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SweetLou's avatar
SweetLou
Explorer
Jun 06, 2018

Hot Tires?

Ok now I think this is odd. I was taking my boat up and over the mountain to get some maintenance done. I don't trailer this boat but 0.5 mi to the launch ramp twice a year and the mechanic. So I am 12 mi into a 35 mile trip and I pull over to check the bearings on the single axle boat trailer. They feel cool to touch, however the tires are hot. There are no trailer brakes and both sides felt the same. Why would tires only, not the rims or hubs be hot? I slowed way down the rest of the way. Tires are old won't lie, and for sure I am going to change them before they go on this trip again.

45 Replies

  • Yeah, probably overloaded. Often times you'll roll up on someone towing a boat on those spindly little 12" tires, and you can see they're clearly overtaxing the tires and axle, as the wheels are splayed out at a 15 degree angle to vertical.

    What size tires? What is the weight rating? What boat?
  • The tires on most single axle boat trailers are very close to overloaded even when fully inflated.
  • What is the tire pressure?? Tires get warm/hot from just rolling down the road, low pressure or load will cause them to heat up.
  • High tire temp is one of the signs prior to a tire blowing. If you install TPMS on your setup, they will alert you to rising tire temp or PSI dropping. Both signs to pull over....

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