Balance trailer tires

[Freshtrax]

I know I should and most likely will as I just picked up 4 new 205/75/15 trailer tires ......but how many of you guys actually do it.

[ecmilley]

yup I do it, run quieter smoother cooler and last longer

[fishindevil]

tires on my boat trailer,as well as my snowmobile trailer are both balanced

[DanD]

Oh Yea have the tires balanced.

Bought a new Escort boat trailer; went through the trailer checking all bolts for torque, pulled the wheel bearings and repacked them; but never thought of wheel balance. From London to Elk Lake is approx a 7 hour drive; by the time we got there,one tire was so badly chopped that I had to put the spare on.

Get back here to the shop and put the tire on the balancer and it was out by better then 4 ounces.

That is more then enough to cause a tire to hop off the road at 100kph.

 

Dan.

[Mister G]

DEFINITELY have them balanced......less vibration on the trailer and now better mileage while towing and tires last longer.

[wormdunker]

Good point. Something I've never done. You can be assured I'll be getting my trailer tires balanced. Right now I have uneven tread wear on a pair of tires that are only 2 years old. The centre rib is higher than the 2 outer ribs. I was told it could be over inflation or under inflation. Can any confirm this situation for me. Thanx

[G.mech]

Tire worn more in the middle is over inflated, tire worn on both shoulders more than the middle is underinflated, more wear on inside or outside is an alignment issue and can be either a misaligned or bent axle.

[wormdunker]

Thanx GMech The axle is brand new, so I doubt very much it is bent. I also measured the distance at both ends of the axle to the rear of the trailer & found the measurements to be exact. So I guess the tires are underinflated. So how do I determine the appropriate air pressure? The tires are stamped load range C, max load 1045 lbs @ 80psi. My boat is a 14' Lund which weighs 265 lbs, motor is a Yammy 20 hp, 4 stroke weighs 130 lbs, full gas tank 50 lbs, 2 batteries 110 lbs., electric troller 50 lbs. Add some miscellaneous gear such as anchor, paddles, PFDs, 4 rods, tackle bag probably 50 lbs. trailer I'm guessing 200 lbs?? So total weight on the tires is approximately 855 lbs. Do I inflate the tires to their maximum capacity of 80 PSI?

[Fisherman]

Run a chalk line across the tread in a few places, then drive down the road for a 1/4 mile and see where the chalk is missing, underinflated, no chalk on the edges, overinflated, no chalk in the center. A crude method but it works.

[G.mech]

Run a chalk line across the tread in a few places, then drive down the road for a 1/4 mile and see where the chalk is missing, underinflated, no chalk on the edges, overinflated, no chalk in the center. A crude method but it works.

 

We used to run a paint stick across the racing tires to see the same thing in only a lap or two rather than having to do a whole run and get tire face temperatures...works pretty good. Honestly though, trailer tires should see very little wear since they don't accelerate, brake or steer. Goodyear even says that you can over-inflate trailer tires by 5-10 lbs over the sidewall if you're running over 100kmh on the highway to keep heat down and improve mileage. I do that and don't see any sort of uneven wear at all unless the tires are very, very old. I'm thinking wormdunkers tires may be underinflated; I'd go to at least the max or even 5 psi more, it really won't hurt anything on a trailer tire.

[wormdunker]

Thanx guys for the tips. Tomorrow I'm going to check the air pressure in both tires, then get my grandchildren's chalk out for the chalk test. Then put them up to 80 lbs + maybe 5 lbs as Gmech is suggesting. Does CTC have the appropriate equipment to balance 12" trailer tires?

[Fisherman]

They may, but if they're lug centric instead of hub centric then they have to use an adapter plate, most of which don't have the remotest clue how to use. If they're hub centric, no problem.

[G.mech]

12" tires I wouldnt' worry too much about, buy a spare and drive 'em until they fall off. Bigger tires are more of a concern

Edited March 25, 2016 by G.mech