New Trailer Tires -Mounted and Balanced

[G-Mack]

I had some strange wear patterns on my treads and the side walls were starting to crack (3 year old tires). I installed Greenball Towmaster Tires .. had a set on my old boat trailer for 8 years with no issues...but we all have a preference..... I installed the tires at the maintenance shop at work and since I had access to a balancer, I balanced the tires. Tires shops around here do not typically balance trailer tires. It looks like it is a practice that is lacking. I spun up the old tires to see how out of balance they were...they were the Trail America tires from the factory (Boatmate).... outer weight required was between 5 and 7 oz!!!!!! Inner was al bit less at 2-4oz. on average. That is massive imbalance!!!. It would explain the scalloping on the treads. I mounted my new tires and balanced with stick on weights again 4-6 oz on the outer.

If you are blowing tires an imbalanced tire will generate alot more heat due to flexing and scrubbing or are seeing poor wear.. see if you tire shop is balancing tires or maybe ask for it. How many people have their trailer tires balanced?

Edited May 10, 2011 by G-Mack

[CoMtnBu]

In all my research on tires this spring I read that a lot of installers don't balance trailer tires. Very common in the RV world to not have them balanced. Once it stops snowing here I plan on having my new tires balanced. Plan on getting the Towmasters too.

For 25bucks a tire they charge for mounting the shop better balance them.

It makes sense in my head that out of balance tires would wear faster and irregularly thereby causing all the blowouts we see in trailer tires.

Maybe it's not crappy tires after all.

[cbmalibu98]

I put new tires on my trailer in 2010 and they balanced them. I just figured this was standard proceedure.

CB

[Michigan boarder]

I just replaced mine this spring, balanced. Anything spinning IMO needs to be balanced, or there is just going to be trouble.

[Devin Perry]

I balance mine. Just makes good sense

[Asmodeus2112]

+2 (one for each tire)

[ColinP]

It doesn't hurt but it's definitely not necessary either. It's not like I'm haulin a** down the freeway.

[WakesetterE]

Ballancing tires may make it ride smoother, but crappy tires still blow out. In the late 80's I worked at Firestone in Dallas, TX. They had a building they kept defective tires waiting to be returned for credit to the manufacture. They were picked up each quarter, and we would have hundreds to return. After a few years I moved over to a Goodyear location. As I reviewed the Goodyear store/shop, I asked how the defective tires were processed. We went to an 3' wide rack with a chain. On it sat 2 tires. That was all there was to be returned as defect. My point is that tire quality can make all the differance in the world. Firestone 500, the 721, etc kept me busy at Firestone returning defects. Goodyear isnt perfect, just vastly better then. (who knows now?) I typicaly found tires that took too much weight while ballancing either had a bent wheel or were factory defects. Most dont realize you can ballance a square tire, but it will still shake like crazy! Excessive tire and wheel runout can cause a noticeable vibration. As the vehicle is driven, the wheels and tires are exposed to great stresses and abuse. Wheels can bend and tires can separate, the result is a vibration. I saw a bunch of tire/wheel damage from curb hopping on trailers. Most issues were from underinflation.

My guess from my 5 years in the tire business is that most unusual wear patterns on trailer tires are likely from trailer axle mis-alignment. Most trailer axles arent that close being "aligned" to each other, much less the thrust angle of the vehicle pulling it. Just the differance between a loaded trailer and unloaded one will make a consideable differance in the caster/camber of the trailer tires. So one way has to be wrong. I saw a lot of trailers where the bolted in axle(s) wasnt perpendicular to the pull of the trailer. As caster/camber is non adjustable on trailer axles, those are only eye ball close (ie not very). The theory and practice was most trailer tires are replace due to weather cracking, very few wear the tread off the tires, so not much is invested in aligning the trailer wheels/axles. So, unless you trailer a bunch of miles, consider how well the tire takes the sun and heat before its rated "mileage". I prefer the Goodyear Marathon radial trailer tire, and no I don't sell tires anymore.....

Edited May 10, 2011 by WakesetterE

[Pistol Pete]

It doesn't hurt but it's definitely not necessary either. It's not like I'm haulin a** down the freeway.

Maybe you're not but I am. I gotta get to that flat water before you do. I'm typically doing 70 for long stretches.

I have and will balance every tire on every vehicle or trailer I own. There's no reason not to.

Only difference with me is that my trailer wheels only have weights on the inside. Bling factor.

[WakesetterE]

Maybe you're not but I am. I gotta get to that flat water before you do. I'm typically doing 70 for long stretches.

I have and will balance every tire on every vehicle or trailer I own. There's no reason not to.

Only difference with me is that my trailer wheels only have weights on the inside. Bling factor.

I ballance mine also...the boat sees enough vibration in the water!