I am in the process of replacing the original tires on my travel trailer and was wondering should I have them balanced or not? The ones on the TT are not balanced. Also what is the torque on the lug nuts? Any help would be appreciated.

Hey fellow Tucsonan. Balancing is a matter of preference. I've had tires I balanced, and tires I didn't. I never noticed much of a difference. You'll be sure to get a lot of responses on here that say your RV will fall apart if you don't balance them, but don't be so sure. I know I've paid to have them balanced in the past, only to have the weights fall off in just a few miles due to side loading on the FW's tires.You should be able to find the torque specs in the documentation of your RV. I have stickers right over my wheels which tell me what the torque is. You can probably find it in the axle documentation or owner's manual in your owner's packet.

I always balance mine,for better tread wear. Don't forget High Pressure valve stems.Lug Torque may differ from steel wheels or aluminum.

There already off the camper and the balancing machine is usually next to the mounting machine so I say yes to balance. You shouldn't get charged much more of any to have balanced.

I have mine balanced and one reason to to check the tire for defects and make sure the wheels are true. Radial run out of the tire wheel combination, serious out of balance conditions can come from a bad belt or separation.

180 degree opinions on this. We always do. Don't know if it makes any difference, but we just do it for peace of mind. Not a terrible price, so I'd say yes.

Balance Tires or Not | Good Sam Community

JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Mar 17, 2014
Bird Freak wrote:
JIMNLIN wrote:
Bird Freak wrote:
Know how your car bounces and vibrates when a tire is out of balance? Think your trailer is any different?

Much different for the same reasons that have been discussed before
How do you figure this? An out of balance tire will vibrate the vehicle period!

A tire can only show out of balance if its allowed to move up and down. Those short 26" long springs on a loaded trailer are a big damper vs a 70"-76" inch long spring on anther vehicle type with soft suspension .

Hell we ran lots of unbalanced tires on the rear on our older '60s/'70s trucks. Those old trucks had 35"-38" long springs with as much as 9 leafs in the pack. Those springs were also a excellent damper on out of balance vibration caused by tires. Now those soft front coil springs on those trucks had cause to be balanced.

A google on the subject has even more input on the reasons its not necessary to balance a tire on a trailer. Or a real experienced tire dealer is another source of that type of input.

As other have said the hub assy's aren't balanced and the short trailer springs still effectively dampen most if not all out of balance vibrations.

Before someone mentions were not talking about a utility/car hauler type trailer with no load.
KenNTennessee
Explorer
Mar 16, 2014
Interesting that no TT manufacturer that I know of balances the tires at the factory, so obviously it is not absolutely essential. However, I do balance mine as it helps cut down on vibration within the trailer. My experience in towing about 12,000 miles per year is that things tend to shake and vibrate in the trailer. Anything to reduce that will reduce the number of minor repairs you will need to do over time. Although I agree tread rarely wears out on trailer tires, balancing them will reduce cupping. They will also run cooler with less flexing.
Bird_Freak
Explorer II
Mar 16, 2014
JIMNLIN wrote:
Bird Freak wrote:
Know how your car bounces and vibrates when a tire is out of balance? Think your trailer is any different?

Much different for the same reasons that have been discussed before
How do you figure this? An out of balance tire will vibrate the vehicle period!
JBarca
Nomad II
Mar 16, 2014
goukcats wrote:
JBarca, how do you know the amount of Dynabeads to put into each tire?
Thanks

They give you a chart http://www.innovativebalancing.com/trailerchart.htm I use a little more as I buy them in bulk, (cheaper) in case the ass'y is out of whack. (wheel and drum)
JBarca
Nomad II
Mar 16, 2014
ROBERTSUNRUS wrote:
Unlike cars and trucks, trailer drums are not balanced. This is why I also use Centramatics.

Hi Robert,

H'mm, have not seen them for smaller trailers but they list out a 6 lug, 5.5" BC for 15-16" tires (Air stream).

http://centramatic.com/Page.aspx?page=Balancers

And a U tube on them, http://centramatic.com/Page.aspx?page=Video%20How%20Centramatic%20Balancers%20Work

Do you have any pic's of the ring that goes on the wheel studs? I cannot find any on line dimensions to know if the shifts the wheel location. I am using Dyna Beads, works on the same principle, just inside the tire.

And I do agree, trailer wheel drums while they can be machined to run true, most are not.
goukcats
Explorer
Mar 16, 2014
JBarca, how do you know the amount of Dynabeads to put into each tire?
Thanks
Lynnmor
Explorer
Mar 16, 2014
ROBERTSUNRUS wrote:
Lynnmor wrote:
My brake drums were out of balance 5.5 ounces. How much are yours out? There is no point in balancing tires if the assembly is still way out of balance.

:) Hi, this is partially true. Although balancing your tires will help reduce vibration, it will not eliminate it if your drums are out of balance. Unlike cars and trucks, trailer drums are not balanced. This is why I also use Centramatics.

I balance the entire assembly. I have yet to find anyone that has checked the balance of their drums. Balancing just the tire can make matters worse or better depending where the heavy spots are in relation to one another. Balancing just the tires accomplishes nothing.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Mar 16, 2014
Bird Freak wrote:
Know how your car bounces and vibrates when a tire is out of balance? Think your trailer is any different?

Much different for the same reasons that have been discussed before
ROBERTSUNRUS
Explorer
Mar 16, 2014
Lynnmor wrote:
My brake drums were out of balance 5.5 ounces. How much are yours out? There is no point in balancing tires if the assembly is still way out of balance.

:) Hi, this is partially true. Although balancing your tires will help reduce vibration, it will not eliminate it if your drums are out of balance. Unlike cars and trucks, trailer drums are not balanced. This is why I also use Centramatics.
JBarca
Nomad II
Mar 16, 2014
I use Dynabeads. http://www.innovativebalancing.com/index.php

I put them in myself.

They also make them to pour in the valve stems. When I changed tires, I move the beads to the new tires.

They balance the entire wheel assembly including the brake drum and do not fall off like wheel weights do. While your camper may not fall apart for not balancing them, it will run smoother being balanced, bearings and tires plus eliminate some vibration out of the camper. Those are all good things.

Here is a U tube that help show how they work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq263AYgyYg

Hope this helps

John