Last time I took the boat out I noticed the tires were wearing bad on the inside and outside of the tread. I decided to replace the old tires. While inspecting the old tires, the guy replacing them told me the tread was separating and dry rot was starting on the face of the tires.
How do you prevent the dry rot/cracking from happening? Boat is stored out in the open, would it help to cover the tires?
Why do vehicle tires not dry rot the same way, if they are out in the open all day in a parking lot at work, doesn’t make sense.
Do you have the sun on one side of the trailer more than the other side? The side with the most sun will deteriorate sooner! The uneven wear is caused by air pressure not being right.
I don’t think trailer tires dry rot any faster than car ties. I just put new tires on my trailer, replacing ones that have been on there since 2000. I don’t think I’d keep tires on any of my vehicles that long.
I would think this would apply to boat trailers as well? RV Covers Shielding Your Wheels From Moisture and Sun
The need for RV tire covers is often overlooked. More than any other part of your RV, your tires are subject to deterioration. Even though you don’t use tire covers on your daily driver, the tires on a stored vehicle should be protected. Rubber tires age faster when they aren’t in use. There are two main sources of tire weakening on a parked vehicle. Premature tire failure comes from (1) UV rays and (2) moisture. Below is a breakdown of how RV tire covers stop prolong the life of your tires in the face of these elements.
RV Tire Covers for Combating UV Rays
UV rays from direct sunlight posses a number of deteriorative properties. Sunlight is effectively radiation which breaks down the chemical bonds in various materials. This chemical breakdown causes rubber tires to weaken, latex paint to fade and human skin to burn. Prolonged exposure compounds the results. Using RV tire covers minimizes this exposure, slowing the aging process.
RV Tire Covers for Stopping Moisture
Everyday moisture plagues parked RV tires. Cycles of condensation and evaporation increase the speed of sidewall deterioration. The symptomatic ?dry rot? is a bit of a misnomer. Dry rot is caused largely by excessive evaporation, requiring moisture to occur. In RV tires, dry rot causes sidewall deterioration, culminating with a tire blowout or failure. We recommend using RV tire covers in conjunction with some sort of moisture barrier. Whether you?re storing your RV on pavement or grass, keep the tires on top of plastic or wood to alleviate exposure to both condensation and precipitation
Boat is parked on a concrete drive. I check the tire pressure every second or third trip. Tire pressure is never really off. Ocassionally would I have to add air.
trailer tires suck. most of the time they are overloaded. that and they bounce a lot more than your car. look in the mirror while crossing a bridge at 60 mph. maybe trailers need shocks? either way I get 3-4 years. I see that Maxxis does make a super heavy duty 8 or 10 ply 15 inch tire. that may help too