Trailer tires?

[Forrest A]

What is the best tire for the money for a 8000# tandem axle with 15" tires? Bias ply or steel belted? I will be hauling a 5200# tractor.

Forrest A

[MoRo]

I'd avoid using a passenger tire for sure. Bias ply tires are pretty hard to find anymore. Radial tires are a better choice anyway, as they run lots cooler in the summertime lessening the chances of a blowout. Radials (steel belted) also have less rolling resistance and a much longer life expectency. Remember? A set of bias car tires would last 25,000 miles. Radials last 40,000 plus.........some are now even carrying a 100,000 mile warrenty.
~M~

[Ross Clarke]

Check out a "ST" type tire.
These are for trailer use only.
Have had a set on my trailer for a lot of years with no problems.

Ross

[Andrew Mackey]

Trailer tires are special animals - they have heavier side walls to handle the sidreal thrust made by the load and the trailer frame. Using passenger tires will cause side wall failure or tread seperation, especially if used on a tandem axle trailer. I recently bought a trailer that car tires on it (I did not realize at the time) I only had about 900 pounds on a 3,500 pound trailer. I lost 2 tires within 500 miles (the rear ones, both sides) One nearly ripped off the entire fender, and destroyed the lic. plate and the lighting assembly, when the tread seperated. I stopped at a Goodyear tire center, and turned in the 2 tires, as they had but little milage wear. The dealer warrented them, but said he shouldn't, as they were passenger tires, and would not stand up to trailer use. He explained that the weight of the engine put most of the load toward the front of the trailer (even though I kept the engine back a little to better balance the trailer), and that weight bias loaded the front tires more. When I changed lanes or turned, a lot of side thrust was put on the rear tires, and they, being light weight, failed. He was nice enough to credit me for the 4 tires, and refit the trailer with the proper tires, and it only cost me $70 for the wear and the tip! No problems for the rest of the trip, and about 3,000 miles more.
Andrew

[Forrest A]

Checked for the best price on 15" 205 "ST"/6 ply tires and I find 61.95 each, installed with disposal of old tires. Is this a good quote?

[Ross Clarke]

Not sure about the price, but what Andrew says above makes sense as I have seen my tires with some severe side loading when doing tight turns with heavy loads and have never had a problem.
I have had the same tires for about 12-13 years now.
I don't put a lot of miles on the trailer, but have made it work at times.
I would strongly recommend spending the money and get the proper tire for the job.

Ross

[oldtractors]

I just put on 4 225-75-15 trailer tires on my trailer. The bill was right at $400, mounted, new stems, tire disposal and no balance. They were 8 ply, rated at 2500 lbs/tire. I would try to find as heavy tire as possible.

Jim

[Forrest A]

The ones I recieved that quote on were "ST", Spicific for Trailer use, and included mounting and balancing. I would think a 6 ply would be a heavy tire, right?

Forrest A

[Tom Marshall Jr.]

On the tire is listed the weight it can carry and what pressuer you should keep it at. You need 2000 minumim, a littel more would be better. tom

[Austen]

I thought I would tell this funny story. My dad is doing a lot of construction in our back yard and we've been using our homemade utility trailer. We've had this backhoe in our backyard loading dirt into it, and man this one load was huge! It toped the trailer and man those little tires that are made to hold like 900 pounds or something were way way overloaded. Our way down to dump the dirt one of the little tires went K-BAM! and there wasn't anyplace to pull over yet so the tire broke it's way off and the rim just got drug until we could pull over and man when we got out it was smoking hot. Then ofcoarse my dad had to jack the trailer up to put the spare on and the frame got a little bent from that. Since then we replaced the tires and haven't hauled anything heavy like that since!

[Phillip Hutchinson]

G'day Well i have towed my tandem trailer with a 2 ton engine all over the place with a combined weight of a 3000KG behind the family car and only blown 2 tyres due mainly to a hot day,it only has 13"radial car tyres on it that where second hand.My advice to you is dont drive to fast and watch your pressures.
HAPPY TOWING REGARDS PHILLIP