the dreaded tire topic...

AmericaOverland wrote:
I have read this whole thread, and I have tried searching others. Maybe I'm not using the right key words... I learned the hard way why you're NOT supposed to use steel-belted radial tires under travel trailers and use bias-ply tires instead. Why is this not mentioned?? I had a blowout the second day of travel from the previous owner's home to the medieval faire where I was at this season (sherwoodforestfaire.com). The whole tread came off, end-to-end, and I found it 10 feet from the right wheel fender of the trailer. It turns out that there were three different tires on there, with DOT dates ranging from 5 to 11 to 14 years old!

Later, the very smart farm mechanic I work with looked up there, and showed me that this had happened before because there was a piece of something that had been screwed onto the bottom of the floor (you could see it on your back under the trailer and find the tell-tale outline of something used to cover the hole) to cover that hole, which meant that this wasn't the first time it happened! We went inside and found the floor shot through, through the PLYWOOD and FOAM! There it was, the biggest piece having the steel-belts sticking out of it.

Now, I have ALL three tires replaced with NEW bias-ply tires (DOT dates are in 2013), Carlisle Sport Trail LH, ST205/75D14, from Discount Tires per the farm mechanic's recommendation. I see each tire is rated for a max of 1750. (the trailer weighs around 2500 dry and probably weighs around 3000 with my stuff plus water) Does this mean that the two tires together support a weight of 3500 lbs together, or is it 1750 lbs for both tires combined? Anyone have experience with these tires?

Almost all tires are designed differently. The ST tire is designed and tested for service on trailer axles ONLY. St tires have larger construction materials allowing them to carry much more weight than any comparable size passenger or light truck tire.

Your trailer should have a federal certification label. It should be posted on the left, forward, external section of the trailer. You may also have a tire placard. Tire size information and the air pressure for them will be on the labeling. Replacement tires are required to be of equal or greater load capacity when compared to the tire information found on the placard/s. Others may disagree but that’s an industry standard. Safety is the issue when deviations are made below what the industry considers safe.

FastEagle