When do you change trailer tires?

Is there a general rule of thumb when it comes to changing trailer tires? I know with car tires its tread depth, but of course trailers are used differently.

Have heard some people say that its number of miles and tread depth. Some say just change them every 5 years or so before they dry out/crack. Other guys I know have them for a decade or longer.

My Shoreland’r came with Carlisle ST215/75R14 tires. They are 5 years old, about 200 trips total and 8,000 miles on them. Contacted Shoreland’r today for their recommendation and they said “depends” or change when needed.

Gee thanks – what do you guys do??

I’d have to agree with Carlisle, 5 years.

When to Replace Trailer Tires

Certainly, a lot depends on how much of a problem a tire failure will cause you. If most of your trips are 5 miles down the road, and you can easily replace, then it might be no big deal. 400-mile trips and a failure overnight might cause more grief than it’s worth.

For your size, I’d look at the Goodyear Endurance.

HRG

I look at my tires a few times throughout the year to see how they are wearing. Generally I get 2 to 3 seasons out of a tire with putting approx. 7K to 8K miles on per year

The composite of rubber used in most trailer tires differs from auto tires, so do not compare them.

Many factors to consider. Higher end tires last longer. Many “budget” tires break down internally. Tread depth, sidewall condition, exposure to weather conditions, and so on.

When I inspect my tires, in addition to tread depth I’m looking for any sign of irregular appearance. Odd bulge ,excessive fading, checking, uneven wear. If you have any doubt, change them. When looking at the few hundred $$$ for New tires , generally is better than dealing with blow outs, fenders ripped off, lights ripped out

A old tire guy up in Moose Lake told me that most trailer tires are only good for 3 years or so. Randy is right by saying trailer tire are different material. Just use good judgement for safety of trailer and boat.

I pull a lot of miles so I run them 3 years and change them. I hate trouble on the road.

What Randy said is spot on. General rule is 5 years. I have had some quality trailer tires that I ran longer. I am not sure how old my current Marathons are on the boat trailer, they have looked good to me until this year and will be replaced next spring.

Agree with Randy and others. Would add. Factor in how you use it. I have a buddy that pulls his boat 10 miles to the river. I pull mine 200 to 600 miles several times a year. I tend to replace mine before obvious signs of failing. Although my last 4 flats have been 3 road hazards, and 1 wheel bearing meltdown. Never had a flat in a good spot or good time.

I go by age also (5 to 6 years) regardless of miles and, for trailers I use more often and further from home, I buy higher quality tires. For me the clock starts based upon the date code on the tire, not when I installed them. I don’t install tires that are more than 6 months old when purchased and try to get the freshest possible.

All good input – thx IDO…

4 new tires on my trailer in the spring 2014. Have somewhere around 6-7K miles. Parked outside. Had 2 flats last year, one of flats took out both fenders on my left side. While removing the tire, the studs spun. Fun night.

One more flat this year. 3 of the 4 went down within a year of each other and all were mounted on the same date.

Now All 4 have been replaced and will probably all 4 again in 2025.

It should be noted that the first two flats occurred on the side facing the sun.

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I would say it depends on how much you travel and the weight of the boat.

I am on 3 years and I need new tires on my single axle trailer.

Randy Wieland wrote:

The composite of rubber used in most trailer tires differs from auto tires, so do not compare them.

Many factors to consider. Higher end tires last longer. Many “budget” tires break down internally. Tread depth, sidewall condition, exposure to weather conditions, and so on.

When I inspect my tires, in addition to tread depth I’m looking for any sign of irregular appearance. Odd bulge ,excessive fading, checking, uneven wear. If you have any doubt, change them. When looking at the few hundred $$$ for New tires , generally is better than dealing with blow outs, fenders ripped off, lights ripped out

Good stuff Randy, a couple follow on questions:

1) How do you check alignment? Honestly I will take in for service to have the tires changed, but will they (or me) be able to tell if everything is still aligned without any visible signs of excessive or uneven wear? I think its all straight, but would like to ensure as I plan to take some longer trips in the future.

2) HRG mentioned Goodyear Endurance and I have also heard good things about that tire. Any thoughts on that vs. Carlisle, others?

Always check the manufacture date on the tires you buy. Many have been sitting on a storage rack for a year or more. Look for the DOT on the sidewall. The last 4 numbers following it are the date of manufacture. The 1st 2 are the week of the year (01-52) and the last 2 are the year.

Alignment shop can measure camber and tow. If you tow many miles your tires can show a problem. Cupping and inside wear the most common axel problems. Backing off boat ramps and overloading are common causes. If you keep proper inflation for the load. They should wear even. Common mistake is running max pressure. With 50% load, will cause center wear. Inside wear is common on light duty trailers that have been overloaded, bowing the axel. I found this often, but mostly in utility and cargo trailers. I fixed a Haulmark with 3500# rating. I know it had 3x’s that on a regular basis.

I’ve always changed mine when needed throughout the years and I’ve never had a flat tire on my boat trailer that I can remember.
It all depends on what you’re comfortable with.

good post Dog! of all the things that could go wrong, trailer tires are pretty low on my list. I do carry a spare for peace of mind but changing it at night is a reality i need to address. that would suck the more i think about it. i will have to take a peak at them in spring but so far they have been great.

On my last 3 tandem trailers my front tires wear out in 2 years and the back are good for 3 to 4 years. I tried to rotate them but I never got the timing right. Now I just replace the front two after 2 years and all four two years later, or I sell the boat and get a new one. I only have been running good year tires the last 10 years when I have had to replace them.

FryDog62 wrote:

2) HRG mentioned Goodyear Endurance and I have also heard good things about that tire. Any thoughts on that vs. Carlisle, others?

I’ve had outstanding success with these on all of my trailers

My trailer tires all die of age rather than miles. First sign of any cracking and they go. I certainly get more than 5 years out of them.

I have had the original set of trailer tires on my Ranger RT178 since I bought it in 2015. When I put it away for the winter in early November, I noticed some worn tread on both of them on the inside portion of the tires. I have gotten 6 full seasons out of these tires without failure so I am going to replace them before next season. I’d rather be on the safe side than experience a blow out on the highway simply because I tried to squeeze another season out of them. The brand is Carlisle and I think I will go with the exact same tire, as I have been happy with the performance and durability.

mojogunter wrote:

On my last 3 tandem trailers my front tires wear out in 2 years and the back are good for 3 to 4 years. I tried to rotate them but I never got the timing right. Now I just replace the front two after 2 years and all four two years later, or I sell the boat and get a new one. I only have been running good year tires the last 10 years when I have had to replace them.

Have you ever taken your trailers someplace to have the axle alignment checked? Unless you’re putting 15000 miles a year on them, 2 years is an awfully short life for a trailer tire.

I just looked at the codes on my Goodyear Endurance tires and they are four years old…. Look like new yet. I also like that they are actually rated for a real highway speed vs many others that spec out at like 60-65mph. When I do replace these I will go to this tire again without a doubt.

I do put a lot of miles on the tires each year. Not sure how many on the trailer. I would guess at least 10-12k. I put 35k a year on my truck.

Pat K wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mojogunter wrote:</div>
On my last 3 tandem trailers my front tires wear out in 2 years and the back are good for 3 to 4 years. I tried to rotate them but I never got the timing right. Now I just replace the front two after 2 years and all four two years later, or I sell the boat and get a new one. I only have been running good year tires the last 10 years when I have had to replace them.

Have you ever taken your trailers someplace to have the axle alignment checked? Unless you’re putting 15000 miles a year on them, 2 years is an awfully short life for a trailer tire.