Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/148910
Service trailer tires couple who dreams of a vacation in their travel trailer. As the tire sits for 10 months, often at high temperatures and under a static load, the internal structure of the tire breaks down. Ten the couple fres up the trailer for a trip and can't understand why a tire with plenty of tread fails," says Hogg. When trailer tire failure interrupts a road The Radial Trail RH from Carlisle trip, the motorist usu- is available in 14 sizes and many ally finds the nearest load ranges. tire dealer. "It helps if a dealer can explain the duty cycles of trailer tires and why tread depth is not a measure of the life of a trailer tire. Trailer tires are backed over curbs, driven into salt water, loaded over weight limits, and stored under load without movement or maintenance. It's a whole diferent world," says Hogg. Match the tire to the load Beyond design and life expectancy, the load carrying capacity, air pressure and speed ratings of trailer tires are also misunderstood, according to Yang. "Some of the most comDouble steel-belted conmon issues we face in trailer struction adds strength tires are similar to the issues and vehicle towing stability we face in automotive radial to the M8008 ST Radial, tires. Trailer tires are even more according to Maxxis. sensitive to loading, air pressure, and speed ratings due to the extreme conditions they are subjected to." Maxxis sees the same issues, says Addis. "Tere is a lot of confusion on correct infation pressures and load carrying capabilities. We get inquiries from consumers on these issues daily." Although some people are asking questions, many others are not, according to TBC Corp. "Most consumers do not seem to be aware that trailer tires can The shoulder tread design be dangerously overloaded even of the Trailer King ST Radithough max air pressure is mainal from TBC dissipates heat for longer wear, according tained in the tires. Secondly, most consumers aren't aware to the company. 58 trailer tires have max mph speeds stamped on sidewalls, i.e., 65 mph, which are ofentimes exceeded," says Kenneth Dick, president, specialty tire product group for TBC. Too much weight and too low air pressure cause most of the trailer tire failures motorists bring to Pete's Tire Barns Inc. "We have seen people blow tires right of the rims," says Pete Gerry, president. His Orange, Mass.-based dealership is tied for 60th on the Modern Tire Dealer 100 with 19 stores. "Many times people tend to sell what they have in stock and that causes problems. Tey need to sell what is needed to do the job," says Gerry. To recommend the correct tire, a dealer needs to know the actual weight of the load. But customers add weight in unexpected ways. Stowing camping gear, food and beverages, fuel and other equipment in a boat or camper overloads the trailer tires. Filling a mobile home with citrus or a boat with coolers of lobster for the trip home will exceed a trailer tire's carrying capacity. Tires are overloaded TBC says the fve rib tread when people buy a bigger boat design of its Power King but continue to use the old trailer. Towmax STR improves Maintaining maximum air ride stability and tread pressure and pointing out life. maximum highway speeds isn't enough to ensure trailer tires are not operating in an overloaded condition when total load is determined by the trailer weight plus cargo in relationship to tire air pressure, according to Dick. "Total load can be signifcantly impacted by the unrestricted amount and weight of personal items consumers pack inside their towable RV, boat or personal use trailer. Unfortunately in overloaded trailer applications with more than one axle, when one tire fails, the others are more likely to fail as well. Te solution is making sure the dealer is recommending the proper size and load carrying capacity tire to meet consumers' needs and use of their trailer," he says. Too much weight produces excessive heat, which causes the sidewall to rupture. Customers need to be told that a tire with a heavier ply is needed to carry the additional weight. "Sometimes you need to get a customer to go to the scales. You have to know the Kenda says its K550 bias trailer tire is one of its weight of the trailer and what most popular OE trailer they are carrying to recommend tires. The wheel is made by the right tire," says Gerry. Dexstar Wheel Co., a KenProper air pressure keeps the da company that produces wheels in Elkhart, Ind. sidewall stif for straight track- MTD August 2013