Trailer tires

Get ready for some great advice on this topic. My pennies worth are to
never run tires below reco. pressure unless you want more traction out
of a mud pit or to lower your vehicle to get it below a bridge. Low
pressure will cause more sidewall flex and lead to an overheat
failure. Get Trailer tires only as they will have an extra sidewall
layer needed for trailer sway that will wear on car tires. I learned
from Charlie Spratt that you want 10% min. of the total tow weight on
the ball to help prevent excessive rear end swaying. Finally, Walmart
sells mounted trailer tires, that's tires and rims together, ready to
go in 13", 14", 15" size that have a C rating. $79, not bad. You can
mount them at the pickpoint and be ready to haul.
Next.....

I'd also check the axle bearings. If they haven't been repacked in the
past couple of years, you'll want to repack them before your trip.

-Kevin

On Jan 20, 10:43*am, " wrote:
---snip
Finally, Walmart
sells mounted trailer tires, that's tires and rims together, ready to
go in 13", 14", 15" size that have a C rating. $79, not bad. You can
mount them at the pickpoint and be ready to haul.

Great idea, except that I have no idea what lug spacing is on there,
and there are many possibilities.

At 15:14 20 January 2009, flying_monkey wrote:
Gang,

It does not appear that the trailer has any suspension,
so I think I'd run the tires slightly soft, maybe 25-30 psi.

Hard to imagine a trailer without any kind of suspension. Seems to me it
would bounce like crazy over any kind of rough road, not to mention
beating the glider to pieces.

Jim Beckman

Jim Beckman wrote:
At 15:14 20 January 2009, flying_monkey wrote:
Gang,

It does not appear that the trailer has any suspension,
so I think I'd run the tires slightly soft, maybe 25-30 psi.

Hard to imagine a trailer without any kind of suspension. Seems to me it
would bounce like crazy over any kind of rough road, not to mention
beating the glider to pieces.

Agreed. An axle using torsion arms for sprung suspension may "look"
like it has no springs, i.e. no leaf springs or coil springs, when in
fact it does.

Regards,

-Doug

Hello Doug Hoffman, you wrote at 01.20.2009 23:59

Jim Beckman wrote:
At 15:14 20 January 2009, flying_monkey wrote:
Gang,

It does not appear that the trailer has any suspension,
so I think I'd run the tires slightly soft, maybe 25-30 psi.

Hard to imagine a trailer without any kind of suspension. Seems to me it
would bounce like crazy over any kind of rough road, not to mention
beating the glider to pieces.

Agreed. An axle using torsion arms for sprung suspension may "look"
like it has no springs, i.e. no leaf springs or coil springs, when in
fact it does.

NACK.

Our club owns self-built (in late 60s and early 70s) trailers for our
K-6, K-8, and K-13 without any suspension except the air in the tires.
None of them is bouncing "like crazy over any kind of rough road", and
none of our planes was "beat to pieces" as well.

However, it's strongly recommendend to drive rough roads more slowly
than with a Suspension.

regards
Werner

Werner Schmidt wrote:

NACK.

Our club owns self-built (in late 60s and early 70s) trailers for our
K-6, K-8, and K-13 without any suspension except the air in the tires.
None of them is bouncing "like crazy over any kind of rough road", and
none of our planes was "beat to pieces" as well.

Interesting. But that would be a deal breaker for me when looking to
purchase a used glider.

Regards,

-Doug

In article f8aea33b-9947-4af8-9f65-092874f2dbb7
@x37g2000yqj.googlegroups.com, says...
Gang,

I'm leaving this Friday to pick up a glider that I purchased 1100
miles away. The trailer looks brand new, but is about 12 years old,
as are its tires. The glider and trailer weigh in the vicinity of 950
#. The tire spec from the owner is :
Carlisle Sure Trail ST
ST205/75014 (replaces F78-14ST)
Max Load 1760 lbs @ 50 PSI (actual load will be under 500 lbs)

I plan to buy 2 new tires before the trip, and stop at the first
service station after the pickup and have them mounted. Question is,
what to buy. It does not appear that the trailer has any suspension,
so I think I'd run the tires slightly soft, maybe 25-30 psi. I was
wondering about whether it should be radial or bias ply? Any
particular brands?

Thanks in advance,

If I were you I'd use LT tires (light truck), and run 'em at their rated
60psi (60-65 is about normal for LT tires (should be written on them,
often is)).

I'd also double-check the suspension, could in "in-axle" type, as is
popular in NZ - a Co. makes 'em here and call 'em Duro-torque (sp?).

--
Duncan

On Jan 20, 4:30*pm, Dave Doe wrote:

If I were you I'd use LT tires (light truck), and run 'em at their rated
60psi (60-65 is about normal for LT tires (should be written on them,
often is)).

The LTX tires on my van has a max pressure of 35 psi so be careful
what you select.

I ran radials at 35 psi on my Minden trailer and it was far better on
rough roads and uneven freeway pavement than my new Cobra which has
smaller wheels and higher pressure tires. I sometimes think getting
the heavy duty suspension was a mistake. It seems too stiff for the
trailer weight.

Andy

Andy wrote:
On Jan 20, 4:30 pm, Dave Doe wrote:

If I were you I'd use LT tires (light truck), and run 'em at their rated
60psi (60-65 is about normal for LT tires (should be written on them,
often is)).

The LTX tires on my van has a max pressure of 35 psi so be careful
what you select.

LTX is a Michelin designation, and does not mean it's an "LT" (Light
Truck) tire; e.g. Michelin makes passenger car tires in the LTX series.

So, it's a good warning: make sure you are not confusing the name of the
tire with it's type. The type will be in letters at the beginning of the
tire designation: P = passenger, LT = light truck, ST = special trailer.
For example, Michelin Pilot LTX P275/65R-18 114H RBL is a passenger car
tire.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
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