Etrailer.com?

SteveB wrote:
Check out Discount Tire Direct for trailer tires. Free shipping. Take 1 or 2 off the trailer at a time and take to the tire guy to R&R the rubber. If you are so inclined you could get a new set of trailer rims. I got my fancy aluminum mags from trailertiresandwheel.com, also free shipping, but if the existing rims are good then why spend extra money.

Umm.. they "bury" the shipping cost in the price of the tire (IE they add the price of the tire PLUS shipping into ONE ADVERTISED price). It isn't really true "free shipping".

What you might save on is the local taxes, in most cases as long as the the seller does not have a sticks and bricks business in your state you will not get charged sales tax.. However YOU are supposed to REPORT AND PAY your local sales tax on goods and bought out of state and shipped to your state..

When comparing mail order vs local you need to look at many angles.. Local tire shop does not charge shipping (that cost IS there but the tire shop buys bulk and the cost is spread out over many tires so it is much less) but they do charge sales tax.

Local shop may charge MORE for dismount/mounting tires you buy elsewhere than they would for tires you buy from them..

Mail order, YOU, end up doing all the heavy work (IE remove from trailer, drive to tire shop, wait then drive home and put back on)..

Local tire shop, THEY do all the heavy work.. You drive trailer there and they take it from there..

Tires bought mailorder might present issues with getting warranty/replacement down the road..

Buyer be aware..

Check out Discount Tire Direct for trailer tires. Free shipping. Take 1 or 2 off the trailer at a time and take to the tire guy to R&R the rubber. If you are so inclined you could get a new set of trailer rims. I got my fancy aluminum mags from trailertiresandwheel.com, also free shipping, but if the existing rims are good then why spend extra money.

Last year I was taking delivery of my new Jayco Eagle and wanted to purchase a Blue OX WDH. I was a little short on time, so instead of placing the order via the internet, I called and worked with a Customer Service Rep.

The Blue Ox model I wanted was not int stock. The Customer Service Rep put me on hold and called the Blue Ox factory, she came back on the line and told me Blue Ox could ship right away, so I placed the order with the rep.

The next day the Etrailer the rep called me to tell me the WDH shipped and gave me the FedEx tracking number. Three days later the Blue OX WDH shows up at home just in time to pickup my new TT the next day. About an hour after FedEx delivered the WDH, the Etrailer rep called me to make sure everything was OK with the WDH.

Etrailer is the absolute best online retailer I have ever dealt with. They won me over as a customer with my first order.

acritzer wrote:
Ok...good things to think about. I don't want to be pushed into the "cheap" route, even though it sounds tempting.
I'll check my size and start making calls to locus places. See if I can pull the trailer in, have them do the work, then get it turned around.

Sounds like a good plan!

Ok...good things to think about. I don't want to be pushed into the "cheap" route, even though it sounds tempting.
I'll check my size and start making calls to locus places. See if I can pull the trailer in, have them do the work, then get it turned around.

acritzer wrote:
Ok for tires? I really like the option to buy already loaded onto a wheel. Then I can simply change them out myself.

And....are Bias tires OK for trailers? After looking again I think my current ones have too much side wall cracks for the summer. I'll need to replace them before taking our first long trip.

Never dealt with Etrailer so I can't help with that.. But, you ARE going to pay shipping costs, that will add up.. A LOT.

I know there are folks mail ordering tires and wheels so I know it is done but I think you are better off finding a local tire dealer and have them mount/dismount the tires.

I take my trailers to a local tire dealer, park it in their lot, they take the tire/rim off the trailer then dismount the old tire and mount new tire then install back on the trailer.

Typically takes less than 1hr for all four tires and that is on a busy Sat morning..

If you don't want to take your trailer to a tire shop, then remove one tire at a time (you can put the spare on for safety). Take the tire to your local tire shop and have them dismount the old and mount the new..

Once you get back home take off the spare on put the new tire on..

Works, but takes a few trips and more time..

I prefer to take the whole shootin match to the tire shop and have them do all the work..

My local tire shop charges a flat $14 per tire for dismount/mount and $20 per tire for dismount/mount with balancing.. They charge nothing for taking them off and putting them back on the trailer. Far, far cheaper than shipping..

As far as "bias" ply tires goes, they can work BUT, they tend to wear out much faster, they will run hotter.. There is no "advantage" to buying them other than they are a bit cheaper..

BUT.. Being CHEAP on tires is not a good thing.. Cheap can and often has a habit biting you in the behind at the worst time..

Charlie D. wrote:
http://www.trailertiresandwheels.com/

Free shipping. Be sure to ask for fresh tires. Good people to deal with and usually 2-3 days.

Meaning they have old stock that's sitting around? Ask for the ones that are newest?

http://www.trailertiresandwheels.com/

Free shipping. Be sure to ask for fresh tires. Good people to deal with and usually 2-3 days.

westend wrote:
I'd stick to radials and have the tire shop mount and balance them. Ask for metal valve stems.

If you want to make your tire shop guy smile, remove the wheels and take only the wheels to the shop.

Not sure I could manage to take them in myself...unless I did it in multiple sessions.
Is the price difference for radials really worth it? Let's assume we tow less than 3,000 miles/year.

I'd stick to radials and have the tire shop mount and balance them. Ask for metal valve stems.

If you want to make your tire shop guy smile, remove the wheels and take only the wheels to the shop.