Trailer tire question

[EricBu12]

I just got back from a 2300 mile trip as seen on another post, and 40 miles from home, I blew my right rear tire on my triple axle trailer... .



Now I don't know if I had a nail and it flattened and then blew from the heat or if it was heat or speed related... .



I checked the other 5 tires and the hot pressure was equal at 72# so I imagine it might be a leak then ripped off... . Not too much damage, there is some sheet metal behind it and the step folder for the rear door must have deflected it out... . so not too bad...



My question is, the tire says on the side, "mission" "max load"... ??? 225/75-15" D rate... Are these just a cheapie tire the manf. put on? are they speed rated to 75 or what?..... The rating per tire adds up to 15,500# which is the GVW of the trailer... I weighed the trailer one time, Loaded, and it was 12,000# on the tires..... So that is 2000# per tire give or take...



Another thing is the trailer is slightly nose up when hooked but less than a 1" on the leveler... . so the rear tire might be heavier by a few hundred if that... But given the weight they are carrying, I don't think it was a weight thing, I think I had a leak then it ripped...



Any thoughts on these tires? should I replace them as soon as poss with better ones? are there any "E" rate 15" tires? and are there any "special" trailer tires I should look at... I need something fairly durable since the trailer is a toyhauler and I go off-road over rocks and such... .



TIA for any help...



Eric

 

[THunsaker]

You did not mention how old the tires are. That is the number one reason for failure. If they are more than 4-5 years old, replace them!

 

[Hoefler]

If you are running torsion axles, you could very well be over loaded on the raer axle when you are nose high. Springs will equalize. Otherwise it is very important to run level.

 

[JMetzger]

Trailer Tires

If you have 225/75 15 D trailer tires each tire should be rated at 2540 pds at 65 PSI. Weighing the axles wont get it, you want to weigh each wheel. I went through 15 Goodyear Marathon trailer tires all tread seperation & Goodyear said I was over weight. Took it to Goodyear & proved them wrong, they weighed each wheel & they refunded my money I had to pay on warranty clams. You say that you are nose high & like one thread said that will throw more weight on the rear axle. I gave up on the Goodyear tires & went to Transmaster's & haven't had any more problems. Knock on wood.

JMetzger

 

[CUMMINZ]

Trailer tires

I did some research several months ago on tires on RVs. The "LT" tire is basically a light truck tire. The "ST" is an RV tire. The RV tire has less tread depth and has more rounded shoulder on outside of tire next to sidewall. This design is supposed to run cooler and cause less strain on tire sidewall.



I visited a Keystone dealer in TN. last month and all but one 5er had the "LT" tires. Dealer looked at me like "what should I do about it?". . I think it is a cost issue.



Run your numbers,,,I think most factory RVs on the road have just about reached their tire limit.



I changed my Sprinter from 15" to 16" 10ply. And traded it 2 weeks ago. My new Cedar Creek has 10ply 16"s but they are "LTs".



A good test is to have someone else drive your rig across an unlevel road like going from a main road into a mall parking lot to where your RV rear axle will pivot way up. At this point the rear axle is carrying most of the load. Watch your rear tires bloat out. At that point they may be carrying twice the load they should for a split second. You could do damage at this point and tire not blow out till days later when they get overheated.



#ad

 

[RustyJC]

The manufacturer's websites recommend the 16" Michelin XPS Rib (E-rated) and the Goodyear G614 RST (G-rated, available only as an LT235/85R-16G) for commercial trailer and/or RV service. Both tires carry the LT designation. I've run both on heavy 5th wheels and haven't had a problem - I wish I could say the same thing for ST-designated Goodyear Marathons! :{



Rusty

 

[CUMMINZ]

Rusty

The Goodyear G614 RST ?? How can it be an "LT" with a name like "RST". Is that tire not an "ST"?



CUMMINZ

 

[RustyJC]

Check their website.



Rusty

 

[CUMMINZ]

The tire size does show LT235??? but that tire is an ST.

 

[RustyJC]

They're on my current 5th wheel. As you say, the sidewall shows LT235/85R-16G. The all-steel construction, trailer-recommended Michelin XPS Ribs I installed on my previous 5th wheel were labeled LT235/85R-16E.



Rusty

 

[CUMMINZ]

Rusty, you must be a really old guy. Let's stay on track. We are not talking about the Michelin LT tires. We were discussing the G614 RST's. Yes the website calls them in size an LT235. . But nowhere on the set I am looking at do they say LT235. It shows G614 RST. All the qualities of the tire on the website indicate they are an "ST" design not the design of an "LT" light truck tire. If it quacks it is a duck. I have ended this conversation and go argue with your street sign.



CUMMINZ

 

[y-knot]

Eric,

We have similar trailers, both tri-axle toy haulers. I figured once you mentioned it was a rear axle tire, you had a over load situation. The problem is multi-dimensional, and addresses several areas.

First and fore most, you need to get your rig to the weigh station and get an accurate weight reading. While their, see if you can get get a reading for each of the trailers axles, or at least the front and rear axle. I suspect the rear axle is grossly overloaded. Next check the weight reading against the tire recommended load ratings. If the rear axle is as I suspect over loaded, there are several things you can do to reduce it. The first and most important thing is to get the trailer level, this accounts for 90% of all problems. I suspect your trailer sits nose high, like most that use a Dodge to pull. If this is the case, lower the trailer by adjusting the trailer's hitch, Some have an adjustment built in. If not, you will need to lower the hitch, or lower the truck. I think the best coarse is to remove your overload springs, and even one leaf spring from the spring pack if necessary. Then install a good set of air bags, Firestone or Air Lift it doesn't matter, to help your truck carry the weight. Some take the "lift the trailer" approach, but I would leave that as the last result. These trailers already have a high center of gravity, and raising them only makes matters worse.

As for tires, you might want to look into getting extra heavy duty rear tires, the scale will tell you what you need, but only run trailer tires. Also look into how the trailer is loaded, see if you can shift some of the rear weight forward? Leveling the trailer is the most important single item. I see people everyday running down the road with trailers that are far from being level. The manufacturer builds these trailers with a pre-determined pin height, it is stated somewhere on the trailer and in it's owners manual. A trailer that is out of level will not tow right, it will not break right, and the load will not be EVENLY distributed over the axles. You only had tire trouble this time, next time it might be bearing/axle trouble and can lead to frame trouble. Your trailer can be leveled, I leveled mine. It just might cost a little . Good luck

 

[RustyJC]

My age has nothing to do with the subject at hand. I've given you unequivocal evidence that Goodyear and Michelin categorize these trailer specific and/or commercial trailer recommended tires as LT. You won't believe me, despite the fact that I've owned both tires. You won't believe the tire manufacturers themselves. Neither of these tires is available with an ST identification designation, per the information on both websites I've linked. They are labeled as LT tires, or in older sizes have no LT or ST designation whatsoever. My only point is that having LT on a sidewall does not automatically disqualify a tire from trailer service, as these two examples illustrate.



Rusty

 

[TKingsbury]

If you find that the problem isn't overloading, but just a low tire, there is something you can do. There are tire pressure monitors on the market that will alert you to a low pressure condition. They use a sensor inside each tire, and there is a wireless unit in the cab that watches them and lets you know if a tire is going low. Sounds like a good idea considering the amount of damage a blowout can cause on an RV.

Travis. .

 

[jwduke]

I have Goodyear Marathon's on my 5er, no problems, yet (Knock on wood!!).



By what I've seen over on RV Net, you want to stay far rar away from Titan & Carlisle tires. Some guys havent got 150 miles on new trailers & blew 2 or more out!



Good luck!

 

[RJOL]

Rusty, you must be a really old guy. CUMMINZ

Wow... Just taking this thread as is... I'd have to say Rusty is not the one that acts like a "really old guy. "



Most new 5th wheels (dual axle) in the 30' ft + range come with LT tires. LT235 85/16E's are very common. My last two 5th wheels have come with GoodYear LT235 86/16E's. I have yet to see one come with an ST tire as the selection is very limited and I would guess that the manufactures put the best tires they can find at a reasonable cost.



Rusty... If you put the load range G tires on your trailer is the wheel rated for the 110psi, or did you change the wheels?



Eric... I've never owned a triple axle but there must be a lot of sidewall pressure on the rear and front axle when you turn your trailer. Maybe going to an all steel sidewall tire would help... Have fun...

 

[JJW_ND]

Another step up...

We have four 16' gooseneck trailers that weigh 14K when loaded. We run lots of miles in a short time and much of it at western state speeds (75mph+). We were having tire blow outs on 16" rims with anything but Goodyear Unisteel, or the Michelin XPS. We switched from steel trailers to aluminum and from 7. 2K axles with 16" tires to 8K axles and 17. 5 tires. Night and day difference with 17. 5 tires. You have weight carring capicity to spare even with the smallest 17. 5 tires. These wheels can take full advatage of 8K axles unlike 16". Rims are rated at 6500 pounds each. No more bouch as sidewall flex is non-existent.



On a 80 degree day running 14K pounds cruising over 75 mph we only see 90 degree tire temperatures (laser temp gun). Pickup rear tires always run about 10 - 20 degrees warmer then the trailer temps.



We recently added hydraulic disk to eliminate the electrtic brake hassles and maintance.



Now this is the perfect system if run hard and want to only worry about the road ahead instead of what is happening behind you.



jjw

ND

 

[RustyJC]

Rusty... If you put the load range G tires on your trailer is the wheel rated for the 110psi, or did you change the wheels?

The Goodyear Unisteel G614 RST G-rated tires came as OEM standard equipment on our current 5th wheel. The wheels are indeed rated for the 3750 lb tire load rating and 110 PSIG inflation - the steel thickness in the rims and center sections of the wheels is noticeably thicker than I've ever seen on other 16" wheels.



Rusty

 

[RJOL]

The Goodyear Unisteel G614 RST G-rated tires came as OEM standard equipment on our current 5th wheel. The wheels are indeed rated for the 3750 lb tire load rating and 110 PSIG inflation - the steel thickness in the rims and center sections of the wheels is noticeably thicker than I've ever seen on other 16" wheels.



Rusty

Took a look at the manufacturer's site and that looks like a nice rig. Their site says it come with the LT235 85/16E tires. Is that the same as your G614 RST G's, or was that an upgrade? I wish all the manufacturers would use these type of tires for 30' + multi slide rigs...

 

[RustyJC]

Took a look at the manufacturer's site and that looks like a nice rig. Their site says it come with the LT235 85/16E tires. Is that the same as your G614 RST G's, or was that an upgrade? I wish all the manufacturers would use these type of tires for 30' + multi slide rigs...

Are you sure you were looking at the 36RE3 (our rig)? It comes with the G-rated 16" tires standard - H-rated 17. 5" tires and wheels are optional. The specs for it are as follows (cut and pasted from the Doubletree Mobile Suites website):



36 RE3

Length ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 36' 9"

Width ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 101"

Height ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 12' 6"

Dry Weight ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... 13,650 est. lbs.

Dry Pin Weight ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 2,730 est. lbs.

GVWR ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 16,500 est. lbs.

GVWR *(MSS) ... ... ... ... ... ..... 18,500 est. lbs.

Carrying Capacity ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... TBD

Holding Tanks (fresh) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... 100

(grey) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... 75

(black) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 50

WH Type/Capacity ... ... ... 10 gal. gas/elect. DSI

Furnace/Type ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 42,000 BTU

Insulation (floor) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... R 27

(roof) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... R 23

(walls) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . R 13

Tire Size ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... LT235-85R16G

Size of Axle ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 7,000 lbs.

Number of Axles ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2

Option - *MSS (Magnum Suspension System) 2-8000 lb. axles with

12 1/2 X 3 3/8 forward self adjusting brakes and 17. 5" (H) tires.



These specs can be seen by going to Floor Plans, then to More Info HERE.



Rusty