Posted 2010-10-30 4:00 PM (#126456) Subject: trailer tire wear problem
New User
Posts: 2
I have a 2 horse, 2 axle trailer and both the front axle tires are wearing down fast. They started out new and then I took a 200 mile trip and when I got back ,both tires were bald? I lifted up the axle and removed the wheels & tires to look for damage and I did not see anything apparent. The wheel bearings were just re-packed last summer and they dont show any movement now.
Anyone have any ideas? Would worn spring bushings cause the problem?
Posted 2010-10-30 4:16 PM (#126457 - in reply to #126456) Subject: RE: trailer tire wear problem
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
Welcome to HTW!!! Quote... "I have a 2 horse, 2 axle trailer and both the front axle tires are wearing down fast. They started out new and then I took a 200 mile trip and when I got back ,both tires were bald"
If you wore out two new tires within 200 miles, then you should be able to look at the tire's wear pattern and tell whats wrong. A quick walk around and something out of kilter should be very obvious... Sounds like you got a bent axle, or it's off the shackle on one side or the other. Does it have leaf springs or torsion axles? Brakes on both axles or just on the front? Do these wheels spin freely?
Posted 2010-10-30 5:01 PM (#126458 - in reply to #126457) Subject: RE: trailer tire wear problem
New User
Posts: 2
Originally written by retento on 2010-10-30 3:16 PM
Welcome to HTW!!! Quote... "I have a 2 horse, 2 axle trailer and both the front axle tires are wearing down fast. They started out new and then I took a 200 mile trip and when I got back ,both tires were bald"
If you wore out two new tires within 200 miles, then you should be able to look at the tire's wear pattern and tell whats wrong. A quick walk around and something out of kilter should be very obvious... Sounds like you got a bent axle, or it's off the shackle on one side or the other. Does it have leaf springs or torsion axles? Brakes on both axles or just on the front? Do these wheels spin freely?
It has leaf springs and only has brakes on the rear axle. The wheels spin freely and have no play. Both axles look straight and have no signs of damage?
Posted 2010-10-30 6:20 PM (#126462 - in reply to #126458) Subject: RE: trailer tire wear problem
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Is the trailer riding level?...or is running mostly on the front axle,i.e. the trailer is nose-down when hooked up and loaded? What are the ratings of these tires? And what is the rating of the axles? and how much weight do you have in the load and trailer combined? And what company is on the tires? What speed did you maintain? What kind of roads were you on? highly crowned? Finally...Go on on a four lane highway and have a friend drive next to your trailer and "eyeball the tires" at highway speed...
Posted 2010-10-30 8:12 PM (#126466 - in reply to #126456) Subject: RE: trailer tire wear problem
Expert
Posts: 1416 Location: sc
Really? New tires, 200 miles bald? You should have been able to see smoke coming off them. Take it to someone, the problem will be obvious to anyone that knows what they're looking at.