My enclose car trailer hard on tires?

[Old Redneck]

My enclose car trailer wears the inside of the tires out rear bad on all 4 tires. My 39 not that heavy is it. When I was loading the 39 to go to N.Y. National meet I was checking the tires and happen to look inside and notice the wear on the tires . Is this normal?I got to replace all 4 tires now.

[Ray With]

Axles out of alignment and its common on a lot of car trailers but can be corrected with a little elbow grease and hard work

[42ford]

All the deliverymen I know who use trailers say tires scuff off fast.

[ems customer service]

also you need real trailer tires, i just bought a set hancook's for my enclosed

10ply radials, takes 80psi max, ran out west with the trailer overload in 100f heat they worked well. fyi i had upgraded to 16in wheels to get they better tires, could not find good high load in a 15in wheel ( i bought the trailer used)

and do not forget they spare, and 2 jacks to raise the trailer when your luck runs out

[Fordors]

Like ems, I suggest real trailer tires, but also your axles might be bent. I think trailer axles are purposely bent with a crown to them, (and weight rated) so that camber is correct when loaded. Could your trailer have been overloaded in a past life?

[VeryTangled]

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Henry and I are also having some tire issues on our enclosed. Narrowly missed a roadside breakdown, when I pulled in to air up at a service center on the way back from Greenwich to MD in June. Found a nail in the drivers rear, luckily I found an exact match on their racks! That was when I noticed there was noticeable scuffing on the flat, and the other rear tire, and I'm watching them all more carefully, after towing to Saratoga this past weekend, and planning for Auburn in a few short weeks.

I'm pulling and balancing them this week and will do a careful inspection.

We also were making a mistake of not running enough air pressure. The placards on the trailer say to use 60lbs and that's what we're running now.
We're also on the prowl for a spare wheel and tire and a good jack setup. Right now we're carrying a fix-a-flat, but I have never tested one of those and I have strong doubts.

-Jeff

[ken ct]

Originally Posted by VeryTangled

Henry and I are also having some tire issues on our enclosed. Narrowly missed a roadside breakdown, when I pulled in to air up at a service center on the way back from Greenwich to MD in June. Found a nail in the drivers rear, luckily I found an exact match on their racks! That was when I noticed there was noticeable scuffing on the flat, and the other rear tire, and I'm watching them all more carefully, after towing to Saratoga this past weekend, and planning for Auburn in a few short weeks.

I'm pulling and balancing them this week and will do a careful inspection.

We also were making a mistake of not running enough air pressure. The placards on the trailer say to use 60lbs and that's what we're running now.
We're also on the prowl for a spare wheel and tire and a good jack setup. Right now we're carrying a fix-a-flat, but I have never tested one of those and I have strong doubts.

-Jeff

Glad your going to Auburn,Henry,i'll see you there. ken ct.

[Old Redneck]

Air pressure could be part of my problem I am running 40 pounds.How heavy ply can I get in 15 inch tires. I bought the trailer new and the heavyest I have had in it was the 56 Crown Victoria. Going to the tire shop tomorrow to see what I can get.??????? Thanks for the information I feel better now after what you all said.

[1931 flamingo]

Like Ray With said above, get the axles aligned. Tire pressure would not (over/under) would not cause wear just opn the inside of tire. Caster/camber may also come into play/ What make trailer??
paul in CT

[JM 35 Sedan]

Ken. I'm thinking you must have a misalignment or bent axle(s). I once bent an axle on my open dual axle trailer and by the time I got back home (~200 mi) one of my tires had worn badly on one side. When I called the trailer manufacturer he told me don't even try to straighten the bent axle. He told me both axles have special bends for proper alignment/tracking and he said it would be best to just replace the axle with a new one. He sent me a new axle for ~ $75.00 which included shipping and I did the installation myself. All has been doing well with the trailer for the last four years and all tires wearing evenly.

[Cecil/WV]

Originally Posted by VeryTangled

Henry and I are also having some tire issues on our enclosed. Narrowly missed a roadside breakdown, when I pulled in to air up at a service center on the way back from Greenwich to MD in June. Found a nail in the drivers rear, luckily I found an exact match on their racks! That was when I noticed there was noticeable scuffing on the flat, and the other rear tire, and I'm watching them all more carefully, after towing to Saratoga this past weekend, and planning for Auburn in a few short weeks.

I'm pulling and balancing them this week and will do a careful inspection.

We also were making a mistake of not running enough air pressure. The placards on the trailer say to use 60lbs and that's what we're running now.
We're also on the prowl for a spare wheel and tire and a good jack setup. Right now we're carrying a fix-a-flat, but I have never tested one of those and I have strong doubts.

-Jeff

Jeff, there's nothing like a spare. See you in Auburn.

[B-O-B]

Rdnck don't over tighten the wheel bearings either. They need to be loose than a cars because of the side to side sway.This is not my brain fart it comes form the trailer mfg.

[Frank The Plumber]

Put the car in there, roll the trailer forward and check the angle of the rim exterior with a digital level or heck just a bubble on a stick. Should be level, if not you bent your axles.

[Ford46]

Redneck, what was never stated is what the GVW of the axles on the trailer are. If you have 3500 lb axles then the total load of the trailer is 7000 lbs (car and trailer together). If 5000 lb axles then total weight is 10,000 lbs. You just might be overweight when you add car and trailer. My guess is that your 1939 weighs around 2800 lbs (add for extra tools, parts, gas, etc) and your 1949 weighs around 3000-3100 (add for the same above). Add to that the weight of your trailer and you have a good idea, remember most literature states the weight of a base (stripped) trailer, you start adding cabinets, floor covering or finished interior and weight adds up very quickly....LouB.

[SSsssteamer]

I carry a jack for our enclosed tandem axle car trailer, but I hardly ever use it. I have always placed a chock block against front of the tread of the adjacent tire to the tire needing attention. Pulling the car forward, up and stopping directly over the chock block usually makes it possible for the other tire needing the attention to clear the ground.

[blucar]

This topic has been pretty well beat up with many different opinions... I am probably preaching to the choir, in any case here are my thoughts on trailers.

Most people purchase trailers by price, the same as they do for trucks, never taking into consideration the loads that are going to be carried.

Generally speaking... if a trailer axle has 5 lugs on the wheels the axle assembly is rated for between 2k and 3.5k.... Six/eight lug wheels will be rated for 3.5k to as high as 12k. If the trailer has tandem axles, the gross weight will be 3.5k + 3.5k = 7.k total. Many trailer manufactures under tire their units to keep the price down... If the tire is rated at 1,500 lb's @60 psi the gross per axle is 3k... if the axle is rated at 3.5k the tire is overloaded... If the tire is under inflated the over load is greater.

Another factor that the majority of inexperienced drivers do all the time, pull a loaded trailer that is not running level... If the tongue is high the rear axle is carrying the bulk of the weight.. The same is true if the tongue is low.. the front axle is carrying the bulk of the weight whereas the rear axle is just skipping along.

If the tow vehicle is not heavy duty enough to support the tongue weight, the two vehicles will be traveling down the road in a lazy "V", in lieu of a straight line.

Radial trailer tires are an absolute necessity. The side walls are heavier to allow for the added flex when turning and backing up.

When I back my trailers up I always pull forward allowing the tires/axles to straighten out, then I back the trailer up in a straight line to the final position.

[DavidG]

There's lots of good counsel above, especially concerning axle weight capacity vis-a-vis tire capacity and tire pressure. I've put over 25,000 miles on a heavy-duty tandem Haulmark (5K axles with wheels and radial tires to match) with no uneven tire wear on any of the four tires. The upgraded axles and tires aren't expensive options when ordered on a new trailer. My heaviest load is a '31 Lincoln K which weighs in excess of 5,000 pounds.

[blucar]

One last thought on trailers..... NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!! LOAN YOUR TRAILER TO ANYONE.. I HAVE MADE THAT MISTAKE A COUPLE OF TIMES, THE RESULT BOTH TIMES WAS A TORN UP TRAILER, BRAKES BURNT UP AND THE WIRING ALL FOWLED UP.
IN ONE CASE THE GUY, A FORMER GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, BROUGHT THE TRAILER BACK LATE AT NIGHT, DROPPED IT OFF WITHOUT A WORD. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER I WENT TO MOVE THE TRAILER AND FOUND THE REAR CROSS MEMBER AND LIGHT BAR WAS TORN OUT OF THE TRAILER. MY FRIEND INSISTED THAT THE TRAILER WAS FINE WHEN HE BROUGHT IT OVER TO MY PLACE. AFTER MANY HEATED WORDS THE TRUTH FINALLY CAME OUT. MY FRIEND BARROWED THE TRAILER TO LOAN IT TO A FRIEND OF HIS... THE FRIEND LOADED A BIG LINCOLN ON THE TRAILER AND TOOK THE UNIT TO PRESCOTT AZ.... IT WAS ACTUALLY THE FRIEND OF THE FRIEND THAT RETURNED THE TRAILER TO MY PLACE.

[Old Redneck]

I went to the tire shop and the owner check the trailers and sait that the bis tirea are junk that were on it and installed new radial tires snd check the axles to see if they were bent and I am OK.I got 6 plys tires on the trailers now.

[Pat/Ohio]

Ken, Sounds like you are on your way now! You'll like the radials vs. the bias ply.

Also, you might consider this device to assist in changing trailer tires...especially along side the road. I have one and it works great on my enclosed trailer. Copied from one of our newsletters:

Here’s a device that makes changing a flat tire
as easy as can be…. It’s called Trailer Aid and can be purchased at JEGS. The Trailer Aid will raise your flat tire
off the ground without the help of a jack and without unloading your trailer. The trailer aid will hold up to 15,000 lbs!
It really makes changing a flat on a trailer VERY easy!! You either pull up or back your good tire up on the trailer
aid, and it automatically lifts the flat tire! Neat huh?? When I looked them up on line, they are usually $49.99
and they are now $39.99…. Go to http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Trai...97261/10002/-1

I was hoping the picture would paste...but it didn't. You can find the picture at the Jegs website.

Pat