I have blocked up my boat for 2 years for the tires, this year I have another boat I need to “shoe” them in the shed concrete floor but I won’t be able to get to the sides they will be tight to the wall. Does blocking really save the tires or no? I can during the winter move them a little bit These are your basic 4:80×12 tires do many of you block your boats up or no?
Just slip a piece of plywood under the tires and they will be fine.
I park my boat and tritoon on pine 1×8’s just to get them off the cement a bit in the garage and shed for winrer. Whether or not it helps with anything I’m not sure.
I’ve always kept my boat trailer on concrete without wood under the tires and have never noticed any kind of an issue in all of the multiple decades that I’ve owned boats nor has anyone that I know. I am curious though. Why do you guys put wood under them?
I’ve never put mine on jack stands. Although mine stays in my heated shop. I don’t know what helps/hurts.
I don’t but it sounded like he wanted ideas thats why I threw it out. I think there is a belief the tires will absorb moisture out of the concrete and rot the rubber. I’m not buying that unless you park the thing for 20 years then you might have a problem.
Yep only reason i ask I heard it would rot the tires or get a flat spot but i’m lucky to get a year out of them anyway. Sounds like most don’t I don’t think I’ll mess with it. I can always move it a little bit. Thanks for the advice!
Concrete wont harm your tires, its sand and dirt that do. But they have to set for a long long long time for you to ever notice
Blocking tires like that is a thing of the past for the most part.
To be honest, I would be more concerned with why you are only getting 1 year out of a tire…
Trailer issues, over weight, low quality tire???
I’d check my axle alignment if I was only getting 1 year out of my trailer tires.
I would be more concerned with why you are only getting 1 year out of a tire…
He is probably not using the tires enough of the time. 
Somewhat counter-intuitively, keeping tires stationary, especially parked (with full vehicle load) in one position accelerates the aging and drying out process. Tires are engineered to be used, with the tire compound resins responding as intended to movement and activity, and actually working to protect the rubber.
full article; https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/keep-tires-from-dry-rotting
People have said that bearings can suffer if left with lots of weight on then and stationary over the winter but I’ve never seen an issue with that. The tires can take a “set” and be noisy the following spring for a trip or so but will smooth out. I’m interested in how much loaded boat weight is on being put on those little 8 inchers. If the weight is close to max for the tires and he’s running at highway speeds tires and bearings will take a hit and wear out much sooner.
I’m in Dave’s camp on the tires being used. Its the use that prevents the rubber from getting hard and stiff.
When I park my trailers on a dirt floor pole shed for the winter I always put plywood under the tires. I’ve learned over the years if I don’t my lug nuts, wheels and studs get all rusty.
I use to block up my old Caddy for the winters. I thought keeping tires off the concrete and the weight of the car off the suspension was a good idea. That changed about 20 years ago. My buddy had a house fire while at work. The FD rolled his boat out of the garage. They couldn’t roll his 1969 Firebird out…..it was up on blocks. Now my Caddy sits on cedar 1x6s. I pump the tires of to 55# to help prevent flat spots.
Wow lots of responses thanks. I have 2 boats one is 1350# the other 900# between the 2 I fish about 160 summer trips with them. A rough guess is I put 6000 miles a season on them alot of miles for a small cheap $30 4:80×12 tire. That is why I roughly go through a set on each boat a year. Bought some better tires before they lasted about the same as the other ones. Also drive on a lot of gravel as well. Being a farm kid I guess old habits die hard as we would try to block a lot of stuff up for the winter. As Mark said cheaper tires lots of miles and a small tire and the alignment is great on the trailers
My buddy had a house fire while at work. The FD rolled his boat out of the garage. They couldn’t roll his 1969 Firebird out…..it was up on blocks.
I was going to say it makes the boat harder to steal. When I used stored my boat with a rental garage, I always put the boat on jack stands and deflated the tires. But, yes good reminder to have good insurance coverage even in storage and no plans to use.
-J.
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