Check those trailer tires....

This forum is dedicated to the Live Steam Hobbyist Community.

Moderators: cbrew, Harold_V

User avatar
Greg_Lewis
Posts: 3014
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:44 pm
Location: Fresno, CA

Check those trailer tires....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

I wish I'd thought to mention this before the summer began, but now that we're well into live steam meet season, please check the tires on your train trailer. We were trundling home from the Triennial and as we worked our way south on I-5, I saw seven trailers on the side of the road between Redding and Sacramento with flat or shredded tires. There also were a number of truck tire treads either in the road or on the shoulder. The trailers were all either boat or travel trailers, the owners suffering the delay of their vacation. Said trailers are just like ours, that sit for months unused and then put to work sometimes on hot pavement. Remember that those tires probably have a shorter lifespan, even if unused, than your truck tires, and sitting for months in the same spot does them no good either. So do check the date code. I know first hand that it hurts to scrap out tires that have lots of tread left, but today's tires aren't like the ones of 50 years ago, and it's just not worth the risk.

Below is a pic from 12 years ago of one of my tires just as I was leaving for a meet. Note the circumferential split between the treads. I just happened to look down as I was getting ready to pull out. It didn't show when the trailer was parked.
IMG_2367B.JPG
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Gra2472
Posts: 273
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2020 8:02 pm
Location: Monte Rio California

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by Gra2472 »

Good call Greg, I wish to echo your call to attention. I also saw a bunch of stopped trailers on the highway leaving the Triennial. However, I want to point out something else that is also often overlooked. Check your trailer lug nuts often. Especially if your trailer is brand new like mine. I always check my lug nuts after I found five loose ones on my fifth wheel a couple of years ago. Before we left Train Mountain, I checked the lug nuts on my cargo trailer and found half a dozen of them that were loose. Its a simple thing that can be as catastrophic as a blown tire.
7.5" Allen Mogul
3 x 7.5" West Valley Baldwin Westinghouse Electrics
The railroad is almost done.
G. Augustus
Monte Rio, Ca.
User avatar
Steggy
Posts: 1976
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: JB Pritzker’s Hellhole
Contact:

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by Steggy »

You can improve tire life by storing the trailer on jack stands and then reducing the tire pressure to around 15-20 PSI. Also, try to arrange so the sun isn't shining on the tires, which accelerates rubber deterioration.

What often happens to a tire that is fully pressurized and stationary on the ground for months at a time is a ply separation occurs when the vehicle is moved and the load shifts to a previously unloaded part of the tire. Ply seps, which aren't always visible, cause elevated tire temperature at speed and de-vulcanization of the carcass. The next thing you know, you’re by the side of the road looking at shredded rubber.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
amadlinger
Posts: 174
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:18 pm
Location: Central NJ

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by amadlinger »

Hi Greg,

A great and timely reminder for us all.

Do folks have any particular recommendations for good trailer tires? Or tires to stay away from?

I have been thinking about trying a set of Goodyear Endurance tires for my trailer, based mainly on name brand and seeming to recall hearing somewhere that they are made in the US.

Thoughts?

Sincerely,
Adam
User avatar
cbrew
Posts: 3161
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 12:17 pm
Location: Vancouver Wa

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by cbrew »

bottom line, trailer tires are cheap,, every 3 years for bias ply and 5 years for radial, regardless of use/miles
If it is not live steam. its not worth it.
User avatar
Greg_Lewis
Posts: 3014
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:44 pm
Location: Fresno, CA

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

I didn't want to clutter this thread with my own adventure with tires on the way back from the Triennial, but if you'd like to see something interesting, here's a link to my post over in The Junk Drawer department of Chaski:
http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/vie ... 5&t=111766
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Berkman
Posts: 679
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:55 pm

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by Berkman »

consider using a light truck tire vs a "trailer tire". check tire pressure as much as possible.
SteveM
Posts: 7763
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by SteveM »

You can buy canvas covers that auto paint shops use to keep paint off wheels - they will keep the sun off your tires.
TireCovers.jpg
As Dinosaur says - long term storage up on jack stands. And to add to Chris's comment, tires are cheaper than your trailer and a LOT cheaper than the contents.

Also, don't forget to check the pressure and condition of the spare on your trailer and your tow vehicle. Most cars don't have enough air in the spare to use them because it hasn't been checked in 10-15 years.

Steve
User avatar
Greg_Lewis
Posts: 3014
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:44 pm
Location: Fresno, CA

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Well I don't want to derail this thread away from train trailers but on another trip up the same highway last year I had a complete tread separation on the left rear of my truck, and this was with the camper on the truck. The tread whipped around and caused $300 worth of damage to the outside of truck bed. The tires were reaching their age limit, and I had left the truck sitting in the same spot for about 4 months during the beginning of the pandemic as we were only driving locally with the car. Now, with all new tires, I try to drive the truck at least once a week just to keep things exercised.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
ccvstmr
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by ccvstmr »

Will add...if you're stopped on the side of the road and come across blown/shredded tires (no steel belts)...can take the tire material and cut taht into strips 1.5 to 2" wide x the width of the tire...and these make excellent wheel chocks when switching cars on the RR! Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
User avatar
Greg_Lewis
Posts: 3014
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:44 pm
Location: Fresno, CA

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Good idea, Carl. (I'll bet you also save the little plastic clips that close the bags on loaves of bread, right? Margarine tubs? :P )

When my tire let go I looked back and saw traffic dodging the large tread strip, and some hitting it. There was no way I was going to hike back and retrieve it on I-5 with many semis screaming by at over 70 mph. I just called the CHP and one of theirs came and danced out into the traffic lane and pulled it ashore. And there was no way I was going to change out the tire myself, with the spare up under the bed and the camper on the truck. I felt sorry for the poor guy who came to do it and I slipped him a $20 bill when he was done.

The rest of the story is that this was the third Toyo tire from that set that had failed. They were not out of date. (No more Toyos for me.) At this point, therefore, I had mismatched tires all around so after the spare was on I headed into the nearby small town, which luckily had a good tire shop, and replaced the whole set. (When I was young, stupid, and poor, I'd buy used tires and run them bald. Now that I'm old and still stupid but not poor I don't screw around with things that are safety related.)
Last edited by Greg_Lewis on Tue Jul 05, 2022 9:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
FrayJo
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2022 4:13 am

Re: Check those trailer tires....

Post by FrayJo »

Consider utilizing a light truck tire rather than a "trailer tire." As much as possible, check the tire pressure.
Post Reply