Off season storage on jack stands?

laknox wrote:
"ST" is a trailer-only tire; "special trailer". Frankly, the vast majority ain't so special; they're junk. If you have anything with 16" wheels, you can put LT (light truck) tires on them and get much greater longevity and peace of mind with them than with most STs. That being said, there are a couple brands of ST tires, especially in the 15" size, that are much better than the rest. Maxxis is probably top of the heap, though they still have the 65 mph speed rating and they do have occasional failures for, seemingly, no reason. Carlisle, which was one of the worst a decade ago, came out with a completely re-engineered ST tire line that is, IMO, the equal of the Maxxis, despite being made in China (Maxxis is made in Thailand and/or Taiwan, IIRC). I have a set of Carlisles on my FW, going into the 4th year, and they have a bit of weather checking, but otherwise look, and tow, excellently. The Carlisles also have a higher speed rating, into the high-70's/low 80's, so that tells you something, too. Not that I tow that fast, but if I stay at my usual 60-65 mph, I should have plenty of "safety margin".

Lyle

Agreed, 90 percent of the "ST" tires out there are "D" and "E" rated tires that have rightly earned their less than stellar reputation.

However, the other 10 percent are G-rated, ST tires like the Sailun (prefix recently changed from LT to ST), Gladiator, Hartland, etc. These tires are speed-rated from 75 to 87 mph and have an excellent reputation--especially the "all-steel" versions. A documented failure of an "all-steel" G-rated, ST tire, like the Sailun, are very rare.

I stored my fiver off the ground for four yrs, anytime it was home, with the tires covered. Those sts were only on the ground for about one month in that four yrs and they still blew apart at four yrs, to the month, just like the prvious set that were always stored with all the weight on them. It's a waste of time with sts. Craig

Goodyear storing tires


Every tire maker has there recommendations on how to store their tires...and they all say about the same thing.

I make sure my tires on all my rv/GN and other bumper pull trailers are at max sidewall psi 24/7 especially my 11200 lb RV when it sits from oct to april. The tires sits on wood with a gravel pad in a covered shed. The tires never sees the sun when stored.
I jack the end of the axle and rotate the tires 45 degrees a couple times a winter. I use LT tires and run them 50k-55k miles in a 7-8 year period.

Jacking the trailer was much more common years ago.

DCamp84 wrote:

laknox wrote:

DCamp84 wrote:
Ok let's try this again. Being new to forums and trying to work everything from a "smart phone" is getting me in trouble lol. I had a question I thought of on my way to work this morning. How many (if any at all) store your fivers up off the ground on jack stands during your off season. Would you recommend it? Is this even a correct method of storage? If so, would the continuous weight/ pressure on the points of contact hurt the trailer in any way? Ps. I have a dirt driveway. Thank you for your input

Damon,
Long Island, NY

Easiest thing to do is to run your wheels up on some boards, dress the tires with a =good= protectant (i.e. NOT a "shine", but an actual protectant, like Aerospace 303), then cover them completely. If you'll be in and out frequently, drop the rear stabilizers...or not. With ST tires, I don't think it makes a hill of beans difference if you put 6 or 8 jack stands along the frame and took the tires off and stored them inside; they're going to "age out" (almost NO RV tires actually wear out, unless there's another issue going on) after 5 or 6 years and you'll need to replace them.

(cynic mode off)

That being said, I've run a set of cheap ST tires for right at 6 years before they all 4 went bad in about a week, fortunately while I was moving my FW from storage to my house and some short "town trips". I knew I was pushing things and I didn't get burned, but I certainly could have.

Lyle

Thanks Lyle! Just to clarify the "ST" when you say "ST tire". What does that mean.

"ST" is a trailer-only tire; "special trailer". Frankly, the vast majority ain't so special; they're junk. If you have anything with 16" wheels, you can put LT (light truck) tires on them and get much greater longevity and peace of mind with them than with most STs. That being said, there are a couple brands of ST tires, especially in the 15" size, that are much better than the rest. Maxxis is probably top of the heap, though they still have the 65 mph speed rating and they do have occasional failures for, seemingly, no reason. Carlisle, which was one of the worst a decade ago, came out with a completely re-engineered ST tire line that is, IMO, the equal of the Maxxis, despite being made in China (Maxxis is made in Thailand and/or Taiwan, IIRC). I have a set of Carlisles on my FW, going into the 4th year, and they have a bit of weather checking, but otherwise look, and tow, excellently. The Carlisles also have a higher speed rating, into the high-70's/low 80's, so that tells you something, too. Not that I tow that fast, but if I stay at my usual 60-65 mph, I should have plenty of "safety margin".

Lyle

The first couple of winters of ownership I went to the trouble of lifting the trailer to a point of little weight being on the tires & using jack stands.

Don't do it anymore. The trailer & truck are stored indoors. On the wheels & legs, good enough.

We have had trailers of all kinds for 40+ years and I have never stored them on jacks or without tires/wheels. I park them on gravel and currently have old rubber mud flaps under the tires just cause I had some. I have never seen any tire deteriorate any sooner because of this. Time, sun and ozone are the enemy. I do cover them.

I am very much an LT tire fan and have them on my 5er. But be aware that ST tires are often rated for a higher load rating than an equivalent size LT tire. If you choose to go with an LT make sure the tire load rating is adequate for your purpose.

Gotcha A. That's true. LT tires are definitely worth looking in to

Good point. Thanks Bill!

"ST" is a Special Trailer tire. As in ST235/85 R 16.

ST - tire type. In this case Special Trailer. As opposed to "LT" Light Truck or "P" Passenger.

235 - tread width in MM.

85 - Aspect ratio. Sidewall height compared to tread width as a percentage.

R - Radial construction.

16 - wheel diameter.

Others will say differently, but after fighting defects in ST tires for six years (long ago) I switched to U.S. made LT tires and have had no problems since. (LT245/75R16)

IMHO almost all ST tires are made overseas (in the far east) where quality control is less than outstanding. DOT does not require any excess capacity beyond the load rating on the sidewall for ST design and the max speed rating is 65mph.

LT tires have heavier construction; safety factor above weight limit; higher speed rating; and a MUCH better reputation in RV service.

Let the rebuttal begin!

A