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detipton
08-19-2013, 09:29 AM
I've owned my 07 LSV for about 1 yr. now and I've blown 4 tires and I'm done. I'll never buy tires from goodyear again. Last labor day I blew two tires and they were the only place open and they ended up selling me tires load rated at 1500#'s. now I've blow more tires and screwed up both fenders. I live in Arizona so temperature plays in along with speed on tire derating. I've been doing research on going to a 15" rim and going to a load rating E which is 2800# per tire vs 1500#. I would have to go to a 225/75r15 which is ~28" in diameter, which will be a close fit. The other option is a 205/75r15 with 2150# load rating but is 27" in diameter which will fit without modifing the fender. Has anybody done this swap or something close?

Thanks
David

snowboardcorey
08-19-2013, 12:15 PM
I just forwarded this link on to a buddy of mine in the tire biz. Hopefully he can get you on the right path!

Tire Guy
08-19-2013, 01:01 PM
You aren't the only guy having problems with blowouts. I have been selling tires for more than 10 years and have had quite a bit of experience with trailer tires. What size tire are you currently running? I would be happy to get you a quote on some ST tires you can count on.

Peter

rdlangston13
08-19-2013, 01:30 PM
I had one blowout and i just replaced all 4 of my tires then. My main problem with trailer tires is I seem to just chew up in the inside edge. I've been running my tires for 2 1/2 seasons now and the inside edge is almost bald on a couple of them and I don't even tow that much. I'm going to have to dismount them and flip them all over this off season.


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viking
08-19-2013, 01:58 PM
I had one blowout and i just replaced all 4 of my tires then. My main problem with trailer tires is I seem to just chew up in the inside edge. I've been running my tires for 2 1/2 seasons now and the inside edge is almost bald on a couple of them and I don't even tow that much. I'm going to have to dismount them and flip them all over this off season.


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Same thing here only I have single axle. But noticed that on one side in particular I have a tire with inside edge completely bald. I was thinking the axle might be just off center enough to create a problem? I haven't dug into the investigation yet. I was thinking maybe the hole where the axle bolts on to the trailer had been a bit too big and allowed for some movement? It wouldn't take but an 1/8 inch to cause issues??
Sounds like this may be a bigger issue than an isolated case or 2? For those that don't trailer but to put the boat in for the season and take it out at the end it would never even show up? But for those of us that trailer a couple hundred miles every outing it becomes a PITA!

rdlangston13
08-19-2013, 02:18 PM
I only trailer like 500 miles a year and its a PITA. I hear sometime the spindles bend if you hit a bump to hard and that causes negative camber. I just can't imagine any of the bumps I hit being hard enough to bend a spindle. The whole load only weighs 5,000 lbs which is about the same as my truck and my truck hits stuff way harder than the trailer ever does. You would think the suspension would be strong enough to take normal road conditions. And I BABY my boat trailer when I'm towing.


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MLA
08-19-2013, 02:42 PM
I've owned my 07 LSV for about 1 yr. now and I've blown 4 tires and I'm done. I'll never buy tires from goodyear again. Last labor day I blew two tires and they were the only place open and they ended up selling me tires load rated at 1500#'s. now I've blow more tires and screwed up both fenders. I live in Arizona so temperature plays in along with speed on tire derating. I've been doing research on going to a 15" rim and going to a load rating E which is 2800# per tire vs 1500#. I would have to go to a 225/75r15 which is ~28" in diameter, which will be a close fit. The other option is a 205/75r15 with 2150# load rating but is 27" in diameter which will fit without modifing the fender. Has anybody done this swap or something close?

Thanks
David

Did one original tire blow, then the 3 new replacements blew or did all 4 of the original tires blow out in the time since you picked up the boat?

There are 3 common causes of trailer tire failures, outside of road hazards, and I will list them in the order I think they are the most common cause:
1) age - 5 years old, based on the Julian date stamped into the tire mold, and they are done, replace them. Tires will dry rot over time and come apart with no warning. Theres a good chance the tires on your 07 trailer were already 2 years old before the trailer manufacturer put them on.

2) low tire pressure - This will wear out the sidewall from the inside, as well as overheat the tire, resulting in tread separation.

3) speed - I dont know too many people that tow at the recommended trailer/tire speed. Most, me included, cruise along with the flow if traffic, which can easily be 5-10 MPH above the posted speed limit on the open hiway. This can result in tread separation.

So before you jump to new wheels, figure out the root cause. Probably too late to see the manufacture date of the originals now.

kaneboats
08-19-2013, 02:47 PM
Don't forget about heat. It can speed up the destruction when any of the 3 above are considerations. Add a super hot day/highway and it's all over.

uniwarking
08-19-2013, 04:42 PM
I had really good luck with Maxxis tires on my last trailer (M8008 ST Radial I believe). I trailer probably 4,000 miles per year. Given the research you've done, I assume your tires were always properly inflated? I like Good Year everywhere but on trailers.

detipton
08-19-2013, 05:45 PM
The original size is 225/75r14. Goodyear sold me standard load rated tires. Lessen learned now. Like I mentioned I live in Arizona and drive ~125 miles to the lake and drive about 65-70 mph and it is 105f outside. The last two tires were last weekend and the previous two were the originals from the previous owner which were old most likely last october.

loudsubz
08-19-2013, 06:22 PM
buy a cottage, problem solved

moombadaze
08-19-2013, 07:54 PM
what is the speed limit for 14' and 15' trailer tires-I'm quilty of hitting 80 towing when im running behind schedual. do the 18's have a different speed rating ?

moombadaze
08-19-2013, 07:55 PM
buy a cottage, problem solvedwish I could

Woody929
08-19-2013, 08:09 PM
buy a cottage, problem solved

Is there a line somewhere that you cross and they change from lake houses to cottages?

yz 2smoke
08-19-2013, 08:48 PM
My truck pulls better when I go 80, the faster I go the better it pulls. My trailer tires wear on the inside as well, more so on the left tire. I cant go a full season without replacing them. I've been running Carlisle.

detipton
08-19-2013, 09:35 PM
My grandmother lived in a cottage in the woods but she doesn't need tires.

rca
08-19-2013, 10:55 PM
Same problem. Single axle trailer. Had it two seasons, replaced 3 tires so far. I can't remember what the originals where, but I think they were not Goodyear or Carlisle. I have one tire that wears on the inside edge much more than the other. Had to replace it last labor day and Walmart was the only thing open so I got a Goodyear Marathon. Replaced that this year already. Now I've got Carlisle on there, I think E rated. They seem to be working better.

rdlangston13
08-20-2013, 10:48 AM
what is the speed limit for 14' and 15' trailer tires-I'm quilty of hitting 80 towing when im running behind schedual. do the 18's have a different speed rating ?

I have the tandem axle with the 14" rims and the tires max speed is 65 mph. And I hate spending money on blown tires and i hate the inconvenience of having a blow out so I follow the 65 mph limit pretty religiously


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bergermaister
08-20-2013, 11:44 AM
So what's the common ingredient here - are all these trailers torsion axles?

I just replaced my original tires... Yes, from 2001. They were Goodyear Marathons and still had decent tread, just showing their age. Had a blowout 2 yrs ago due to a screw in the tire. Threw on a used replacement that broke a belt earlier this year. Finally just did all 4 new via Les Schwab (TowMaxx) since I was on a time crunch.

Old tires did not have any uneven wear at all though.
65-75mph pretty much every trip.
2-3k miles per year.
Rarely ever have the heat to deal with though.

kaneboats
08-20-2013, 03:13 PM
When I'm ready I'm gonna call Tirerack.com and see what they have. I don't want to be limited to what they have in stock around here.

94Boom
08-20-2013, 06:09 PM
buy a cottage, problem solved

Ya they are giving them away up in Muskoka. LMAO

Are they all torsion axles? So far I have replaced a few on snowmobile trailers and I don't think I am a huge fan of them. I kinda like the tried and true axle and leaf spring set up still. In my experience the cost is pretty similar by the time you buy all the parts.

Brian

rca
08-20-2013, 08:15 PM
Torsion axle for me. I'm betting most with issues are the torsion. Just ordered replacement brake caliper assemblies for mine too. Found both of them locking up on me yesterday.

rdlangston13
08-20-2013, 10:18 PM
Torsion axle for me. I'm betting most with issues are the torsion. Just ordered replacement brake caliper assemblies for mine too. Found both of them locking up on me yesterday.

Got to love the brackish of the SBR!


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rca
08-20-2013, 11:33 PM
That's definitely part of it David, but I expected it. Tire wear is still wrong though.

psycho-heico
08-20-2013, 11:36 PM
any of you have a tandem trailer?? how often and which way do you rotate the tires??

TeamAllen
08-21-2013, 11:15 AM
The original size is 225/75r14. Goodyear sold me standard load rated tires. Lessen learned now. Like I mentioned I live in Arizona and drive ~125 miles to the lake and drive about 65-70 mph and it is 105f outside. The last two tires were last weekend and the previous two were the originals from the previous owner which were old most likely last october.

I can't find any tire in size 225/75r14? I have used Carlisle tires without any problems. Last year I learned about Kumho Trailer tires with a load D rating. With a higher load range you can increase the allowed MAX air pressure (65). With an increased air pressure it allows for higher heat and speed. I'm not sure if the tire will work for your application, but might be worth a look?

http://www.kumhousa.com/tire/category/truck-suv/7EAB87AD-62DC-4D82-897E-E59335DE416C

Tire Guy
08-21-2013, 12:40 PM
Inside tire wear is definitely a sign of a bent spindle or axle. These often occur when your trailer slips off the end of the cement pad while pulling your loaded trailer out. The impact doesn't have to seem that hard to bend things a little. Once your tire has most of the weight on that inside edge, they don't last long before they fail.

Speed is another issue we are all guilty of from time to time. Add heat or uneven tire wear to that and you are having fun on the side of the road.

I sell quite a few trailer tires on one of the other boat forums, and the same problems are all there. I sell mostly Kenda Loadstar K550 (http://www.kendatire.com/en/specialty/trailer/loadstar-k550/) and Gladiator QR-25 (http://www.apitire.com/#/tire/gladiator/1942001831) trailer tires without having any warranty replacements.

chawk610
08-21-2013, 12:53 PM
I know I am on borrowed time. I obsessively watch my tires all the way to the jam and back. My tires are 5 years old and we tow quite a bit. I reckon this thread is a sign to get replaced. Did yall jackstand and pull wheels or take the whole thing boat and all to have the tires replaced?

rca
08-21-2013, 01:32 PM
I've done it both ways. If I have the boat at home I just take the tire off and take it in to my local Discount Tire. They are very quick when you just give them the wheel/tire without it on the boat. But, I've also decided to get a new tire when I wasn't at home at Discount Tire and they just jacked up the trailer and took the tire off. Very easy either way.

I will say I have one of the Harbor Freight electric impact wrenches and that may be one of my better purchases from from. Works great on taking tires off in the driveway on all the vehicles.

kaneboats
08-21-2013, 01:37 PM
I have an old Snap On impact and a compressor. I can rotate a car in about 2 min. I always just take the rims off the trailer and put the spare on one side and leave the other side blocked when I take them in. I used to mount them myself too but I'm too old for that crap now.

rca
08-21-2013, 01:39 PM
Inside tire wear is definitely a sign of a bent spindle or axle. These often occur when your trailer slips off the end of the cement pad while pulling your loaded trailer out. The impact doesn't have to seem that hard to bend things a little. Once your tire has most of the weight on that inside edge, they don't last long before they fail.


I'm sure this is true Peter, but it seems odd that the way it appears this more often than not happens with torsion axles on our Boatmate trailers. I had previous boats and trailers and never had an issue like this. I cannot specifically remember running my trailer off the end of a ramp or over anything else for that matter. I had the dealer check it as well after the first tire wore so quickly and they said it looked good.

After 3 tires wearing crazy on the same side and swapping rims from side to side, I'm pretty sure it is definitely an issue with that side of my trailer. Just seems to coincidental that we all have this issue on torsion axles. Are they just more prone to being bent or out of alignment? They don't seem to have much alignment capabilities.

rdlangston13
08-21-2013, 01:47 PM
Also if you back off the end of the ramp the trailer shouldn't have that much weight of the boat on it when pulling out until you get a few feet forward. The majority of the boat weight should be floating. Just don't think that they should be weak enough to bend in that situation unless they are stuck on the drop off and you are hammering the throttle


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moombadaze
08-21-2013, 04:34 PM
this thread is making me glad i got the spring axles this time, if it is truly a torsion issue

viking
08-21-2013, 04:54 PM
this thread is making me glad i got the spring axles this time, if it is truly a torsion issue

No kidding!! The only thing that may have "bumped" the spindles would be a bump in the road and I've hit nothing in the past 4 years that would be out of the normal when travelling. So I think it's a boatmate torsion issue myself. I don't follow any of the other trailer manufactures much either so can't tell if they have issues or not? I know Extreme Trailers make alot for the BU's but seems that it depends on where you live and local dealers too. Alot of the dealers use different brands in different markets! I'd be interested to know why dealers use what they use. I'm going to start asking more questions about the trailers as I shop for my next boat.

Tire Guy
08-23-2013, 12:26 PM
I'm sure this is true Peter, but it seems odd that the way it appears this more often than not happens with torsion axles on our Boatmate trailers. I had previous boats and trailers and never had an issue like this. I cannot specifically remember running my trailer off the end of a ramp or over anything else for that matter. I had the dealer check it as well after the first tire wore so quickly and they said it looked good.

After 3 tires wearing crazy on the same side and swapping rims from side to side, I'm pretty sure it is definitely an issue with that side of my trailer. Just seems to coincidental that we all have this issue on torsion axles. Are they just more prone to being bent or out of alignment? They don't seem to have much alignment capabilities.

In retrospect, my answer was too generalized. The inside tire wear is an overall alignment issue, whether from a bent spindle, damaged or poorly constructed tire, bent wheel or an overall alignment issue with the trailer. Boatmate trailers are definitely a high quality trailer and I don't specifically know of any alignment issues with them. Some of the smaller fishing boat trailers with solid axles are prone to getting a bow in their solid axle causing inside tire wear.

When dealing with an issue that con't be caught by a dealer, it may be worth having a trailer checked by a good alignment shop. It doesn't take much of a change in camber (tire leaning in or out) to cause the tire edge wear.

Tire Guy
09-04-2013, 04:07 PM
Coming from the Mastercraft forum, I see plenty of tire issues on their torsion axle trailers as well. Very interesting.....

rdlangston13
09-04-2013, 06:15 PM
I have a buddy with an RV trailer and it has torsion axles and he has had 0 issues. I think the problem with the trailers, especially tandem is the put two 3,500 lbs axles on there i believe. well on a top or bottom of a hill you can easily lift one axle off the ground, your 3500 lb axle now has 5000 lbs on it...they to run like dual 4500 lbs axles imo instead of putting juuust enough capacity to get by

mnpracing
09-04-2013, 07:24 PM
I have a buddy with an RV trailer and it has torsion axles and he has had 0 issues. I think the problem with the trailers, especially tandem is the put two 3,500 lbs axles on there i believe. well on a top or bottom of a hill you can easily lift one axle off the ground, your 3500 lb axle now has 5000 lbs on it...they to run like dual 4500 lbs axles imo instead of putting juuust enough capacity to get by

When I ordered my boat, I had boatmate upgrade the axles by 1000# of capacity. They still twist in and out when you turn sharply at slow speed, but I wanted it for piece of mind so hopefully it pays off by way of no issues.

cornrickey
09-04-2013, 07:25 PM
I don't think the issue is the ramp but more about curb hopping when going around corners.

wolfeman131
09-04-2013, 09:05 PM
When I ordered my boat, I had boatmate upgrade the axles by 1000# of capacity. They still twist in and out when you turn sharply at slow speed, but I wanted it for piece of mind so hopefully it pays off by way of no issues.

That was a great idea! Didn't even know you could do that.

blackout_58
09-04-2013, 09:16 PM
I will definitely ask for this upgrade in my next boat

jmb
09-04-2013, 09:28 PM
I have never had wear problems on my torsion suspension. Had to replace the axle because of the weldment letting go and.still no tire issues. I still have.the original tires. 8 years old. 815 hrs.on the boat so I trailer them hell out it. Fwiw.

rdlangston13
09-05-2013, 05:07 AM
IMO the trailer suspension should be able to take anything the stock truck suspension should take. I never roll over curbs at speed, maybe crawl over them if I am turning in a tight spot and i dont think that should be enough to bend a trailing arm or spindle. they should easily be able to take a small to medium pothole at cruising speed without failing, hell that is just normal rode conditions. when I tow I CRAWL over speed bumps, like 2-3 mph...