I just had the tires on my old circle j trailer balanced. It made a huge difference in ride for the trailer. Some of the wts are 4-6 oz on the tires. Is this something that should be done on all trailers.??? jerry
Posted 2007-04-20 4:25 PM (#59701 - in reply to #59698) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Elite Veteran
Posts: 736 Location: Western WA
Absolutely!!!!
Putting the comfort of the horses in the trailer aside, balanced tires will wear more evenly and won't put as much strain on the axles and suspension of the trailer, and it will handle better going down the road.
As a former Goodyear tire sales rep, are the 4-6 oz weights single weights, are they say (2) 2 or three oz weights on opposite sides of the the wheel? More, smaller weights are more effective than a single large weight.
Posted 2007-04-20 11:29 PM (#59719 - in reply to #59713) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Expert
Posts: 1871 Location: NY
I read on this site about tire balancing and I took my trailer in and wow were the off good thing that i just brought the trailer new. So hear is my question why don"t the manufacer do the tire balane like car dealer do??
Posted 2007-04-21 7:32 AM (#59724 - in reply to #59719) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Expert
Posts: 1416 Location: sc
Originally written by loveduffy on 2007-04-20 12:29 AM
I read on this site about tire balancing and I took my trailer in and wow were the off good thing that i just brought the trailer new. So hear is my question why don"t the manufacer do the tire balane like car dealer do??
trailers are not the same as cars, typically the only out of balance car tire you will notice is on the steer axle. due to the fact virtually NO trailer manufacturer (rv, cargo, big rigs or horse trailers) balance their tires apparently i am not alone in believeing they do not need to be balanced.
the link i posted above indicates 2/3 of "us" balance their trailer tires......of those 2/3 i "suspect" half of them are not balanced correctly anyway (hub vs. lug centric)............
Posted 2007-04-21 5:08 PM (#59736 - in reply to #59724) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Location: Brighton, Colorado
Originally written by chadsalt on 2007-04-21 6:32 AM
Originally written by loveduffy on 2007-04-20 12:29 AM
I read on this site about tire balancing and I took my trailer in and wow were the off good thing that i just brought the trailer new. So hear is my question why don"t the manufacer do the tire balane like car dealer do??
trailers are not the same as cars, typically the only out of balance car tire you will notice is on the steer axle. due to the fact virtually NO trailer manufacturer (rv, cargo, big rigs or horse trailers) balance their tires apparently i am not alone in believeing they do not need to be balanced.
the link i posted above indicates 2/3 of "us" balance their trailer tires......of those 2/3 i "suspect" half of them are not balanced correctly anyway (hub vs. lug centric)............
Couldn't agree more. I would bet that even a tire that is out of balance by more than 3 oz. you wouldn't be able to feel inside a trailer due to torsion axles and leaf sprung axles are comparitivly loose compared to how vehicle leaf springs are mounted. However, if a person prefers it to balance them, I say why not? I can tell you this, I do have them balanced on my horse trailer, but not on any of my other trailers.
Posted 2007-04-23 6:40 AM (#59775 - in reply to #59766) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Expert
Posts: 1416 Location: sc
Originally written by loveduffy on 2007-04-22 10:25 PM
I thought that if the tires are out of balance ,that it put extra wear and tare on the axial and bareings ???
im sure it does........youll have to define "extra". towing with my truck puts extra wear and tear compared to not towing, but i still expect a resonable service life out of the truck.
Posted 2007-04-23 11:25 AM (#59794 - in reply to #59701) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
New User
Posts: 4
Location: Port Angeles WA
Originally written by headhunter on 2007-04-20 2:25 PM
Absolutely!!!!
Putting the comfort of the horses in the trailer aside, balanced tires will wear more evenly and won't put as much strain on the axles and suspension of the trailer, and it will handle better going down the road.
As a former Goodyear tire sales rep, are the 4-6 oz weights single weights, are they say (2) 2 or three oz weights on opposite sides of the the wheel? More, smaller weights are more effective than a single large weight.
Posted 2007-04-23 9:24 PM (#59820 - in reply to #59775) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Expert
Posts: 1871 Location: NY
Here is my thinking if a tire is out of bbalance, the tire is whobley? if that is so then the lugs and axial are under extra wear and tare . Compared to balance tire which would help the trailer last longer??
Posted 2007-04-24 6:26 AM (#59835 - in reply to #59820) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Expert
Posts: 1416 Location: sc
Originally written by loveduffy on 2007-04-23 9:24 PM
Here is my thinking if a tire is out of bbalance, the tire is whobley? if that is so then the lugs and axial are under extra wear and tare . Compared to balance tire which would help the trailer last longer??
you appear to be missing my point. balance them if it makes you feel better, but how many axles have you worn out? ive towed many, many miles over the years and never balanced a tire OR replaced a worn out axle.
Posted 2007-04-24 10:56 AM (#59853 - in reply to #59698) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1160 Location: Denver Colorado
Not too many horses complain about the vibration of an unbalanced tire. A balanced tire sidewall generally runs 10 degrees cooler than unbalanced with less sidewall flexing. The hotter the tire the softer the rubber the faster the wear. A balanced tire can last 25 to 50% longer as a result. Why would a trailer tire be any different than a truck tire? When my truck tires are in need of balance I can feel it in the stick shift. On a vehical, unbalanced tires can lead to cupping on the steer axle. If you don't tow your trailer much, you won't see much of a difference with any wear item. If you tow a lot, balanced tires makes a difference.
Posted 2007-04-24 10:35 PM (#59904 - in reply to #59853) Subject: RE: trailer tire balance
Expert
Posts: 1871 Location: NY
thank you -that is what I thought, the triler dose ride better with balance tire ,I notice a differnt when I towed my trailer after the tires were balanced so balance tires are a plus for your trailer
trailer tire balance
???
Not that much money for a little piece of mind.