Do you know or know of any other person being stopped by the local law enforcement and looked at thier trailer tires for the "trailer tire only" designation labels I know I always look at the GVW rating on all of my tires, truck, car and trailers, to make sure there rated a bunch (minimum of 10%+) higher than the known load I'm towing or carrying I have fought that war on enclosed car trailer tires blowing up for no reason I've had some that weren't two years old and where ran at 5 lbs more pressure cold than what was on the sidewall and the load on each wheel and tire was 1200 lbs less than the max GVR of those tires I haven't lost one in the last three years, knock on wood, so I will probally have three of them blow out on the next long trip to a race I carry three spares now ready to go now I have had two tires come apart 80 miles apart from each other on the same trip, I also lost two by running over a rock in the dark on early morning before sunrise I missed it with the truck and hit it with both of the right side trailer tires, bent the rims and ruined the sidewalls

My trailer has the 16" tires, that's what it came with, my time limit is 4 years, and that's buying good tires, at 5 Ill blow 1 or 2 tires that season, so I swap them at 4.

Most common tire dressings actually accelerate degradation according to Michelin. I think the tire covers and best tires you can fit will help the most.

I fought the tire blow out woes for years. 26' Haulmark trailer st225x75r15 tires rated at 2550 lbs each. I kept them covered, tried an extra 10 psi while towing. Bottom line you better replace them every two years, and hope for the best during the two years. I just changer over to 16" wheels and Goodyear Lt245x75r16ht tires that are rated at 3100 or so pounds each. Normal inflation is 80psi. I wanted to use LT235x85r16 tires, but I did not have room. So far things seem to be much better. The trailer sits 2" higher, the ride is better, the tires don't bow out when in contact with the road, and when towing they run much cooler. Eventually I will have the trailer in a barn and on concrete, but for now tire covers and a piece of plywood on the sun side.

Jim

From 97 to 2014 my Haulmark trailer had about every 15" combo you could think of on it.... and it came down to the same as many. Throw them out after two years.

My dad got out of racing so we sold the 24ft and kept his Cargo Mate 28ft trailer. It has 235/85/16 tires and now it looks like I'm back in the two year deal because this trailer is eating the tires off it!!! The right rear seems to be taking the brunt of it as it will be 6-8 degrees warmer when I stop for a rest and check them. I'm hoping to find somewhere to try and get it aligned.

Haulmark bought the cheapest crap tire you can
buy(Carlisle) they could blow with just the weight
of the empty trailer... I run a 43' trailer with 2
axles.. very heavy duty ones.. I buy the best tires
for the 16" rims.. I have had 1 blow out.. that was
after 7 years on them.. and that was part my fault..
the wheel cover fell off on the sunny side of the
trailer and it sat for a few months like that.. I run
the MAX air pressure the wheel can take..95psi and I
check the pressure EVERY time that trailer goes out the
drive way(the tire can take 100psi but the wheels are
only 90psi so I run a couple psi high for the wheel
EDIT
The 43' is not Haulmark.. thats my home made
trailer.. my old 26' was a Haulmark

What type of axles do you have on your trailer ? I have the torsion type and when I loaded up the trailer to max the axles would deflect and wear out the tires fast from over heating.

Our 24ft Haulmark had torsion flex axles (5K axles). Our current Cargo Mate has leaf springs. Personally, looking under the trailer, it looked like an afterthought the way the leaf perches are welded to boxes welded to the frame. Long story... my dad ordered the trailer. I told him to absolutely get the big axles, and 16" wheels. It showed up with 15" wheels. He was going to accept it, until we discussed once again the tire he77 I'd been living..... so, he took the trailer back to where he bought it. From there I have no idea what happened.... other than it had 16" wheels (six lug 16" wheels on 5K axles) the first time I saw it. We got 4 years out of the first set of tires, but most of that was short trips to the local track with a couple long treks from SoDak to our home in AZ. The current set of tires have only been on a little over a year and the outer edge is wearing badly on a couple.... right rear seems to be the worst.

care to share what you consider the BEST tire.i,d rather spend more than waste less.

If you go on this website and do some reading it is USUALLY kept up to date with lots of good info. I had issues with the generator in my motorhome and these guys straightened me out. Most of these guys are full-time RV'ers so they are on the road all the time. Lots of good up to date info on tires. For me like I said I'm stuck with 15 inch tires and 3500 pound axles so I'm overloaded (not legal) every-time I go to the track. I have had very good luck with the Carliles upgraded 10 ply tires. I get 4 years out of my tires and I tow 80 mile round trip every week from April 1st to the second week of November and usually 3 trips a year to Norwalk a year at 400 miles round-trip. I park on gravel at home during the week and over the Winter. Trailer is always parked outside in PA weather with the tires uncovered. http://www.rv.net/

Dont quote me but I believe the last set I bought
were Marathon trailer tire(Goodyear).. the heaviest
rated I could buy. was F or G rated... I have tried
others but they werent rated as high.... I'm not home
right now so I cant go see what I have

I use the tire covers and it does keep the tires looking better with no cracks.

However it is the age that seems to get them. Don't ask me how I know.

Bill

My Haulmark which I purchased in 97 was equipped with Goodyear Marathons. After two years or so a sizable egg appeared on the sidewall..... Goodyear replaced all four tires no questions asked (recall). As I remember the score card read like this. 2 sets of GY Marathons, Carlisle (needed tires NOW.... tread was coming off GY, noted at the track.... might have been three to four years on those, I was in denial about them lasting), cheap Chinese tires two years, my first set of Maxxis 10 plys... two years, second set of some sort of 10 ply, two years...

My present trailer has "HI RUN" 16" tires on it. Max psi listed at 90, but I run 80. The trailer was originally equipped with some other Chinese tire.

I hate trailer tires....

Those goofy looking airless tires they make for heavy equipment might eventually find an application here. However I am sure age and lack of use causes problems with those as well.

MAN! this is confusing.if you go to the tire sellers web reveiw all tires get 4 or 5 star reveiws.if you go to forum web reveiws there aint no such thing as a good trailer tire.

In the 16" arena there is also the G rated tire with it's max inflation of around 120 psi, but I don't think my steel wheels are rated for them.... that and I'm not sure living in the desert that they would be prone to lasting any longer due to the environment. Back in June I left town to race in vegas. The road temp was 168 degrees. Stopped about 1/2 way for a snack break and my tire temps were 159. you can literally spend days reading info and stories on this subject. This was one bit of helpful info I found years ago at Discount Tires web site:

Trailer Tire Applications
•Trailer tires are designed for use on trailer axle positions only. They are not built to handle the loads applied to, or the traction required by, drive or steering axles.

Inflation
•Always inflate trailer tires to the maximum inflation indicated on the sidewall.
•Check inflation when the tires are cool and have not been exposed to the sun.
•If the tires are hot to the touch from operation, add three psi to the max inflation.
•Underinflation is the number one cause of trailer tire failure.

Load Carrying Capacity
•All tires must be identical in size for the tires to properly manage the weight of the trailer.
•The combined capacity of the tires must equal or exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of the axle.
•The combined capacity of all of the tires should exceed the loaded trailer weight by 20 percent.
•If the actual weight is not available, use the trailer GVW. If a tire fails on a tandem axle trailer, you should replace both tires on that side. The remaining tire is likely to have been subjected to excessive loading.
•If the tires are replaced with tires of larger diameter, the tongue height may need to be adjusted to maintain proper weight distribution.

Speed
•All "ST" tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph.
•As heat builds up, the tire's structure starts to disintegrate and weaken.
•The load carrying capacity gradually decreases as the heat and stresses generated by higher speed increases.

Time
•Time and the elements weaken a trailer tire.
•In approximately three years, roughly one-third of the tire's strength is gone.
•Three to five years is the projected life of a normal trailer tire.
•It is suggested that trailer tires be replaced after three to four years of service regardless of tread depth or tire appearance.

Mileage
•Trailer tires are not designed to wear out.
•The life of a trailer tire is limited by time and duty cycles.
•The mileage expectation of a trailer tire is 5,000 to 12,000 miles




One of the more "enlightening" things I noted was the "time" information, the "heat", and the general statement about pretty much not going by "tread wear".

I have a 24ft enclosed trailer and have gone through the tires too. I've been buying Carlisle from tire discount with $25 warranty. After buying 4 I am getting them for $25 apiece now, still sucks changing a tire on the side of freeway but $25 is better than full price. And if I catch them quickly with lumps they will replace them.

Im thinking they are designed to only last 4-5 years max. Remember back in the day on a trip to a "Junk yard" you could find tires that where 10-20 years old and would last till worn out. The down side is those tires lasting a long time in the dumps, in fact never going anywhere. So now they crumble and come apart in 6 years, brake down faster. Once all the tire manufacturers came on line making these, they make more money with the quicker turnover. Why would they want to make a tire that last 10 years when they can sell 2-3 sets in the same time. Make the EPA happy and get richer, no brainier.