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Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? #2760268
04/05/20 08:43 AM
04/05/20 08:43 AM
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N.E. OHIO, USA
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I have our boat stored in our (farmer) neighbor's pole barn and he asked if I could move it so he could get his plow and roller out. He told me that two of the trailer's tires were flat, which I knew, and in bad shape which I also knew. The trailer tires on the left/port side were old recaps and I've been wanting to replace since I got the boat so I ordered four new trailer 6-ply rating trailer specific new tires. Attempted to break the bead of one of them with no luck so I had to resign to having a tire dealer locally change them. Called a dealer in town and they wanted $25 each which included balancing and new valve stems. shock Didn't want to spend a hundred bucks to change four trailer tires so I was about to head off and find a cheap tire bead breaker for $59 and give that a try, I have changed many a car and truck tire by hand even with small 8" motorcycle tire levers if I could break the beads.

Before I set off for the bead breaker I thought that I would call one more place and a good guy Nate at the tire place in the next town said he would change the trailer tires for $10 each which total was cheaper than the bead breaker and the longer drive over and back from the store that had the breaker for $59. Now this is what I have a question about, Nate said the $10 included R&R of the tires and NEW valve stems but they never balance trailer tires and they don't need to be balanced confused shruggy The wheels on the trailer are alloy wheels not steel and they had balance weights on two of the four?

We're going to tow the boat this year to a public boat launch this year instead of the local Lake Erie marina that we had a dock so now there will be about 15 to 20 miles of 55 MPH highway driving on a 70 MPH speed limit road, What do you think will I have a problem with not having the tires balanced ?? Can I tell from the truck if the trailer tires are out of balance? If we go boating this year it may only add up to 200 to 400 towing miles so even if all of the trailer tires are out of balance would it damage the tires badly? Thanks In Advance (TIA).


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Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: A12] #2760269
04/05/20 08:46 AM
04/05/20 08:46 AM
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Texas
GoodysGotaCuda Offline
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Yep, I absolutely would.

Trailer tires seem to always be poorly maintained, the trailer owner will then always complain about always having blowouts. fan


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Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: GoodysGotaCuda] #2760275
04/05/20 08:55 AM
04/05/20 08:55 AM
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Posts: 2,293
Land of 10,000 Lakes
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Land of 10,000 Lakes
You should balance every tire.The purpose of balancing a tire is to offset the "heavy" spot in the wheel/tire combo once mounted.If not balanced,everytime that "heavy" spot comes around,I believe it scuffs the road a little more,causing cupping that you sometimes see.I am not sure if they are still doing it,but a few years ago,wheel manufactures would drill the valve stem hole where the low spot was in the wheel (hard to do now with mostly alloy wheels)and the paint mark or later,a sticker,was place on a tire where the high spot was.Match the two up and get a lot better ride and balance.

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: A12] #2760306
04/05/20 10:14 AM
04/05/20 10:14 AM
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Benton, IL.
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DaveRS23 Offline
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70MPH with that kind of load and you wonder if the tires should be balanced?

I wouldn't dream of not balancing ANY tire that hits hiway speeds.


Master, again and still
Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: DaveRS23] #2760307
04/05/20 10:21 AM
04/05/20 10:21 AM
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S.E. Missouri
AeroMonte Offline
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I always balance trailer tires. Which is cheaper, $100 to mount and balance now or replace cupped worn tires later. I routinely get 40,000 miles out of my trailer tires. They wear down before they dry rot. This is a car trailer that runs 70 mph for 800-900 miles in a single day loaded.

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: AeroMonte] #2760314
04/05/20 10:44 AM
04/05/20 10:44 AM

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Superfreak
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Don't be cheap! Spend the lousy $100 and get it done right. Not worth all the fuss of running around or wasting time shopping for this or that to do it yourself. twocents

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: ] #2760323
04/05/20 11:07 AM
04/05/20 11:07 AM
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So Near, Yet So Far
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Definitely, absolutely. Even on my little utility trailer.

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: topside] #2760328
04/05/20 11:16 AM
04/05/20 11:16 AM
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Romeo MI
MR_P_BODY Offline
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That boat looks like a SeaRay which I also own.. they are a heavier boat... when it comes to
tires on any of my trailers I never cheap out.. a hundred bucks is cheap.. just think what
can happen if you blow a tire.. and dont run 70 MPH.. I run 55-60 on the E-way.. so what if it
takes 10 minutes more to get there
wave

Last edited by MR_P_BODY; 04/05/20 11:19 AM.
Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: A12] #2760347
04/05/20 12:00 PM
04/05/20 12:00 PM
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Pikes Peak Country
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TC@HP2 Offline
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If you don't balance them and they begin to wear funny and develop hot spots and become unglued at highway speeds, it will bend the c#@p out of the trailer fenders, and at the very least scuff the gel-coat on the boat if not crack it, possibly bend hand rails or break windows on the boat.

If you are just slapping tires on it to move it and let it sit somewhere else, then maybe.

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: TC@HP2] #2760361
04/05/20 12:28 PM
04/05/20 12:28 PM
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Grand Prairie,Texas
stumpy Offline
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I have used a bumper jack to break the tire loose a number of times. Put the short end of the footplate of the jack as close to the rim as possible and jack the van up. Be sure to take the valve core out of the tire. It helps if you stand on the opposite side of the rim from the jack to keep the rim from titling up.

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: A12] #2760368
04/05/20 12:42 PM
04/05/20 12:42 PM
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chicagoland,usa
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buildanother Offline
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DO BALANCE! Although, when I used to haul a friends 261/2 foot Sundancer, I was more concerned with the unilug rims I had on my 4x4 Warlock tow vehicle. Thrill seeker I was. Yes, those boats had some weight!

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: buildanother] #2760374
04/05/20 12:56 PM
04/05/20 12:56 PM
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Bridgeport, WV
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Michael Offline
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Balance

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: Michael] #2760422
04/05/20 03:51 PM
04/05/20 03:51 PM
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On the run…
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Better safe than sorry right?


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Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: MR_P_BODY] #2760435
04/05/20 04:36 PM
04/05/20 04:36 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,473
N.E. OHIO, USA
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Originally Posted by MR_P_BODY
That boat looks like a SeaRay which I also own.. they are a heavier boat... when it comes to
tires on any of my trailers I never cheap out.. a hundred bucks is cheap.. just think what
can happen if you blow a tire.. and dont run 70 MPH.. I run 55-60 on the E-way.. so what if it
takes 10 minutes more to get there
wave


Yes it's a Sea Ray 225 now with a new 5.7 liter motor. I had to move the boat/trailer and needed at least one new tire as it came apart. With the size I needed 215/75-14 there were limited choices so I went with trailer specific 6-ply rating tires and thought I would change them myself but ran into a time crunch as it was supposed to rain again the next day. I have been wanting to get a basic bubble balancer as I've used them in the past with pretty acceptable results so I think I'll do that with $60 I save just getting them changed and not balanced. As you stated I know that I will be towing at the 55-60 speeds as you said for safety reasons and my '85 E350 van has a 4.10 rear (Dana) and a 6.9 liter diesel and is humming up in rpm there anyway laugh2

Now do you guys think a bubble balancer will be good enough for "ballpark" balancing 60 mph towing speed trailer tires?

Resized_20180929_175851_464.jpeg
Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: A12] #2760443
04/05/20 05:00 PM
04/05/20 05:00 PM
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Romeo MI
MR_P_BODY Offline
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Romeo MI
A bubble balance will work fine but make sure you do a nice job.. I have a bubble unit here that I use
and have used on my race car running 152 mph
wave

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: A12] #2760445
04/05/20 05:01 PM
04/05/20 05:01 PM
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It's a dry heat
gtx6970 Offline
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Originally Posted by A12


Now do you guys think a bubble balancer will be good enough for "ballpark" balancing 60 mph towing speed trailer tires?



Yes, I used one for years with no complaints

Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: gtx6970] #2760743
04/06/20 12:58 PM
04/06/20 12:58 PM
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Kalispell Mt.
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HotRodDave Offline
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The reason some guys tell you not to balance trailer tires is because if you can't feel it then it must not be a big deal, the problem is the flex where the truck/trailer meet is going to eliminate a lot of that feel. Do it right, balance em. Bad balance on an empty or light weight trailer can really wear the tires bad.

bubble balance is fine for a narrow low speed tire like a trailer, it is just as good as a static balance with a fancy electronical balancer. Now if you have wide wheels and drive at very high speeds (like a dodge viper wheel) a good dynamic balance job can help smooth things out even more.


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Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: A12] #2760768
04/06/20 02:29 PM
04/06/20 02:29 PM
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South Dakota
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My dad been a mechanic since 65. Changed thousands of tires over the years. He bought a new set of wheels and tires for his 18 foot car trailer. It always had a jerk pull to it and bounced a lot. Still did that with the new tires and wheels. For a whim he pulled all 4 of and took them in to the dealership and balanced them. The trailer is a 1994 and been pulled behind lots of different trucks. He put them back on and pulled the trailer empty and then with a load on it. Both times it was like the trailer was not even behind the truck. No jerking,bouncing or anything. I am going to have to get my balloon 5'x8' enclosed trailer done now just to see if it helps.

corey


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Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: hotairballoonpilot] #2760772
04/06/20 02:44 PM
04/06/20 02:44 PM
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Kirkland, Washington
Pacnorthcuda Offline
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Originally Posted by hotairballoonpilot
My dad been a mechanic since 65. Changed thousands of tires over the years. He bought a new set of wheels and tires for his 18 foot car trailer. It always had a jerk pull to it and bounced a lot. Still did that with the new tires and wheels. For a whim he pulled all 4 of and took them in to the dealership and balanced them. The trailer is a 1994 and been pulled behind lots of different trucks. He put them back on and pulled the trailer empty and then with a load on it. Both times it was like the trailer was not even behind the truck. No jerking,bouncing or anything. I am going to have to get my balloon 5'x8' enclosed trailer done now just to see if it helps.

corey


There is critical missing info from your fathers experience.....how much weight did he have to add to balance the tires/wheels? If a wheel takes an ounce or less it was probably doing ok as is. If one takes much more then yeah......that was a big problem.

Until you balance, you really don’t know.

Last edited by Pacnorthcuda; 04/06/20 02:45 PM.
Re: Do you balance or not balance trailer wheels & tires? [Re: gtx6970] #2760781
04/06/20 03:12 PM
04/06/20 03:12 PM
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Bend,OR USA
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Cab_Burge Offline
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Originally Posted by gtx6970
Originally Posted by A12


Now do you guys think a bubble balancer will be good enough for "ballpark" balancing 60 mph towing speed trailer tires?



Yes, I used one for years with no complaints
iagree up
I have a old (mid to late 1950s up) mechanical all manual labor tire machine and a old bubble balancer that I use to mount and balance all my tires I can on them wrench
The 13.5x32x15 inch rear slicks on my S/P car where done on them, 150.+ MPH so far with no issues, same thing on the 4 new tires I bought and installed on my 24 Ft. Pace enclosed car trailer with Maxxis brand 225x75x15 E rated (2865 Lbs. each) tires.
I can't remember, probably over 20, how many 15 inch trailer tires I've had self destruct on my car trailers that had a lot of tread left on them puke I now hate 15 inch trailer tires rant
I've weighed them to make sure that there not over loaded, the most weigt I've seen in my current Pace car trailer was 8650 Lbs.total on both axles, it did add around 300 lbs. on to the truck rear axle but it also moved 150 lbs. off the front axle to the rear shock the truck weighs right at 7650 Lbs. with me in it with a 1/2 tank of fuel.
I'm now planning on replacing all four tires on my car trailer every four years now, no matter how many miles or how much tread is left on them twocents

Last edited by Cab_Burge; 04/06/20 03:13 PM.

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