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How long do trailer tires last?


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My tires are 10 years old. For the past 6 years the trailer has not been used. Well only used 2x a year. To put the boat in the water and onto the lift, then at end of season to put the boat in the garage. Trailer always garaged. Still plenty of tread left.

Gonna trailer a bit more this summer. Do the tires need replacing?

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Single axle trailer, I'd be a bit nervous if they spent their life outdoors. Since yours were indoors all the time, I would keep them.

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They usually last to the scene of the accident.

IF you don't use the trailer much, get the tires off the ground when it is sitting. Moisture drawn through the ground or concrete can reduce their life.

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here's my scary story.

1998 trailer for our vlx it's a great trailer elete trailers it does what it needs to single axle the tires were fine until I lost the lugs on my trailer and THANKFULLY caught it before it fell off while trailering, so the tires may survive, but it's the hubs you might need to worry about.

here's the thread. ended up replacing the lugs on both sides. but like I said my tires themselves have survived. this is why single axle scares people.

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I my opinion, tread life is almost meaningless for boat trailers since they don't typically get a ton of use. I wouldn't drive far on 10 year old tires no matter how you store them. It's quite a buzz kill to make it late to the lake or have to cancel a trip due to trailer problems and a new set won't cost you much. Replace the spare tire as well and check the brakes, bearings while you're at it. Here in Tucson I'm lucky to get a few years out of my trailer tires. They just don't seem to make them like car tires. I had my current boat shipped across the country from Wisconsin on it's own trailer and the shipper wouldn't tow it with the 8 year old tires. He said even when they look good they tend to blow or delaminate at that age. Replace them!

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I have read in a couple articles that the average life expectancy of a trailer tire is about 5 years. IMHO, regardless of the cost I would replace them. 10 years is an accident waiting to happen and the situation will end up turning into an Allstate commercial! :Doh:

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5 years is what Discount Tire here in Arizona says. They have a great reputation. No matter how much use. Peace of mind is worth quite a bit.

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I was in almost the exact situation as you. Two summers ago, I bought a 1997 Echelon that was trailered twice a year up untill I bought it. The trailer tires had great tread left on them and the trailer was always stored in the previous owner's garage. So, I decided to not replace the tires. They lasted about 1,000 miles till the tread seporated while we were headed up north for an extended weekend trip. It was pretty scary keeping the rig under control when it happened, even though I was only going 65 mph. By the time I got the wheel off and got the tire replaced, we had wasted 2.5 hours (I don't have a spare). Also, when the tread came off it smashed up my fender, which almost pushed into the boat. Just replace the tires ....

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Only last bout 3 years for me and that is stored in garage except for weekends of summer and about maybe 1500 - 2000 miles towing a year.

Tread always fine but tread always separates.

Wow, that's not much. Is it always the front tires, or always the rears on your tandem trailer? If so the trailer may be weighted/balanced wrong.

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I replace my tires every 3 years based on conversations I have had with reps from Goodyear and Carlisle.

Average annual cost works out to less than the cost of a tank of gas, and well worth the peace of mind if you trailer regularly, IMHO.

Edited by John I.
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Wow, that's not much. Is it always the front tires, or always the rears on your tandem trailer? If so the trailer may be weighted/balanced wrong.

Trailer perfectly level. Both front and rear tires will have tread separation. I rotate them front to back each fall so front to rear damage is not able to be

confirmed. Always kept @ 50 PSI cold.

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I took a trip to Lake Powell with 4 year old tires, always stored indoors and perfect tread. Lost one tread on the way up and another on the way back. Changing the first one was easy, and luckily I purchased a new tire to replace my spare as I needed it on the way back. My 5th wheel friends always change tires every two years, no matter what. For me it is only a couple of miles to the lake and back, but if I am going to take a long road trip I am buying new tires if my tires are more then 3 years old. It is a small price to pay for the security of not getting stuck somewhere in the middle of no where.

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Trailer perfectly level. Both front and rear tires will have tread separation. I rotate them front to back each fall so front to rear damage is not able to be

confirmed. Always kept @ 50 PSI cold.

Weird. Axles aligned wrong? Maybe try a D load range if not already doing so? I dunno.

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I have a single axle trailer and my tires were 6 years old. The boat was stored in a garage when not in use so there was not any dry rotting on the tires. I had been driving for about 2 hours in 80 degree weather when one of the tires blew...not a great way to start vacation. Do yourself a favor and get new tires. Don't risk your vacation or your safety on 10 year old tires.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Replaced the tires w a tire I have never heard of, Towmax. They seem nice. I sold the boat and had to put on the tires because the new owner has to tow it 1000 mi home, and I just saw a blow out coming. And I coulnt live w that.

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Had a similar experience with my last boat and a single axle trailer. Ruined a day at the lake for a couple hundred dollars worth of rubber. Tore the fender up and spent half a day trying to get a replacement put on. Had to leave the boat on the side of the road for several hours (no spare at the time). Never a comfortable feeling. Change the tires. It is worth the peace of mind.

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Another vote for getting the tires replaced. The ones on my trailer had plenty of tread, but they were about 6 years old and showing some dry rot. A couple failed within a couple weeks of each other. At that point, I just decided to get them all replaced.

Speaking of, I should probably get the spare replaced before the SE WOW in Atlanta...

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