Help preventing flat-spotting

[Smokey_Lew]

Does anyone use Flatstoppers to help lessen the chance of getting a flat spot on their RV tires? I have a 36 foot 5th wheel that sits on my concrete drive for two to four months between trips. Worried because my other trailer did get flat spots after sitting about a year. The 5th wheel has very expensive tires (Goodyear LT 235/85R16 Load Range G) about two years old and I want to preserve them for as long as possible.

Flatsoppers is a brand name for a curved shaped ramp that the tire sits in. It supports more weight evenly on the bottom of the tire. So they say. Any recommendation would be helpful other than taking off the tires and leaving it on blocks. Also, it's a real hassle getting the trailer in and out of our drive so hitching up and taking it out for a spin every few weeks isn't a viable option either. Any help would be appreciated.

[3oaks]

2oldman wrote:
You'd only need to move it a couple feet.

Or...........jack up one wheel at a time and rotate each one 180 degrees if it is inconvenient to hook up and move the trailer. I do that to ours about mid-Winter. May not be necessary, but it doesn't hurt.

[smokeylew]

Hey thanks for all the great advice guys. Not going to worry about the 5er tires. Never should have let the travel trailer sit so long. Lesson learned.

[Bob_Sue]

Talk to your tire dealer. Your tires are big enough that if there is a flat spot from sitting, once you get the trailer rolling, the weight of the trailer and heat of the tire will reshape the tire, and any flat spot will be removed. I have had 2 trailers with the same size tires. Both trailers had GVWR of 10,000 or more, and never had a problem. My trailer sits Nov. through March every year.

[JIMNLIN]

My 11500 lb trailer sits 5-6 months during the winter. I keep them pumped to 80 psi max pressures 24/7 365 days a year. Twice a winter I jack each wheel and rotate it 45 degrees. Takes me a total of 6 min to jack and rotate all four wheels. Eliminates flat spotting during storage. If your using ST tire and buy new ones every 3-5 years just keep them pumped to the max 24/7.
The trailer tires sits on 2" X 8" X 48" long.

I run LT tires and get 50k-55k miles and 7 years of service on average.

[Community Alumni]

I have always pumped 65-psi tires to 75-psi when not moving for several months at a time and have never had a tire issue. Typically the trailer sits 6-7 months each year.

[NMDriver]

Put some sand/dirt/pea gravel on the concrete where the tires will be if you are worried about it.

[dalenoel]

25% seems really high. That would put me at 125psi instead of the 100 that is recommended after a four corner weigh of the motorhome.

Goodyear instructions say to weigh and then follow the charts for the heaviest side of that axle for both sides. Don't just use the max tire pressure on the side wall.

Hope you get the best ride what ever you do.

[DutchmenSport]

I make it a point to hitch up at least once a month and take the trailer out for at least a 10 mile ride over the winter months for this very reason. It also keeps everything else "moving" that's suppose to move. I park in my drive way too.

[azdryheat]

Goodyear says: Inflate tires to recommended operating pressure plus 25%. Ensure that the rim manufacturer’s inflation capacity is not exceeded

[FLY_4_FUN]

Never gave it a thought, just keep them inflated and use aerospace 303 on the sidewalls. Replace at first sign of cracks...bulges...or 5 year mark.

Daryll

[ScottG]

Our trailer sits 6 mos a year and it's never bee a problem.
Radials just don't have that much of a problem with flat spotting. The small amount that does occure is gone in a few miles.

[Lwiddis]

“Worried because my other trailer did get flat spots after sitting about a year.”

I disagree with Gordon and FJ. A year? Hook up and move it a foot. I do...every three months when not out and about.

[2oldman]

You'd only need to move it a couple feet.

[pbitschura]

Our "C" has only bias ply tires available for 16.5" wheels. They flatspot after a week or less. Four to five miles down the road they regain their shape and function without issue. But the first few are a teeth rattler.

[GordonThree]

Mine sits longer than that waiting for the thaw each winter.

Inflated to sidewall and call it done.