Boat Trailer Tire Rot

[XCR-700]

This issue may have been addressed previously but I'd like to hear some current thoughts.

The issue is tire rot.

What causes it and is it covered by the manufacturers warranty?

I have read opinions that say tire rot is caused by exposure to sunlight, or lack of use, or by submersion in saltwater but in my case I have 2 boats that have matching spares and the tires on the axle/ground seem to exhibit rot much faster than the spares. And the ones on the axle/ground are usually covered by the tarps I have on boats and the spares are not, they are exposed to sunlight, and have never been in saltwater!

I’m really at a loss to understand how trailer tires can rot so quickly, especially since I have an original spare tire/rim from my 1977 Chrysler Cordoba that has NO rot! And its been sitting outside for the last 10 years!!!

Whats wrong with this picture?

And looking at the manufacturers warranty language its not clear to me that rot is either covered or not covered,,,

What is the current thoughts around trailer tire rot?

Thanks

[fatlazyless]

Tires are an extremely important trailer and vehicle item, and should be replaced if they have any cracks.

To protect the tires if the trailer will not be used for a month or more, you should place the trailer up on oiled rubbed mahogany support blocks, and store the trailer in a climate-controlled garage.

[Cal]

I bought a new enclosed car carrier in 1988 with Goodyear Marathon tires. Two years later the sidewalls were cracked and had MAYBE 2500 miles on it. Went to Goodyear dealer and they said they were fine. Explained I was leaving for Dallas TX (from NJ) in a few weeks with about 6000 lbs riding on these cracked tires in August heat. They replaced all 4 prorated on tread wear at between $25 and $35 per tire.
As for why the spare doesn't crack as fast, keep i n mind it's not being flexed like the tires in use. I have found covering the tires in the off season does help.

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Tires are an extremely important trailer and vehicle item, and should be replaced if they have any cracks.

To protect the tires if the trailer will not be used for a month or more, you should place the trailer up on oiled rubbed mahogany support blocks, and store the trailer in a climate-controlled garage.

Damn,,, no one told me about the "climate-controlled garage" requirement,,,

I'm going to call Carlisle tires up and complain that they need to put a warning on the outside of the tires stating the "climate-controlled garage" requirement,,,

Do you think I could sell the idea of building a garage to the Mrs by telling her my trailer tires require it,,,

Maybe I could get her good and "liquored up" first,,, LOL

[VitaBene]

I'm trying to justify putting a 30X50' building up to store my trailers and some other stuff- thanks for the ammo!!

[XCR-700]

WOW, for something that big I'm thinkin you need to start with a good bottle of red wine at dinner then drop the bomb supported by some marginal rationale like its part of “our” warranty requirements, or maybe “our” insurance company will give us a discount for any items stored in a secured space,,,

Then maybe off-set it with some short discussion about getting something for her, or maybe suggest a generic trip to the outlets,,,

Well thats one possible approach,,, LOL

Best of Luck

p.s. remember “liquored up” = coherent and agreeable NOT passed out and doesn’t remember anything! Its gotta stick later or the deal is off,,,

[MAXUM]

This stuff works great: http://www.303products.com/techinfo/tires1.htm

That link also provides a good explanation of tire rot causes. Couple things I do always have prevented me from ever having to deal with this problem. If I am storing the trailer for an extended period of time where it will not be used, loaded or not it's up on jack stands. If the trailer is stored outside I ensure the tires are covered with a piece of tarp so that it doesn't see direct sunlight. I treat the sidewalls with 303 twice a year. It's also great on other stuff too like vinyl. Yeah a little expensive but so is replacing tires.

[Baja Guy]

I'm a tire guy, have sold & serviced them since the 80's.
Here are a couple of things you can be assured of. Tires should come out of service after 6 years. If they haven't worn or cracked by then they will likely separate internally under load after that time. If they are tremendously over capable they may work longer, but loaded normally which is from 75 to 100% of rated weight, they won't stay together much after 6 years. If they do it's only a matter of time.
This is especially true of trailer tires on travel trailers because the cheapskates at the trailer companies put on the absolute minimum tire for the job. It can be true on boats too, so learn the loaded weight of your boat & trailer & make sure you have correct tires for the job.
To answer your original question, manufacturers will warranty defects that are listed in their warranty. But it doesn't occur very often. Rot is hard to get on a claim, it's better to look for big cracks, read separation or air loss. Normally those items are listed as having a 6 year limit!

[XCR-700]

Thanks for the tips guys, they all seem reasonable and probably common sense.

And in all honesty I guess I can even accept it on the 2 boats described above as they are outside all year long (though tarpped all the way to the ground on both sides) and the tires in question are at least 5 years old, and maybe 6 or 7,,,

But for boat #3 (not yet discussed) it is a 2007 boat and trailer that allegedly spent most of its life inside a dealers showroom until it was sold June 2010, from the point on it lived under a metal storage building (which I did observe) until I just got it. The tires have virtually no wear, but are showing the first signs of dry rot on the sidewalls. Well all but the spare,,, (Carlisle tires in this case)

So again whats up with the spare tires not rotting, but the tires on the axles rotting at excessively fast rates? It really is annoying, not to mention EXPENSIVE!

[Woodsy]

I personally cannot stand trailer tires.... on my last trailer I replaced mine with 10 ply load range D radial truck tires.... they last forever with minimal maintenance and never a blowout!

The new trailer only moves 5 miles a year... so I am waiting on the dryrot to set in before I spend the $$.

Woodsy

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by Woodsy

I personally cannot stand trailer tires.... on my last trailer I replaced mine with 10 ply load range D radial truck tires.... they last forever with minimal maintenance and never a blowout!

The new trailer only moves 5 miles a year... so I am waiting on the dryrot to set in before I spend the $$.

Woodsy

Hummm,,, Interesting idea!

I wonder if there are any formal standards that apply to selection of tires, if not this may be worth looking into.

Thanks!

[Woodsy]

XCR..

Its all really about rim size and load range.... any tire shop can help you out with the selection just bring in a rim & tire. My old trailer used 15" tires so the selection of truck tires was pretty good! The radials towed nicer & ran cooler!

Woodsy

[NBR]

"Tire rot", is most often ozone attack on the rubber. It occurs and is accerated by stress/strain on the tire. When the trailer sits idle the tire sidewalls are streched with the weight - stress/strain. You should jack the trailer up a bit taking off the stress/strain but with some contact with the ground.

This will help but over time it still happens.

[Rangervx]

trailer tires are of a completely different construction, specifically sidewall construction, as the tires are really part of the suspension in a trailer application. they have a lot of sidewall flex and will crack, typically, much quicker than an auto tire

[Dave R]

If you have 14" wheels and have been limited to "Load Range C" trailer tires in the past, you can now get 14" "Load Range D" trailer tires from Kumho. I imagine they would flex less and last longer if you were running the C rated tires at the load limit.

[LIforrelaxin]

The biggest and best advice for trailer tires is to keep them out of the sun as much as possible. I have had tires last for incredible periods of time, but I always store the trailers in shady area's not prone to sunlight.

[Dave R]

Mine are stored in the shade on the north side of my garage and fail like clockwork at 5 years of age.