Nag Juice Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 So I had a bit of an adventure this past weekend. I took the kid and the boat and decided to fish my home waters. It's just a couple hours away and we had the time. Leaving Wilmington I noticed my pipe guides were shaking pretty bad at lower speeds. I wasn't sure, but I decided that pulling into the next shop to get them checked out was the best course of action. Well, I almost made it. The back right tire let go on the bridge and sounded like a shotgun blast. I looked in the mirrors in time to see pieces of tire flying through the air. I learned that the belts in the tire(s) were separating and that was causing the shake at lower speeds. Apparently, from what I'm told the 100+ heat with the HWY speeds were too much. I got lucky but it could've been worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewesYourDaddy Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 We had two tires blow on a trip to Suwanee, Fl two years ago. One on the way down near Brunswick on I-95, and one on the way back in Jax at the merger of I-10 and I-295. The one near Brunswick was at about 5:30 in the morning. It ripped the fender completely off the trailer and damaged the gelcoat of my friends boat. We changed the tire and stopped at WallyWorld in Brunswick and picked up two more spares. The one in Jax was a little scarier. Right as we were coming off the overpass/merge lane onto I-295, I felt a funny vibration, and almost within seconds the tire blew. This one ripped the fender completely off also, threw the fender into merging traffic, and we had almost no room on the shoulder to change the tire. Both tires that blew were. almost brand new, original equipment (Chinese made), put on the trailer by the manufacturer. My friend called the trailer company (might have been LoadRite). They sent new fenders, tires, guide posts (damaged in the carnage), and I think a new axle at no charge. It's a good thing to check your speed rating of the tires too. I've had a boat trailer with tires that were rated for 60mph max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicecast Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Thanks for posting. If you had inspected them more closely before leaving, do you think you would/could have seen anything unusual? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Hopefully your trailer fender and boat didn't suffer any damage. How old is that tire?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nag Juice Posted July 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 I did an inspection and they looked ok. I put new hubs on it a week or 2 ago. The tires were on the trailer when I bought it, but the kicker was when I was making a turn and watching my pipe guides to make sure I was clear of the curb. They were shaking pretty bad. I was kind of stuck in the point of no return. I already made the decision to stop at the first place I saw but the tire couldn't hold it. The fender took a little damage and the tire smoked the wires for the tail lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewesYourDaddy Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 32 minutes ago, nicecast said: Thanks for posting. If you had inspected them more closely before leaving, do you think you would/could have seen anything unusual? Was this question for me or Nag? Ours were brand new with prob less than 500 miles on the set. They got thorough inspection before we left. I think this is a common problem with those Chinese made tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Low miles on trailer tires don't mean as much as their age. I've seen trailer tires with 100 miles on them have failures because they were several years old. Visual inspections of tires only scratch the surface because none of us can see the radial separation that may be happening inside the tire. I'm willing to bet those tires on Nags trailer were at least a few years old. Add a few years of cold winters and hot summers and that alone puts a lot of wear on the tires. Could it be possible those tires are from 2006 when the trailer was built? They should've been replaced at least twice by now since the trailer is a 2006, per your classified ad. Ameratrail has used the Freestar brand for years with few complaints. I've had a few sets and never an issue. (knock on Kevlar) I replace my trailer tires & hubs every 2-3 years religiously! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nag Juice Posted July 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 16 minutes ago, conocean said: Low miles on trailer tires don't mean as much as their age. I've seen trailer tires with 100 miles on them have failures because they were several years old. Visual inspections of tires only scratch the surface because none of us can see the radial separation that may be happening inside the tire. I'm willing to bet those tires on Nags trailer were at least a few years old. Add a few years of cold winters and hot summers and that alone puts a lot of wear on the tires. Could it be possible those tires are from 2006 when the trailer was built? They should've been replaced at least twice by now since the trailer is a 2006, per your classified ad. Ameratrail has used the Freestar brand for years with few complaints. I've had a few sets and never an issue. (knock on Kevlar) I replace my trailer tires & hubs every 2-3 years religiously! I'm not sure if they were original or not. I remember asking prior to purchase but was told there were fine. Granted this was last year so they probably were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 When in doubt.....change 'em out!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nag Juice Posted July 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Well it has new tires and hubs now. She's ready for the road Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 it's always a good idea to make sure that the rim didn't get bent during the blow out. A balancing machine will miss the bent rim in some instances; I've had it happen to me. If you didn't make sure the rim didn't get bent then I highly suggest you do so. I don't want to see anything bad happen to the beautiful SMURFETTE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunstone Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Just caught this one in time. Noticed it shaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatsdoctor Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 3 hours ago, conocean said: Low miles on trailer tires don't mean as much as their age. I've seen trailer tires with 100 miles on them have failures because they were several years old. Visual inspections of tires only scratch the surface because none of us can see the radial separation that may be happening inside the tire. I'm willing to bet those tires on Nags trailer were at least a few years old. Add a few years of cold winters and hot summers and that alone puts a lot of wear on the tires. Could it be possible those tires are from 2006 when the trailer was built? They should've been replaced at least twice by now since the trailer is a 2006, per your classified ad. Ameratrail has used the Freestar brand for years with few complaints. I've had a few sets and never an issue. (knock on Kevlar) I replace my trailer tires & hubs every 2-3 years religiously! Paul is on the money with the dates, Manufacturing dates since year 2000 shows the week and year. Like an imprint showing DOT U2LL LMLR 5107 would mean 51st week of 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polliwog Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 I just sent my sent my son on his way from NE to BC Canada with a Boston Whaler 17ft Montauk. He's craZy but wanted the boat. I had the trailer totally renewed Tires with 2 spares, New bearings and hubs new bunk boards etc. Just before he left I check the tire pressure. One tire was 35Lbs the other was 39Lbs. Thank God I checked. Both left with 50lbs. In hot weather you must have the pressure up or blowout time. I have no idea what the dealer was doing with that pressure for going on a 3000 miles trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFD rtrd. Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 I can tell you what he was doing. Tire dealers always under inflate tires because it makes for a soft ride and they want you to brag about their tires. If they inflate them to the recommended max pressure, the ride is not as good. Under inflation cuts down on tire noise and smooth's out bumps. But, under inflation also gives less gas mileage, less traction and more tire ware. Now, I talking passenger vehicles. It was just an oversight or ignorance for someone to under inflate a trailer tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drummer Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 Tire rules: (I know about these things) 1. Never use them 5 years after birth date, regardless of how great they look. 2. Stick with the good stuff: Maxxis and Carlisle are both great. 3. Inflate to the max on the tire's sidewall, usually 50 PSI (cold) for 6 ply rated. 4. Carry a good spare or two, and ensure they are inflated before you take off. 5. Any time you feel something strange when driving, STOP and check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted July 13, 2017 Report Share Posted July 13, 2017 Date code 5 years or older they are trash. No matter the miles. Man and ship rot in port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polliwog Posted July 13, 2017 Report Share Posted July 13, 2017 Everything said about trailer tires here is right. I blew a tire on a 6yr old tire that probably had less than 1000 mi on it . My bad, sometimes you learn the hard way. BTW make sure you have a jack that fits under the frame when the tire is flat. Guess how I know this LOL> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted July 13, 2017 Report Share Posted July 13, 2017 I change'm every two years...no matter the miles... dc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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