Check your tires!!

[Av8nBill]

OK, one of the tires on the well-used trailer I bought last season had a really slow leak so I decide I'm finally breaking down and buying a new one, then making that one a spare. I take it off and aside from a few small dry cracks in the tread (that I hadn't ever noticed till now) it still looks OK for a spare. It also has grease all over the back so I know I'll need to look at the seal.

That's when I notice about 20 feet of fishing line wrapped around the axle too. That explains the seal leak. It appears to be some of the newer "super line" because it won't break, had to cut it apart. That was some kinda fun in the Texas heat.

So I mount the old tire on the spare carrier with the dry cracks up and a little while later it starts to rain. Next time I look at it, the tread looks white and on closer inspection, there are tiny air bubbles coming up through the tread!! Mind you, this tire is only losing a couple of pounds of pressure a week so I had figured it was the valve stem. This tire was one good pothole away from leaving me stranded somewhere. How's that for favor?

Sometime this week I'll be buying a new tire for the spare now and just wanted to remind y'all to give 'em a good check before headin' out this holiday weekend.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: Check your tires!!

Glad to hear you got a new spare. A worn out tire that still holds air makes a good spare, but a spare that leaks will probably be flat when you need it.

 

[shuswap119]

Re: Check your tires!!

And always remember, once the spare is on the trailer, it is no longer a spare .

Regards,

 

[nlain]

Re: Check your tires!!

Don't you need to replace the other tire also, it probably has the same cracks in it that the slow leak one had, just not leaking yet. You usually have to replace them every 2 to 4 years anyway.

 

[Av8nBill]

Re: Check your tires!!

Don't you need to replace the other tire also, it probably has the same cracks in it that the slow leak one had, just not leaking yet. You usually have to replace them every 2 to 4 years anyway.

Actually, the guy I bought it from had already replaced the other side. That probably should have been my first clue. I found a matching rim/tire combo at Northern Tool (the leaking tire's rim was a little different , and tire was different brand) and noticed as I installed it that the manufacture dates now match, too! Pretty wild.

 

[nlain]

Re: Check your tires!!

Makes sense now that you only changed one. The next to the last trip I made I was getting things ready for the trip, bearings, brakes, including brake lines, from the side my tires looked fine, no cracks anywhere, but when I looked at the tread area they were full of cracks in the tread grooves, so new tires also. That is why I posted that you need both, sounds like you are good to go now, new tires on the ground and spare.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Check your tires!!

Looked at my tire this morning when I tried to pull the boat out to hook it to the truck. Ooops - one tire totally flat, the one near the garage wall. Havn't looked at it yet to see what it's issue was, but it is the one 5 year old original tire still on the trailer. Luckily I've got 2 spares, popped one on and headed out to the lake.

Edit: Turns out it was a busted valve stem. Once it got up to 30 psi it started leaking around a crack in the stem near the rim. Just need to pick up a new stem and it'll be fixed in 20 minutes for under $2