Truck Tires on a Trailer?

[MtPockets]

So, I am in need of a set of tires for my horse trailer.

As I have had some very bad luck with "trailer only" tires as of late, I am seriously considering using Load Range E truck tires instead.
Now a little background- I have pulled all sorts of trailers from dinky little utility trailers to triple axle belly dumps and 53' dry vans and have seen some really bad looking tires that held up just fine. I've also seen some "trailer" tires that were virtually new in both looks and miles traveled that only lasted about 100 miles before literally coming apart.

This tire was the spare on our little travel trailer. I believe it was about 4 years old. It had spent its' entire life as a spare before being mounted on the trailer and used for approximately 100 miles.
We had checked the pressure in all the tires before we left the driveway, but only made it about 50 miles before one of the tires started coming apart in the tread area. We put the spare on and, when we stopped at a tire shop to replace the bad tire, rechecked all tire pressures.

This pic is from when we got home, about 100 miles later.


Years ago, everyone ran truck tires on their trailers and never thought twice, but all three tire shops I've talked to said it is not a good idea.
Since I have never EVER seen a car or truck tire come apart like this, I am thinking "Why not"?

Anyone have recent experience running truck tires on trailer?


Btw- when shown the above picture, all three tire guys showed absolutely no sign of surprise and said "It happens all the time".

"After 100 miles?"

"Yep"

 

[cohunt]

1st off, trailer tires that just sit in the sun should be replaced about every 3 years or so to be safe
2nd, yes you should only use trailer tires on a trailer--- trailer tires are actually manufactured to "slide" while going around corners, auto/truck tires are made to grip-- trailer tires are made to grip on braking (if directional) , auto/truck tires are made to grip on acceleration and braking ..the cords/belts are laid differently in trailer vs auto/truck tires .

BUT people have run truck tires for years on trailers and not had any issues, some people swear by lt tires on a trailer.

One of the main problems with trailer tires is most (regardless of name on the side) are made in China (even goodyears), most name brand auto/truck tires the regs are more stringent and you can find better quality us made tires.

Things that kill trailer tires, leaving in 1 spot for long periods of time can cause flat spotting and delamination, lots of direct sunlight can dry rot, overloading, and under inflating -- overheating a tire can kill in in a very short time.

My thought on trailer tires is I replace them after 3-4 years no matter what they look like or how many miles I've put on them . I use tire covers when parked for long periods and I've learned over the years that replacing before a blowout is much cheaper than a blowout on the road.

 

[therifleman556]

Looks almost like a recap. You bought them 4 years ago or the date code indicates 4 years old?

 

[MtPockets]

Thanks, Cohunt.
I never really thought much about the tire construction on one vs the other. It makes sense that it'd be different.
The whole reason I am thinking about using truck tires is how I have never seen a truck tire come apart like the last couple of trailer tires. The first one that went was also about 4 years old. It had less than 1000 miles on it, but like you said, sitting isn't good for them either.
I wonder if storing the tires up off the ground would help? I could maybe jack up the trailer and use jackstands if it'd help them last longer.

I'll still replace them long before they wear out, but we'll see. I own too many trailers to do that every 3-4 years.

 

[MtPockets]

Looks almost like a recap. You bought them 4 years ago or the date code indicates 4 years old?

They were sold as new tires and were bought 4 years ago but they were Chinese so who knows? I do not remember what the date code said.

 

[CVCOBRA1]

Every tire has a code that is imprinted in the sidewall. It will tell you when the tire was molded. The age does have a lot more to do than the mileage. I hate to say it but just Google it and you will see. A lot of times now with the taller 3/4 ton trucks the hitch and trailer are not level. I see that all the times on the interstate.

 

[therifleman556]

The big thing like cohunt mentioned is keeping them inflated and try to keep the sun off of them. One of the reasons you see campers with covers over the tires, the radiation does a number on rubber.

 

[Mustang72]

Sitting in dirt is also very hard on tires. If you don't jack them up then park them on boards or gravel. I have run plenty of truck tires on trailers and never had any problems.

 

[wyosteve]

I run truck tires on my Featherlite horse trailer with no problems. Have done it for years.

 

[Dosh]

Mt, as mentioned all ST trailer tires are manufactured in China or SE Asia. There's no regulations on imported trailer tires. These "Chinese Bombs". Can come apart at any time. Parking on anything organic will ruin a tire in time. Now the engineers at Goodyear have designed the new Endurance trailer tires which are "Made in USA". I just bought a new fifth wheel and replaced the "bombs" immediately with the Endurance in E load rating and speed rating of 82 mph. When compared side by side the Endurance is much stiffer and heavier. Of course they cost more, but IMO worth it. Good luck

 

[J E Custom]

One other thing that Is important (At least to me) is that trailer tires don't have to have a built in safety factor like car and truck tires (Anything that hauls passengers) do. so if you buy a trailer tire and a car/truck tire with the same load rating, the passenger tire will be stronger and actually have more load capacity than the trailer tire because of the extra strength that the safety factor adds.

I always recommend going at least one or two load ratings higher than the trailer and if possible use passenger tires.

I have had bad experiences with trailer only tires and no longer buy them. some say the passenger tires cost more. but the last trailer tire failure cost me a fender, rim and a spare tire mounted directly behind the blow out side. (Plus a set of shorts).

Keep them aired and covered.

J E CUSTOM

 

[cohunt]

Dosh-- good to know Goodyear is back producing USA made trailer tires, I think they are probably the only ones at this time-- goodyears used to be the best, then they went Chinese-' glad to see they are back.

OP, they look like heat separated the tread at the chords-- I'd those were steel belted it looks to me like the steel belts overheated

I park my trailers on 2x8s and try to keep the tires turned every once in a while to help out -- as others started, look at the manu date code to make sure you are getting fresh tires when you buy

 

[bdlesh]

Some people just have bad luck with trailer tires. I try to keep good tires on all my trailers and still have problems regularly. Then I have a friend who will only by used tired and the cheapest ones he can find. He can drive to from Texas to Alaska with no issues.....while I can't leave the driveway with new tires without one or more going south on me.

 

[Mustang72]

I 've got an older goodyear that looks like The op s on one of my trailers rite now. It was fine when I pulled it last and went to hook up the other day and it was separating. Cooper tires are made in the USA as well.