This is the second time my right tire (single axle) has blown out on my trailer during a long distance drive. I first suspected it may have been caused by the bent trailer fender that I step on to get in/out of the boat. Ther are black marks under the fender, but I don’t know if that occurred before or after the blowouts. But after doing some research, it may be old leaf springs that have leveled out. I can drive 15-20 minutes from my house to Lake Murray and not have a single problem; both blowouts occurred about 1-1.5 hours of interstate driving. Any thoughts?
My questions:
Is it ok to step of the fender? I weigh 250#s, so I’m sure that it will bend some, but are these made so thin that they cave under stress?
The leaf springs are 6 years old. Is there a general replacement timeline for this product?
Try cleaning under your fender and spraying some white paint on the underside , then do your driving local a few times and check for any black marks . The right side of any vehicle catches the rough end of it because of running off of the road or hitting the potholes that start at the edge of the road . I have seen leaf springs break and if overloaded they will bend over time .
Driving at high speeds will make the tire taller which could make it hit the fender and wear . Good luck
X2 on the dry rot. Most trailer tires are made in China (like everything else) and the rubber seems super cheap and crappy. I had 2 tires less than 3 years old already showing cracks on the sidewalls. I bought decent radials this Spring and the tire guy told me not to use Armor All on the tires. He said that a Michelin tire rep told him that it was actually bad for the rubber compounds currently being used in tires.
If you’ve been towing long enough you are lucky it is only 2. I have had 5-6 blowouts on a dual axle trailer over the past 3 years. For a while it seemed like it was every trip. Sometimes the cause is not the trailer or the tire, but the condition of the road or the weight of the load being carried. At 70mph on the interstate there is a lot more force exerted on a tire when you hit a bump than at 40 mph in town.
I’ve had a couple blowouts this summer on my tandem axle trailer. I went to replace them and my tire guy recommended bias ply tires. He says the rubber on the radial tires separates when they sit for awhile and they see blow outs just like mine. He only recommends radials if you’re driving a lot as in a contractor using the trailer daily. Jury is still out but I do trust him.
as a former long range tourney angler i used to have this problem also, switched to DENMAN trailer tires and all problems stopped.
sold at tire kingdom.
a long term study has concluded that most of the damage that leads to tire faliure is caused by the leading edge of bridges, the sharp concrete edge tears up the tires. it also determined that slowing down 10 mph just before hitting the edge of the concrete greatly reduces the damage and extends tire life.
another solution is to switch over to a heavy load range truck tire- they’re designed for abuse and aren’t affected by heat nearly as bad as trailer tires.
most trailer tires are designed for 60mph or less.
Nobody asked if the tire was hot from undergreased bearings.Also check the grease seals by looking for grease splattering on inside of wheel rim.Had this problem last year.
Towed a fully loaded 28’ catamaran down to the Keys last year… Three blown trailer tires (and one hastily removed fender) later we made it fine. Even if the tire doesn’t look like it is touching the fender, when at speed the dynamic forces all change and it can touch enough to heat up and blow the tire(s).
14’ Pamlico 140 Angler w/ rudder
Kayak, SCUBA, or both.
