Inspired by @Kayak Koz , I'm going to follow his lead and upsize the tires on my Malone Trailer. It's a pretty easy mod other than relocating the fenders and in my case, I'll have to shorten the fenders to clear the cargo rack. I presently have everything I'll need to do this with the exception of warm weather, so it'll have to wait till next spring.

 

The generally excepted rule of thumb is to use time as your gauge as for when to replace trailer tires. This is where the rabbit hole begins. Some sites say to replace them every 3-5 years,  and others 5-6 and I've seen recommendations of up to 7 years.  If it was cut and dry, this wouldn't seem to be much of an issue, but when does the clock start ticking? I recognize that there are many variables that can alter the answer.

 

Trailer tires will have a date code located next to the DOT code. The date code is only 4 digits in which the first two are the week of the year that they were made and the last 2 digits are the year of manufacture. I just received my new tires with a date code of 1023 which means that they were made in March of 2023. That makes them 2 years and 8 months old and they haven't hit the pavement yet.

 

A little concerned about this, I reached out to Etrailer (whom I purchased from) today (Sunday) and I received the following reply (an hour later).

 

Question: 

I just received my order 123774103 of 2 AM3H360. I just check the date code 1023 and they were manufactured in March of 2023. That makes them 2 years and 8 months old. Even if they are coming from a climate controlled environment, will the service life be compromised and will this be a cause for concern? Thanks!

 

Hello Crow,

That's a great question!

We only sell tires that are road safe and take extra precautions to keep our inventory fresh. The lifetime of your tires won't be compromised at all! They'll serve you and your adventures for a long time.

Let me know if I can help with anything else!

 

In previous correspondence with them with them they indicated that their tires are stored in a climate controlled environment. Basically, my take on this is that the date codes aren't really that important unless the tires are really old, haven't been stored properly or both. The service life of the tires starts when you receive/install the tires and not when they were made.

 

****Please make note that I'm not voicing any displeasure with Etrailer. They've been extraordinarily supportive and have always responded lightning fast to my questions.

 

 

 

Not a trailer tire expert by any means, but I do have some experience. 

Been down this rabbit hole a few times.

So many variables. 

After finally getting my head back above ground, I've come up with one hard and fast rule

that is just about foolproof, even for a knucklehead like me.

I replace them before I need to. 

Hoping to eke out the last drop of use from questionable rubber,

might be a good way to get some alone time on the side of the road.

As for when, I start thinking about it at 4 years old

A-Jay

 

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Not a trailer tire expert by any means, but I do have some experience. 

Been down this rabbit hole a few times.

So many variables. 

After finally getting my head back above ground, I've come up with one hard and fast rule

that is just about foolproof, even for a knucklehead like me.

I replace them before I need to. 

Hoping to eke out the drop of use from questionable rubber,

might be a good way to get some alone time on the side of the road.

As for when, I start thinking about it at 4 years old

A-Jay

 

Agreed. Best to be proactive, especially when you consider the small cost of tires vs. the large investment sitting on top of them. It's a no brainer.

I've always replaced my trailer tires when the rubber gets so thin I can see the air inside.  Going on seven years on my current tires.  I may regret this approach someday.  So far I'm 39 years without any problems.  Not even a flat.  

1 minute ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I've always replaced my trailer tires when the rubber gets so thin I can see the air inside.  Going on seven years on my current tires.  I may regret this approach someday.  So far I'm 39 years without any problems.  Not even a flat.  

All it takes is just once for things to go sideways and then is followed by a wave of regret. I'm not a gambling man and never felt comfortable living on the edge. It's risk/reward situation where in in my opinion just isn't worth the risk for so little gain. My experience tells me that the law of averages will kick in.

12 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I've always replaced my trailer tires when the rubber gets so thin I can see the air inside.  Going on seven years on my current tires.  I may regret this approach someday.  So far I'm 39 years without any problems.  Not even a flat.  

So you're the guy ~

Awesome !

A-Jay

I don’t know what bass tracker uses but they last. Had two buddies run them from brand new for over 11 years. I don’t go down rabbit holes with tires, they aren’t that complicated. I run the absolute urine out of them and plug nail holes, but I’ve never made any last like my buddies with bass trackers. I accuse them of using theirs as carport display models 😂. I roll mine thru the elements early and often. The stretch of I-59 between Chattanooga and Birmingham will eat them alive. 
 

You get pretty good at making them last when you don’t have enough money for fresh ones. I have a better job now but for years I made due. 

I was ignorant of the date code.  I figured if I bought new tires that they were new.  WRONG,  Bought 2 "new" tires from a local dealer just before a long road trip.  One blew on the way to the lake, the other blew on the way home.  Turns out they were 4 years sitting in storage!  The dealer made it right.  I learned the hard way.

I used to pull a 13000 # 5th wheeler.  We traveled from S Texas to Canada spending as much as 100 nights per year in campgrounds.  The cardinal rule for tires on that kind of rig is “don’t ever start the 7th year without new tires no matter what the old ones look like”.  That is the same philosophy that I use on all of my tires and it works.

11 hours ago, Crow Horse said:

Inspired by @Kayak Koz , I'm going to follow his lead and upsize the tires on my Malone Trailer. It's a pretty easy mod other than relocating the fenders and in my case, I'll have to shorten the fenders to clear the cargo rack. I presently have everything I'll need to do this with the exception of warm weather, so it'll have to wait till next spring.

 

The generally excepted rule of thumb is to use time as your gauge as for when to replace trailer tires. This is where the rabbit hole begins. Some sites say to replace them every 3-5 years,  and others 5-6 and I've seen recommendations of up to 7 years.  If it was cut and dry, this wouldn't seem to be much of an issue, but when does the clock start ticking? I recognize that there are many variables that can alter the answer.

 

Trailer tires will have a date code located next to the DOT code. The date code is only 4 digits in which the first two are the week of the year that they were made and the last 2 digits are the year of manufacture. I just received my new tires with a date code of 1023 which means that they were made in March of 2023. That makes them 2 years and 8 months old and they haven't hit the pavement yet.

 

A little concerned about this, I reached out to Etrailer (whom I purchased from) today (Sunday) and I received the following reply (an hour later).

 

Question: 

I just received my order 123774103 of 2 AM3H360. I just check the date code 1023 and they were manufactured in March of 2023. That makes them 2 years and 8 months old. Even if they are coming from a climate controlled environment, will the service life be compromised and will this be a cause for concern? Thanks!

 

Hello Crow,

That's a great question!

We only sell tires that are road safe and take extra precautions to keep our inventory fresh. The lifetime of your tires won't be compromised at all! They'll serve you and your adventures for a long time.

Let me know if I can help with anything else!

 

In previous correspondence with them with them they indicated that their tires are stored in a climate controlled environment. Basically, my take on this is that the date codes aren't really that important unless the tires are really old, haven't been stored properly or both. The service life of the tires starts when you receive/install the tires and not when they were made.

 

****Please make note that I'm not voicing any displeasure with Etrailer. They've been extraordinarily supportive and have always responded lightning fast to my questions.

 

 

 

 

Interesting... And now I need to check those new tires that I bought when I get home tonight.

Lot's of good info here:

 

 

I've been fortunate to be able to tow my bass boat to Florida from Massachusetts from January till April. When I leave the "frozen tundra" my tires are inflated to the recommended pressure listed on the side of the tire (Endurance). I found a tip, many years ago, that I'd like to share with other "snowbirds". The air in my tires when I head south is 20/30 degrees F. By the time I travel through the warmer States and reach Florida, that same air is 40/50 degrees higher thereby elevating the internal tire pressure to a level that could result in a blowout. Therefore, at every fuel/rest stop, I check and adjust tire pressure as needed. I've released enough built-up pressure to make me believe I'm doing the right thing.

I hope this is helpful.

Tom

@Nitro 882

Everything I have ever read says that recommended tire pressures for my vehicle are based on cold inflation pressure. Gas expands when heated and contracts when temperatures decline. This means that I should check my pressures in the morning before the tire has been run, before the ambient temperature rises, and before exposure to direct sunlight. Hence, cold inflation pressure.

Daily temperatures rise and fall between day and night and as I move through the seasons. Tire pressures can fluctuate 1 psi for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit. So if the outside temperature increases by 10 degrees, the tire pressure will increase by 1 psi. Conversely, if the ambient temperature drops 10 degrees, the tire pressure will decrease by 1 psi. 

The pressure inside warm tires will be higher due to the fact that driving causes heat buildup. So I should never reduce the pressure inside warm tires because when they have cooled down, the pressure could fall to below the minimum tire pressure.

As temperatures drop in the fall and winter, it’s especially important to check tire pressures. In the winter, my tires could experience a drop of nearly 5 psi which affects traction, handling and durability. This fluctuation throughout the year leads to the recommendation of checking the tire pressures at the beginning of each month and before long road trips, where the additional load may require the tire pressures to be increased according to the specification. And don’t forget to check your spare tire!

Stay Safe

A-Jay

@Nitro 882 Tires are designed to run at max pressure as stated on the sidewall. The outside air temps do not require you to adjust. Tires heat up with use so bleeding pressure out after running is the wrong thing to do. Only adjust tire pressure when the tire is cold or after sitting overnight. Tire pressure increases or decreases one pound PSI for every 10 degrees air temp change. So setting your air temp to max when its zero degrees outside will only increase 7 psi when the air temp reaches 70 degrees. Tire tolerances are engineered to accommodate that. 

One caveat that needs to be considered is that the maximum pressure indicated on the sidewall of the tire is for maximum load. Most vehicles have a manufacturer recommended tire pressure lower than the maximum pressure on the sidewall. I believe the same would hold true for trailer tires. For folks who just want to set it and forget it, then using the max pressure indicated on the tire will be fine for them. For those who want to dial the pressure in to achieve best wear, ride/load comfort without compromising safety, there are a number of ways to do this depending on how deep you want to go into this rabbit hole.

 

 

One of the responses from Etrailer :

 

"Yes, the Kenda 205/65-10 Bias Trailer Tire with 10" Galvanized Wheel # AM3H360 with a Load Range B rating would be a great alternative. Just understand that you might need to run the air in the tires a little lower than what's on the sidewall to keep the trailer from bouncing all over the place. I unfortunately don't know what a safe psi rating would be since Kenda doesn't have a chart for that, so just know you'll be kind of flying blind in that area."

Hey, if you want to read this entire thread, including all future posts, then go here:

 

 

11 hours ago, Kayak Koz said:

 

Interesting... And now I need to check those new tires that I bought when I get home tonight.

What is the date code on your new tires? 

I run the same Kenda tires (from eTrailer) in a 12” version at 5lb’s under max load rating. It helps with the bounce and more than enough for the light weight of my canoe/kayak trailer. Tire date codes aren’t really relevant as the actual use from the tire is way less than the “prescribed “ life. If they look good, have plenty of tread, aren’t cracked, dry rotted or sun deteriorated I run ‘em. I check for correct cold pressure before every trip and never have had an issue.

 

Tire threads are like oil threads, there are as many different opinions as there are replies so common sense goes a long way.

On 12/1/2025 at 11:46 AM, Nitro 882 said:

I've been fortunate to be able to tow my bass boat to Florida from Massachusetts from January till April. When I leave the "frozen tundra" my tires are inflated to the recommended pressure listed on the side of the tire (Endurance). I found a tip, many years ago, that I'd like to share with other "snowbirds". The air in my tires when I head south is 20/30 degrees F. By the time I travel through the warmer States and reach Florida, that same air is 40/50 degrees higher thereby elevating the internal tire pressure to a level that could result in a blowout. Therefore, at every fuel/rest stop, I check and adjust tire pressure as needed. I've released enough built-up pressure to make me believe I'm doing the right thing.

I hope this is helpful.

Tom

After reading some responses to my post above, I dug a little deeper and found this.

"Check your tires inflation pressures, including the spare, at least once a month and before going on a long trip. Tire pressure should be measured when tires are cold-that is when they have not been driven on. Otherwise, your tires may have heated up increasing the inflation pressure inside them by several pounds. This is normal. Never "bleed" or reduce the inflation pressure in a hot tire."

 

I've heard that ignorance is not what you don't know, it's what you think you know that turns out to be wrong. The older I get (going on 80) the more stuff I thought I knew turns out to be not true.

Thanks for educating me and I hope I didn't get anyone to adopt my potentially harmful habit. My intent was to share something I had picked up somewhere that kinda made sense at the time.

I stand corrected. 👍

Trailer tires weaken over time in the sidewalls not the tread.

I always changed my glass bass boat trailer tires after 8 years of use without any tire issues.

Most use was at 35-55 mph speed anywhere from 40 miles one way to 900 miles one way on descent roadways. Tire inflation pressure was whatever the tires were rated for.

My Shoreline small wheel 14’ Lund boat trailer I bought a extra spare wheel and tire and never changed the tire after 30 years of use without any issues, short trips and kept an eye on the sidewalls that looked good. 
Kept both trailers garage and used Bearing Buddies which helps a lot.

Tom

As a side note, it's important to purchase the correct load range for your setup.

I found some tires at a dealer that were 2+ years past the manufacturers date and asked for some with a fresher date.  They were very cooperative and called around and found some that were only a few months old.  Kudos to them.

 

I replace mine every six years although it galls me to replace tires with most of the tread still intact.