Tire go flat

[rebars1]

I have my boat in an outside dry storage yard near a lake. I have problem that over the past year and a half, I have replaced three of the four tires because they loose air and go flat. The tire place won't repair them because the rubber cracked. With the last one, they said that it looked like water sat between the rim edge and tire and rusted the steel chord in the tire. The tires had minimal mileage and (I'm guessing) were about six years old. Is this a common problem? Other trailers I have that I keep at my house don't have this problem.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Tire go flat

I always take the wheels off when storing or winterizing. Keep them in a better environment.

 

[rbh]

Re: Tire go flat

Salt water is not good for any tire or rim, when you come out of the chuck (if you are in the salt) give a quick rinse with fresh.
If you are in fresh, "get some good tires" and run the trailer till things dry out, a mile or two.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Tire go flat

What brand were the tires that went bad?
I've had several import tires get cracks and leak after only a few years.
I have the best luck with Carlisle tires but their pricey and hard to find here.
Rims last only a few set of tires, even galvanized rims rust after about 4 years and I'm 30 minutes from saltwater here.
Either keep the tires indoors or buy tire covers to keep the sun off them. Storing on jack stands or indoors is the only real solution if the tires are cracking and going bad while parked.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Tire go flat

6 years old???? time for new tires anyway.

 

[Big Pete]

Re: Tire go flat

Just a heads up guys..

Biggest enemy to tyres is sunlight , so if you store your trailer in the open exposed to sunlight, just wrap a cloth or something to shield them from the rays, to stop the damage and ageing of the tyre..

You see this as cracking on the sidewalls ,when damage has been made ..

Welding near tyres also can cause this ,its to do with the UV rays etc..

 

[180shabah]

Re: Tire go flat

Don't forget ozone - that is why the inner sidewall cracks too.

 

[rebars1]

Re: Tire go flat

So it sounds like time and exposure is more the problem than mileage in my case. The boat is located over the hill from the ocean environment, so it gets a lot of high heat days and cold nights.

I'll jack up the trailer and block it to take the weight off, and get the tires covered from the sun.

Thanks for the tips

 

[45Auto]

Re: Tire go flat

You're lucky they went flat on you sitting there and didn't blow out on the road at 70 MPH. Depending upon how much you value your life (or, to a lesser extent, your boat), you may want to consider replacing your 6 year old tires no matter what they look like. Any rubber product deteriotes with age, nothing you can do about it. If the tires were really 6 years old, you'll have a date on the side. Don't be surprised if you can't find a date, most people under estimate the age of their tires. If they're more than 10 years old, they won't have a date on them.

Among the factors that influence tire performance is how recently the tire was crafted. Just like Budweiser beer, tires bear a "born on" date. Imprinted on one or both sidewalls is an alphanumeric code of a dozen or so letters and numbers that begins with "DOT." Tires produced starting in 2000 have a four-digit birth date code at the end of the DOT number. The first two numbers indicate the week, and the last two the year. So, for example, a DOT number ending in 0205 means the tire was produced the second week of January 2005.
This date is important because rubber deteriorates with age. A tire that's been in service for five or six years should be replaced regardless of tread depth. Cut a year or two off that for vehicles that are not garaged during the day or are run in areas of high ground-level ozone.

From:

http://www.intellichoice.com/carBuying101/GripOnTires

A little more info on trailer tires here:

Speed

• All "ST" tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph.
• As heat builds up, the tire's structure starts to disintegrate and weaken.
• The load carrying capacity gradually decreases as the heat and stresses generated by higher speed increases.

Time

• Time and the elements weaken a trailer tire.
• In approximately three years, roughly one-third of the tire's strength is gone.
• Three to five years is the projected life of a normal trailer tire.
• It is suggested that trailer tires be replaced after three to four years of service regardless of tread depth or tire appearance.

Mileage

• Trailer tires are not designed to wear out.
• The life of a trailer tire is limited by time and duty cycles.
• The mileage expectation of a trailer tire is 5,000 to 12,000 miles.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTrailerTireFacts.dos

and here:

3 to 5 years is the average life expectancy of a Trailer Tire. After three years you should consider replacing your Trailer tires with new ones even if the tires have adequate tread depth left. After five years Trailer Tires are considered worn out and should be replaced.​

http://www.boatwheels.biz/trailer_tire_poster.pdf


Every year I see dozens of boats on trailers beside the road and at least 2 or 3 upside down in ditches around here. Not really surprising, since most people don't seem to understand trailer tires.

 

[rebars1]

Re: Tire go flat

Great information, 45Auto. That explains a lot.

 

[Low dsrt jon]

Re: Tire go flat

I live in Palm Springs and can tell you horror stories of flat tires on the highway and flats in the driveway. Trailer tires are only safe to use for three or so years. Trust me they go bad with dry rot and other problems easily. A safe rule of thumb is to replace all of them when one goes bad because they tend to go bad together not one at a time. A little expense now will save you a big expense if you try and be cheap and cut corners. One who has learned the hard way. LDJ