I noticed one of my trailer tires kept losing pressure so I went to Discount Tire, a great store by Costco in Midlothian, Virginia, to have them look the tire over and repair the slow leak.

 

A guy with a sensational name who works at the store, Sam, looked at the tire in question and told me that it was 12 years old, showed me a chunk out of the side of the tread, and it was dry rotting in one specific area. It seems both trailer tires were 12 years old and both were getting ready to give up the ship.

 

Towing the boat 70 MPH on the local interstates plus the county highways at 60 MPH in the dark heading to the ramp or in heavy traffic coming home hit me like a ton of bricks. Either tire could have blown out and flipped the boat and SUV on the highway. So somebody was looking after me.

 

I got two new Goodyear trailer tires and am now ready to rock and roll.

 

So guys and gals, check the age of your tires; check for damage; check for excessive tread usage; and check for dry rot, which is hard to see on a good day to avoid problems with your boat trailer. In other words, take your trailer to a tire retailer and have them look over your trailer tires.

 

And I thought all was OK with the trailer tires. Avoided a disaster yesterday and you need to do the same.

 

 

Solid advice and I'm very glad that worked out for you.

I had my bought with it this spring  . . . .

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/237761-time-for-a-new-set-of-boat-trailer-tires-~/

 

Stay Safe & Fish Hard

A-Jay

We have those same tire chain stores in my area and they are pretty good and quick as well. Glad you got a new safer set. I’ve had my share of blown tires over the years but it is not as dramatic as you might think, it shouldn’t cause anything to flip over in any way. It’s more like a flopping sound and you just pull over safely And change the tire

I’ve told this story a few times, possibly here also but it is a good reminder.  When I bought my boat (a 2005 model in 2012) I knew I needed new tires.  I took my new to me boat in to a trailer shop get inspected (required in Virginia for any trailer with brakes) and the shop I took it to out in the country specialized in horse trailers that carry a lot more weight than a boat trailer, travel a lot more miles and can cost upwards of $60-70,000 and even more if they have living quarters.  Here’s the advice he gave me……Trailer tires are designed to wear out by age, not tread depth and most tire manufactures recommend replacing every 4 to 5 years.  I can sell you trailer tires that will travel thousands and thousands of miles on the tread life.  They will be expensive.  If within the recommended lifespan of the tire (4 to 5 years) you don’t pull your trailer that many miles, you have wasted your money.  The key to buying trailer tires is to match the tread life to the tire life.  He told me that because the compounds are different in trailer tires and the fact that on a boat trailer they are dunked in water and have constant weight on them is why they go by years vs tread.  You can fudge the numbers some but it’s at your own risk……. I don’t want to get into brand arguments but he told me that he installed a lot of Power King Towmax tires and they never came back with blowouts.  Yes, they are Chinese tires but seem to be well made.  He didn’t even carry them and I had to have them drop shipped to his shop.  I have since gone through that original set and I am on my second set.  They have worn well, held a balance and no problems.  My second set I had dropped shipped to a local tire shop for installation.  The main point i am making is the schedule and replacement we should all be aware of no matter what tire brand you choose.  And yes by all means balance them.

While we are on the topic of trailer tires, I was talking to a non-fisherman acquaintance who tows a trailer for his work frequently.  He commented that you do not approach trailer tires like you do car tires and that regardless of ware or how much tread is left, it is advisable to replace them every five years.  Is there any truth to this?  My boat that I got in 2018 is the first boat that I have owned. 

2 minutes ago, Happybeerbuzz said:

While we are on the topic of trailer tires, I was talking to a non-fisherman acquaintance who tows a trailer for his work frequently.  He commented that you do not approach trailer tires like you do car tires and that regardless of ware or how much tread is left, it is advisable to replace them every five years.  Is there any truth to this?  My boat that I got in 2018 is the first boat that I have owned. 

We posted at the same time.?. My answer is above.

13 minutes ago, Happybeerbuzz said:

While we are on the topic of trailer tires, I was talking to a non-fisherman acquaintance who tows a trailer for his work frequently.  He commented that you do not approach trailer tires like you do car tires and that regardless of ware or how much tread is left, it is advisable to replace them every five years.  Is there any truth to this?  My boat that I got in 2018 is the first boat that I have owned. 

Yes it is completely true. There is a DOT number on  the tire denoting when it was made. In this state it's 7 years I think.  On my old trailer both flew off in pieces at 11 years in a garage.  On semi trailers they can ground you on inspection if they are old.

Two other things should be remembered.  First, inflate per the recommendations.  Over inflation can cause excessive wear in the center of the tread, under inflation excessive wear to the outside of the tread, but usually symmetrical (even on both edges).  

 

If you notice other strange wear patterns your trailer may be out of alignment.  Alignment shops can check and fix this.

GoodYear recommends changing trailer tire every 10 years, time is important as tire wear.

Tom

pretty timely thread, just reworked a trailer to carry kayaks and the tires are from 2003. ?

 

I know what I'm buying next . . . .

29 minutes ago, WRB said:

GoodYear recommends changing trailer tire every 10 years, time is important as tire wear.

Tom

That would be a great selling point but I couldn’t find a reference to it anywhere on Goodyear’s website.  

Maybe GoodYear changed with Endurance tires that replaced Marathon?

14 minutes ago, WRB said:

Maybe GoodYear changed with Endurance tires that replaced Marathon?

I would imagine it’s a liability issue.  They only recommend a high side of 6 years on their passenger tires.  

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiw-ced4qHxAhUEh-AKHSDdD2UQFjAFegQIDhAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgeneraltire.com%2Ftalk-shop%2Fwhat-dot-serial-number-and-where-it&usg=AOvVaw0EyEDzTRUjJhgHn1Nwvtys

 

This is from general tire. DOT recommends 6 to 10 years max. It's worth the price and hassle verses a roll back tow.

9 minutes ago, newbiedmv said:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiw-ced4qHxAhUEh-AKHSDdD2UQFjAFegQIDhAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgeneraltire.com%2Ftalk-shop%2Fwhat-dot-serial-number-and-where-it&usg=AOvVaw0EyEDzTRUjJhgHn1Nwvtys

 

This is from general tire. DOT recommends 6 to 10 years max. It's worth the price and hassle verses a roll back tow.

Took a little digging but I found the reference on the website you tagged for General Tire.  My only concern would be 2 fold.  1. They go from manufacture date.  A tire may sit in a shop for any number of years before being sold.  2. They are referencing passenger tires and not trailer or ST tires.  

While there may not be a specific tire age for removal from service, General Tire along with other members of the tire and automotive industries recommend that all tires (including spare tires) that were manufactured more than ten (10) years previous be removed from service and be replaced with new tires, even when tires appear to be usable from their external appearance and if the tread depth may have not reached the minimum wear out depth. Vehicle manufacturers may recommend a different chronological age at which a tire should be replaced based on their understanding of the specific vehicle application.

 Can you tell how much I hate changing out tires on the side of the road?

the tires dry  out and get very tiny fine line cracks. If you lucky they will just leak like a sieve, like my tractor tires from 1979. They get hot they will blow apart. A friend of mine sells tires for semi-trucks, if they are on sale they are probably old. Some say silicon treatment each year helps but I'm not sold on that one. I blew  a haywagon one out last year at 10 mph and dumped the load. I had it full of fix a flat for years.

oh trailer tires are bias ply or straight tread not radial due to the load requirements so they don't last as long but can handle much greater loads.