trailer tyre wear

[Julian Swindell]

I have just towed my BC20 home from Poole, about 120 miles. All very easy, but I noticed that one trailer tyre has worn down on the inside to almost no tread in that distance. Does anyone know if that is a sign of under or over inflation, or something else. I had them pumped up to 35 psi, which I thought was the correct pressure, but maybe it's not. I don't actually know why I thought that was correct.

[Colin Lawson]

Hi Julian, 

I have not got my BR20 at home so cannot check but am pretty sure that I keep my tyres at about 35psi as per the instructions here:

http://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/?page_id=557

As far as I can remember this was consistent with the tag on the trailer.

I have not noticed any wear at all on the tyres but have only made two long trips Salisbury to Falmouth plus Wales to Salisbury and annual trips to and from Poole.  So I cannot help you with the tyre wear but it does sound as if something isn't right. I am sure I remember someone else mentioning tyre wear as a problem a few years ago.

Colin

[Colin Lawson]

More info here: http://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/?page_id=17&URL=http://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php/topic,559.0.html

Just scroll down to pics of worn tyres.

HTH,

Colin 

[Graham W]

Julian,

Are you saying that your tyres wore out in 120 miles, or that you only noticed it for the first time when you got home? And are your tyres the original cross ply ones?

I keep my repacement radial tyres at 36psi and have covered about 3,500 miles on them so far without noticeable wear.

[Julian Swindell]

They are the original tires and this tread wear happened only on this last trip. I had noticed that they still looked almost me when I checked their pressure last week.

[Graham W]

If they are anything like my original trailer tyres, they are not of the highest quality.  Even so, sudden wear shouldn't happen over so short a distance.  In the previous thread on this subject, an AA man had blamed something similar on under-inflation of the tyre. Unless they were rubbing on something on the way home, I can't think of other explanations.

Anyway, it's an expensive opportunity, not a problem! You can now upgrade to some decent radial tyres, either the same size or (if you upgrade your wheels at the same time, which perversely can sometimes work out cheaper), something with a larger diameter, which would spread the load a bit and give you better ground clearance. Reg Barker was looking at doing this, having seen someone else at the Bala rally (Matthew P?) with 13" wheels on their BR trailer instead of the standard 10" ones. I don't know if the standard mudguards would also need changing to accommodate a bigger wheel.

Trailertek in the UK have a wide range of replacement tyres and also complete wheel assemblies.  If buying the latter, make sure that you specify the correct PCD size to fit your hub.

[Julian Swindell]

I am beginning to wonder if the tyres are just overloaded. Looking on Trailertek's website, they recommend a maximum load of 350kg for the tyres I have got. I must be pretty well up to that in total if not more. I will do a bit more research over the next few months. I also wonder if I just drove too fast. I was on motorway all the way and tried to keep to 60mph, but I am sure I was over that quite a lot as the roads were quite clear.

[Graham W]

That's 350kg per tyre, plus 30kg on the trailer coupling (say), giving you a limit of 730kg.  A bit faster than 60mph shouldn't make much difference.

[Tony]

Hi, Julian.
Graham's right. The original tyres are not "of the best quality" . I would put it more strongly and say that they are barely "fit for purpose" as they never last for more than a few thousand miles - even at 36psi. Swap to better quality radials ( don't forget the spare) before they start shedding lumps of rubber on the motorway, as mine did. Make sure that the different tyre profile will fit the chassis.
I can't imagine that loading is a problem but I do think that the suspension geometry is responsible for some of the scrubbing. The rubber torsion arm gets a proper workout on even smooth roads at the legal limit. Tracking is suspect on many trailers, too. If you get the chance, follow your boat as someone else tows it. You'll soon see how much stress the suspension is putting on the tyres! (.....and if you can see it, you know it's bad!)

[John & Isla Roberts]

I'm very pleased to see some focus on trailers as it's a neglected area (I admit, it's not so exciting though). For information, the tyres supplied with our CLH trailer (purchased spring 2011) are 13 inch with a tyre width of 145 mm. The recommended tyre pressure as stated on the outside of the tyre is 46 psi. This sounds high, I know, but I did double-check it with the supplier who confirmed it's correct.

[Peter Cockerton]

Julian

Recently had to replace trailer tyres and spare to radial. The fitter was very helpfull in helping make the right choice based on boat and trailer weight and the speed i was planning to tow at. If you punch in tyre code into wikipedia it explains the code you see on the tyre wall. My original radial tyres had quite severe cracking on the walls but plenty of tread so they needed changing. It was pointed out that the 10" wheel is not used on cars any more so the price of these tyres and availability is getting higher and more difficult to get hold off. Please see the code image below from wikipedia hopefully it will help along with the other information on wikipedia.

So if my old tyres were rated at 350 kg, the boat emty weighs 450 kg the trailer i'm guessing at 250 kg, assume 25 kg engine and 50 kg of other bits we keep in the boat it soon puts the tyres on the limit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code

[Brian Robertson]

My experience is very similar to Graham's.  I have a CLH trailer, supplied in 2010, which has done over 4,000 miles with no significant visible wear.  It has 145 R10 radials which I keep inflated at the recommended 35PSI.  I have to admit that this relatively low pressure makes them look very squashy and they do run hot on long journeys, but they seem to be standing up well.  The squashiness has the advantage of damping some of the buffeting on rough roads.

Julian, the incredibly rapid deterioration of your tyres does suggest major tracking problems.   Overloading shouldn't cause such rapid and uneven wear.

[Julian Swindell]

I'm suspecting it is an alignment problem but not sure how I will check. I will jack up and prop the trailer soon and have a look at the offending wheel in detail. The other side looks a bit worn on the inside as well, but nothing as serious.

I hate trailers

[Graham W]

I was wondering how you check it too.  I came across this on t'Interweb:

1.    Connect the trailer tongue to your vehicle's hitch. Park the trailer on a level surface. Lower the trailer tongue jack stand to level the trailer, if necessary.

2.  Attach the fishing sinker to the end of the fishing line. Tie the fishing line to the bottom threads of your vehicle's tow hitch, allowing the sinker to hang. The fishing line and sinker should be hanging directly below the center of the trailer tongue ball hitch coupler. This will provide a plumb line for assessing your wheel alignment.
   
3.  Remove the hub caps on your trailer's wheels, if necessary. Screw an axle extension tube to the center spindle on either wheel.
   
4.  Measure and note the distance between the plumb line and the tip of the axle extension tubes on either wheel. Compare the distances from the plumb line to the right wheel and from the plumb line to the left wheel. If the distances deviate by more than 1/8 inch, your wheels are likely misaligned.
   
5.  Measure and note the distance between the front wheel and rear wheel on either side of the trailer, if your trailer has a second axle. Compare the distances between the right wheels and the left wheels. If the distances deviate by more than 1/8 inch, then the rear axle is out of alignment with the front axle.

Alignment

6.  Inspect the leaf spring assembly, which suspends and protects your axles. Replace the U-bolts and retainer brackets that hold the springs to the axle, if they appear loose or cracked. If cracked or bent, replace the front and rear shackle brackets that secure the leaf spring ends to the undercarriage. Replace the leaf springs if they are sagging, cracked or twisted.
   
7.  Inspect the conditions of the wheels and tires. A bent wheel rim, low tire pressure or worn treads may interfere with the trailer's handling. Depending on the extent of the damage, a bent wheel rim may require professional attention, and possibly replacement.
   
8.  Inspect and replace the same components of the rear axle, if applicable.


If this all sounds too complicated (it did to me), Mr Kwik-Fit probably has lasers and stuff that can check the alignment quickly.

[Julian Swindell]

The problem at the moment is that I have a 20 ft boat sitting on the trailer which makes taking it anywhere for the next 6 months a bit of a chore. I had meant to get it serviced over the summer, but the weather turned out too good to spend tome doing that. I shall have to meditate on it all for a while