyear tires on our tri-axle toybox camper/car hauler trailer and they were fine. But they started to dry rot. So last year Bill put new Tow Master brand tires on that trailer and we have been very pleased with them.

[Bhigdog]

Alright, here's the decision. My son-in-law has a race car business, tows a LOT and has had good luck with a certain trailer tire. It's available in my size with an E load range. I don't have anymore big tows this year so I'm going to wait until this spring and put 4 new tires on, I'm going to over inflate them by 10 pounds and limit my speed to 60 MPH. I'm also going to carry 2 mounted and 2 unmounted spares. If this doesn't work there is no plan B...............Bob

[Guest Jim Kranak]

Make sure you buy newly manufactured tires as opposed to new tires stored in a warehouse for over 5 years. There is a date of manufacture code on the backside sidewall. DOT xxxxxx. You can find out how to decipher this number on the internet. jimmijim

[Bhigdog]

Make sure you buy newly manufactured tires as opposed to new tires stored in a warehouse for over 5 years. There is a date of manufacture code on the backside sidewall. DOT xxxxxx. You can find out how to decipher this number on the internet. jimmijim

Roger that. That's why I'm waiting to get them as fresh as possible.........................Bob

[charlier]

Bhigdog, sorry to see you are having trouble with trailer tires.

Reading this thread I have been wondering about a few things.

First, when each of the various tires blew on what axle (front or rear) and what tire position (front or rear) were the tires located?

When you blew the first tire how long, how far and how fast did you drive on just one good tire before you stopped and changed it?

I remember in one of your posts that you blew a tire on one side then soon after blew the other on that same side. From everything I have see and heard from other trailer owners blowing the second tire on the same side occurs because the single tire on that side simply gets over stressed/overloaded from having to handle all the weight and duty that normally two tires handle. That stress can be greatly increased if the trailer continues to be driven at a high rate of speed, makes sharp turns, hits potholes or uneven road surfaces, etc.

Second, for you or others here. Is it possible that your trailer axles are out of alignment somehow and that is causing undue stress on the tires? If you are not getting a lot of miles out of the tires it may be hard to see uneven wear on the tires that would normally signal an out of alignment problem.

Third, When you park the trailer at home does where you park the trailer require that you have to make hard/tight turns with the trailer on hard surfaces? With a loaded or even empty trailer hard/tight turns will stress the tires.

Fourth, When your trailer is parked at home do you use tire covers on your trailer tires to protect them from sun and weather damage?

Sorry for all the questions but I am just trying to understand more about your situation.

FYI, the last set of Goodyear Marathon tires (ST 205/75R15) I put on my trailer (in 2011) were made in the USA less than 2 months before I bought them. I get the feeling that finding USA made Goodyear Trailer tires is a hit or miss situation or is related to what size and tire rating you are buying. Regardless, I carry two mounted spares in my trailer even though I have yet to have a trailer tire blow out.

[R W Burgess]

.................FYI, the last set of Goodyear Marathon tires (ST 205/75R15) I put on my trailer (in 2011) were made in the USA less than 2 months before I bought them. I get the feeling that finding USA made Goodyear Trailer tires is a hit or miss situation or is related to what size and tire rating you are buying. Regardless, I carry two mounted spares in my trailer even though I have yet to have a trailer tire blow out.

Charlie, do you actually pull your trailer on the highway???

Ok, that's my laugh for today. Really, not having blown out a trailer tire Charlie, puts you in a very small minority. I blew so many with my older trailer that I could roll the trailer up on a block of wood, change the tire, and be on the road again in 15 minutes. Practice makes perfect, right?

Future Olympic champions, take notice!

Let me put a little tire history in these questions, BIG Truck style. Trucking in the old days with those darn tube tires made trips miserable, as any nail, stone, or piece of glass picked up meant an automatic tire shop visit. Remember how there used to be tire shops every mile or two. There was a reason for that, business was brisk!

With the change to tubeless truck tires, you could drive nail infested tires for hundreds of miles without a quick deflating tire. Worse case, you'd pull off the side of the road, and pump it up for another 3-400 miles run until repairs could be made. By the way, I did not mention that tube tires would catch on fire, if run flat for long periods of summer running. I even heard of drivers filling the flats with water to prevent the fires until they could limp into the truck shops.....So, today (We have come a long way, Baby!) truckers have very few flats. If we do have a flat, we (me?) have been known to drive 150 miles or more with a flat, even on loaded trailers, although at reduced speeds. I generally kept it below 50mph. I've even seen dump trucks with scarred up tires that have been running loaded out of quarries with large rocks everywhere, and they hardly ever blow out????

So, what the heck is going on??? I'd say there are not enough sales of small trailer tires to get the tire manufactorers into the game of building decent tires for us. From my big truck experience, I can say they can build whatever the public will pay for. That's why we keep ending up with Chinese tires, they are cheaper and everyone is looking for a deal. Cheap tires mean lots of practice on the side of the road changing them.

I have gone to 16 inch wheels, after those years of 15 inch wheel headaches. I have not had this trailer long enough to have tire problems, but I'm pretty sure 3 years will about be their limit of life. As others have said here, their life is short lived. Oh, and I have 4 spare tires with me at all times now. Even old used ones are better than none, right?

Best answer from me is to get the biggest size tires that will fit on your trailer, the bigger the better.

Wayne

[Shop Rat]

Roger that. That's why I'm waiting to get them as fresh as possible.........................Bob

And as I mentioned in an earlier post, don't leave the lot until you make sure that the tires you selected are the ones on your trailer. The segement I saw on TV was very scary and the dealers knew exactly what they were doing when they sold old tires that had been sitting around, sometimes for years.

[West Peterson]

We've pulled 5,000-pound Classics in dual-axle trailers for more than 30 years. I don't think we have ever had a tire blow. We've ruined a few when spring shackles fail or break, but never have blown a tire. One year, while traveling between Buffalo to Detroit through Canada, I was following another member towing his Duesenberg. We were going more than 90mph just to keep up with him for the entire way. Still, no tire problem. Today, I rarely drive less than 70mph, usually over. Perhaps I should knock on wood, or perhaps there's something else that's causing the tire failures.

I think BillP hit an interesting point. Is your trailer loaded properly, and do you have it hitched properly? If you're unsure, try using a hitch scale and see how much wait you have at that point.

Our two enclosed trailers are Roadway Custom Trailers built by drag-car-racer "Doc" Halladay in Minnesota back in the 1980s. The first one we had was built in 1976, and if I'm not mistaken, it's still on the road. In my opinion, the best trailers ever built. Too bad he's no longer in business.

Edited August 8, 2012 by West Peterson (see edit history)

[Shop Rat]

Our trailer came from this dealer. The one we bought had been built as a display model but they never took it to any shows as the trailer was too big for the spaces available at the shows. And they knocked off $2,000 because we drove over from W. Va. to pick it up. They didn't have to pay someone to deliver it to us. In this photo we woke up to 8" of snow in New Hampshire. We had taken the trailer up there to deliver a new Jeep Liberty that we bought for Bill's daughter. The back 20' is a car hauler/cargo area and the front 12' is a camper. We used it to haul our Legends race car also for eleven seasons.

Enclosed Trailers for Sale, Buy Enclosed Trailer Online, Car, Cargo, Custom, Goosneck

[Ron Green]

So the next question is ..............Has anyone had experiance towing with bias ply tires?.....................Bob

Years ago I ran bias and actually they were pretty decent.

No road blowouts to date on the road but I have changed tires (2 always mounted up) at rest stops and at the GN at Dover where one went flat overnight.

After 55,000 tow miles I finally bought a new trailer. First tow in 2010 (tire pressure perfect) to New Bern and 900 miles latter all four of the Goodyear’s sidewalls (made in China) were bubbled. The trailer dealer quickly replaced them with another brand (forgot manufacture) as Goodyear wanted them back.

[Bhigdog]

Bhigdog, sorry to see you are having trouble with trailer tires.

Reading this thread I have been wondering about a few things.

First, when each of the various tires blew on what axle (front or rear) and what tire position (front or rear) were the tires located?

When you blew the first tire how long, how far and how fast did you drive on just one good tire before you stopped and changed it?

I remember in one of your posts that you blew a tire on one side then soon after blew the other on that same side. From everything I have see and heard from other trailer owners blowing the second tire on the same side occurs because the single tire on that side simply gets over stressed/overloaded from having to handle all the weight and duty that normally two tires handle. That stress can be greatly increased if the trailer continues to be driven at a high rate of speed, makes sharp turns, hits potholes or uneven road surfaces, etc.

Second, for you or others here. Is it possible that your trailer axles are out of alignment somehow and that is causing undue stress on the tires? If you are not getting a lot of miles out of the tires it may be hard to see uneven wear on the tires that would normally signal an out of alignment problem.

Third, When you park the trailer at home does where you park the trailer require that you have to make hard/tight turns with the trailer on hard surfaces? With a loaded or even empty trailer hard/tight turns will stress the tires.

Fourth, When your trailer is parked at home do you use tire covers on your trailer tires to protect them from sun and weather damage?

Sorry for all the questions but I am just trying to understand more about your situation.

FYI, the last set of Goodyear Marathon tires (ST 205/75R15) I put on my trailer (in 2011) were made in the USA less than 2 months before I bought them. I get the feeling that finding USA made Goodyear Trailer tires is a hit or miss situation or is related to what size and tire rating you are buying. Regardless, I carry two mounted spares in my trailer even though I have yet to have a trailer tire blow out.

First. No rhyme or reason to blown tire position. When they blow there is no doubt what happened and the only travel on the "good" tire was the distance it took to pull over.

Second. Tough to say if the axles are out of alignment since every tire I've blown out or threw away had lots of tread left. That said, there was no abnormal wear evident and the trailer tracks straight.

Third. Nothing unusual in the turning dept. On the road everyone sometimes gets in a tight situation. That's the nature of the beast and tires should be built to handle occasional scuffing turns.

Fourth. The trailer is parked under roof on the North side of my garage. It never sees the sun unless it's on the road, hence no need for covers.

Fifth. The trailer has Dexter Torqflex axles, the hitch is adjusted so the trailer is near perfectly level, I use load levelers and sway control bars, and keep the pressure within 1 pound of sidewall rating.

From what I can gather there are NO USA made trailer tires..................Bob

[charlier]

Charlie, do you actually pull your trailer on the highway???

Ok, that's my laugh for today. Really, not having blown out a trailer tire Charlie, puts you in a very small minority. I blew so many with my older trailer that I could roll the trailer up on a block of wood, change the tire, and be on the road again in 15 minutes. Practice makes perfect, right?

Glad I was able to give you a laugh for the day. Based on how many AACA Meets we have seen each other at over the years you know the answer. True, Practice does make perfect, so why does your trailer feel that you need more practice? Sorry, that's my laugh for today.

Seriously I do know about practice makes perfect. When my brother had his first VW Bus we took the engine out so many times that we could remove it about 1 minute on the driveway.

BTW, after one of your tire blow outs (I forget which meet) you inspired my to carry more than one spare trailer tire.

We've pulled 5,000-pound Classics in dual-axle trailers for more than 30 years. I don't think we have ever had a tire blow.

Looks like you are another member (for now) of the have not had a trailer tire blow club. Maybe we should start looking for other members! I am guessing that there may be more like us out there.

First. No rhyme or reason to blown tire position. When they blow there is no doubt what happened and the only travel on the "good" tire was the distance it took to pull over.

Second. Tough to say if the axles are out of alignment since every tire I've blown out or threw away had lots of tread left. That said, there was no abnormal wear evident and the trailer tracks straight.

Third. Nothing unusual in the turning dept. On the road everyone sometimes gets in a tight situation. That's the nature of the beast and tires should be built to handle occasional scuffing turns.

Fourth. The trailer is parked under roof on the North side of my garage. It never sees the sun unless it's on the road, hence no need for covers.

Fifth. The trailer has Dexter Torqflex axles, the hitch is adjusted so the trailer is near perfectly level, I use load levelers and sway control bars, and keep the pressure within 1 pound of sidewall rating.

From what I can gather there are NO USA made trailer tires..................Bob

Bhigdog, Thanks for all the answers. Your blow outs lack any logical causes that tend to cause trailer tire failures (ie underinflation, excessive speeding, trailer overloading, etc) so not much is left except tire quality.

Not sure what to say about No USA made trailer tires. I guess since I bought my USA Made Goodyear Marathon trailer tires in the spring of 2010, they may have stopped making tires here. I do remember that my tire shop had absolutely no problem getting them for me.

Edited August 9, 2012 by charlier (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

Are you certain your Goodyears are made in the USA. I thought mine were too and were sold as such but if you look REALLY close, there it is in TINY letters.............. "China"

[charlier]

Are you certain your Goodyears are made in the USA. I thought mine were too and were sold as such but if you look REALLY close, there it is in TINY letters.............. "China"

When you started this thread I doubled checked the spare I bought at the same time as the other 4 tires on the trailer.

That tire says "Made in the USA" on it. I have to remove my tire covers and move my trailer this weekend to get a car out of it. I will check the other 4 tires and post my findings.

One thing to keep in mind.. I believe you and I are using two different size/load rating tires on our trailers. Maybe that has some impact on where the tires are made?

[R W Burgess]

................BTW, after one of your tire blow outs (I forget which meet) you inspired my to carry more than one spare trailer tire.

That was probably the Blacksburg Meet. The cool thing (?) about that blowout was that the State Trooper followed me with flashing lights on the side of the I 81 for about 5 miles to the next exit as we limped along at about 30mph trying to prevent another blowout. Tire companies will not do tire repairs on that highway, too many accidents caused from stranded highway users.

Wayne

[DAVE A]

2 years ago, I lost 2 tires in 2 weeks on my trailer. Dual axle 7000 GVW with about 5,500 total weight on it. The tires had less than 10,000 miles on them. When I went back to my dealer to complain, he was incredulous that I was "still running 5 year old tires" on my trailer. His recommendation is to replace tires every 2 years regardless of mileage. It is a cost I am not fond of, but it beats limping up the highway in the wilds of Vermont searching for a tire store!!!