Think I need new tires?

[peterh]

Just wanted to run this by you guys before I head out to Hells Canyon. When I went to pick up my trailer from the storage yard the curbside tire had developed a lump in one side. Is this something I should take care of tomorrow morning after I get to Boardman?

[peterh]

OK, here's the real story. When I put our trailer to bed at the storage yard after the NOG (Northern Oregon Gathering) last fall I noticed the curb-side tire had developed a bulge. It was fine when we headed home . . . but somewhere in the intervening 80 miles or so this bubble appeared. I'm just damn lucky I didn't have a blowout on the way.

So I let much of the air out and put the trailer to bed for the winter. This weekend I towed it home (at low speeds) from the yard and upgraded to spiffy new 14" rims and TowMAx tires. The weight of our 5th wheel is too close to the 1360 lbs capacity (per tire) of our old 13" Marathon tires. The new 14" tires are rated at 1760 lbs each.

[Doug Mager]

Looks a l'il to me like tread/sidewall seperation. Same thing happened on my old daily driver truck. I drove it like that till it blew. I don't think I'd wanna chance doin the same thing with a trailer, ya never know how/when its gunna let go, or the results.

Best deal with it before ya go. Just mah .02$ Canadian, eh!!!!

[Larry&Carrie]

Hmmmmm -- a hernia.. Nuffin a little duct tape wouldn't cure. Larry

[Alf S.]

Hi: Peterh... Looks like you lost "The battle of the BULGE" . Either that or you ran over a huge wad of chewing gum. Getting new wheels n tires just makes sense to me!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Gerry]

Pete This is classic case of side wall band brackage.
Are your tires Trailer grade?
I am still tee'd off at my brother in law for putting passenger tires on my Boler when I asked him to put trailer grade tires on.
Trailer tires have a stiffer side wall construction to compensate for any sway while going down the road.
With a passenger tire a good bump with all the trailer weight can bust these bands letting air through and making a buldge like this.
To bad too it looks like you got good tread left.
In Maine we do a light test to see if a tire is good to go...
On a dark night, hold flashlight under trailer against tire if you can see light shining through to outside of tire you better think of replaceing.
Gerry

[Greg A]

That just happened this fall to my wife's car. Dude at Discount T called it a "Watermelon" and said they are fairly common especially in heat areas. He recommended immeeeediaaate replacement...

[Flygal]

Larry really???????? duct tape??? please ameture.......SILICONE is much more suited for this repair....sheesh waddy trying to do maim the guy and inherit his trailer (dibs on the spice rack if he goes for the duct tape)

Hmmmmm -- a hernia.. Nuffin a little duct tape wouldn't cure. Larry

[Pete Dumbleton]

Are your tires Trailer grade?

First photo shows the tire to be a Goodyear Marathon, an ST tire.

PeteH, save the carcass if you want to process a warranty claim with Goodyear -- No carcass for them to examine, no money...

[Scott S.]

are they Goodyear's ?
I know some Carlysle tires had recalls?

[Pete Dumbleton]

See for yourself by clicking on the first photo.

Carlisle has a recall out now in Load Range F tires (bigger than we use) in one particular application where the tire pressures were too low (a la Firestone and Ford Explorer!) http://www.usrecallnews.com/2008/03/nhtsa-496.html.

Carlisle http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tires/carlisle/home.do had problems four or five years ago in our small sizes-- Everyone switched to Goodyear http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tir...t.go?tc=GDYTR1 and then those seemed to be having problems (or the usual problems were being magnified). In the meantime, the manfs seem to be changing where they are locating the tire plants (IMHO, it's really how good the quality control is, not where the plant is) -- Last I looked in a Wally, Carlisle ST tires were being made in USA.

Reportedly, the folks on the Casita forums are recommending Kumho tires from Korea http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tires/kumho/home.do. Previously they had been recommending Nankang http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tires/nankang/home.do.

Whatever you decide to buy, be sure to learn how to read the Date Code on the tires and inspect them before installation so you aren't buying ones that have been on the shelf for a long time -- Trailer tires tend to "time out" before they wear out, and you want that time under your egg, not in a warehouse.