I searched and found most of you guys are runing Michelins or Goodyears... My buddy let me borrow his trailer last week and I lost a tire. He had truck tires on it (at least they were an E rated tire) and we want to put the proper trailer tires on it. The trailer is rated at 14000 and we'll be close to that if we get two rigs on it, so the tires have to be up to the task. We also do truckhaven hills, and rubicon at least once a year. That translates into a 200 mile freeway run each way to truckhaven and a 500 mile freeway run to rubicon. Generally trailer tires won't overheat like truck tires, or at least thats my understanding of it. I just thought I'd mention the long distances with that load in case its an issue.

So what do you guys suggest? I can get the size if that makes a difference, but I'd assume I'm just looking for a brand at this point and the respective sizes would all be the same compund.

TIA
PSD

:usa:

I'm also curious. I bought 14k GVWR equipment trailer and it has E rated truck tires on it (that's what it came with).

In addtion to what size you guys are running, those with heavy duty trailers and 16" wheels, what SIZE are your tires?

I run 245/75/16 truck tires on my trailer. I'll be replacing them soon with trailer tires with stiffer sidewalls.

Forget what size they are, but I swear by Goodyear Marathons. I've never had a blowout, ever. Knock on wood. :rolleyes:

My gooseneck (36' triple axle) had 265/75/16 E rated pick-up tires. I didn't get a chance to use it much but never had a problem. The guy I got it from had it for 5 years, hauled 3 vehicles on it 5 days a week said he put somewhere around 250,000-300,000 miles on it and that was all he ever used.

I don't think the brand has a whole lot to do with it as much as the construction... car tires flex more to absorb the bumps and bruises, and they are expected to hold their footing all the time, whereas trailer tires (especially on tandem and triple-axle trailers) don't have a whole lot of "comfort issues" and have to be able to skid without losing a bead....

I'd just go something 6 ply or better and you oughta be fine...

Though they seem to have had some quality issues lately Carlise makes an ST 235/85/16 LR F that is rated at 3960# single/3520# dual.

Goddyear also has the G614 RST in LT235/85R16 rated at 3750#'s as well.

Keep in mind your wheel weight ratings as well as these tyres may exceed both the weight and pressure ratings of the existing wheels.

I got my Greenball Transmaster load range E tires at America's Tire in Simi for $98/ea. They've done me right so far. Depends on what size rim and how many axles as to whether you'll carry 14K. They've got a 235/80R16 that's rated at 3500 lbs.
I'm thinking next time around I'll go with the Goodyears, but I needed these quick and they were the only ones who could get me tires the next day.

Chris

Cool. Real trailer tires ARE available in my size. Every local tire store says nobody makes a trailer tire in 235/85R16, I knew they were full of shit.

http://www.hankooktireusa.com/products_view_info.asp?Item_ID=29&CatID=8


I have these on my 14k trailer. Funny, their website used to say they were trailer tires, now they make them sound like regular truck tires. They're 14 ply, but the weight rating is technically only 3300. If you get a chance to look at these tires though, look at how thick the bead is. They are heavy duty tires and they seem to work great on my 20+4 flat deck...Chris

I've run pretty heavy trailers (GN, double and triple tandems) the past few years... the only tires I recall HATING due to numerous explosive failures... were the Kuhmo tires that came with them... (sp?) I replaced them on my old trailer, with Discount Tire's house brand trailer tire "Dominator?"... ( I wanna say Cooper made it)... E rated, good tire that held up well and never failed. My current GN has triple axles with smaller diameter tires... It had six goodyear marathon's D rated when I got it. They're older and still holding up well... 4 of them anyway... I lost the rear set because the valve stems rotted off. I replaced them with two Greenball's E rated from Discount and put high pressure stems on all the rims. I may replace the other 4 with Greenball's as well... as these seem pretty good and are a little cheaper that the GY's... Discount warranties all of them the same.

Goodyear makes G rated (14 ply rated) tires with a 3750 load rating. Also Michelin makes a G rated tire. Don't forget that 25% of the gross weight of the trailer is on the truck not the trailer axles. If you do use G rated tires the pressure is over 100 and the rubber valve stems will not handle that. Use brass valve stems and you are ok. I ran them on stock Dodge 2500 wheels for many loaded and overloaded miles. Never had a problem with the wheel. You don't necessarily have to have tires that match the 7000 weight rating of the axles, just enough to handle the actual weight on the axles. Weigh the trailer at a truck stop while loaded and you will have a better idea of what you need in tires. Also the tire pressure has a direct relationship to the weight carried. To get the 3750 rating on the Goodyears you have to run 110 pounds in them.

If you want a Goodyear, they have the all-steel construction G614 RST that's specifically recommended for commercial trailer and heavy 5th wheel RV applications. It's only available as an LT235/85R-16G (note- Load Range G - 3750 lbs @ 110 psi in single service)and they run as cool as the all-steel Michelin XPS Ribs I had on my last 5th wheel (LT235/85R-16E) that Michelin specifically recommended for commercial trailer service. your wheels may not be upt to handling 110 psi though.


Once you are hooked to a trailer your load capacities change and the legal GVW capacities of the rig change. IIRC since ive been out of commercial hot shot-ting for a few years it goes by the Licensed GVW of each rig added together then by 20k lbs per single axle, 34k lbs per double then the loading is restricted by tire capacities and the total licensed GCVW of the combo

because I doubt you are approaching the total capacity of the trailer and tires. don’t forget that with 14000lbs worth of trailer GVW you are also transferring (bridging) anywhere from 2250-3500 lbs (I balanced mine at 15-20% because I used to have a second trailer behind the gn vs. the recommended 25% on a GN) onto your pin off of the trailer so you actually have the total capacity between the truck and the trailer to handle some of the extra weight sitting on the truck and then still have the remainder of your GCVWR that both rigs are licensed for sitting over the trailer axle.

overall your actual total load, including empty trailer weight can exceed 14000 lbs so long as you don’t exceed the tire capacities on the trailer and the tire capacities on the truck plus Total GCVWR that both rigs are licensed for so in theory let say your truck is GVW’d for 9200 and the truck w/o trailer (with two passengers and gear) weighing 7000 lbs, so your total GVW capacity is 9200+14000= 23200. you can actually if you hit a per axle scale with exactly 25% of the weight hanging on the pin have the truck weighing in at 10500 combined for both axles since your (theoretical 3000lbs rating) E rated tires on the truck allow you a total of roughly 12000(or what ever) total capacity on the tow rig and then that would leave the trailer axles and tires are (ideally at 25% pin weight) only carrying 12700. (so 10500+12700= 23200 which is your legal licensed capacity) If your licensed GVW were higher between the two rigs you could find more weight sitting back on the trailer tires


Food for thought, I know that’s not what you were asking but I thought I would add it in for consideration. Depends on how you load it. Hopefully my rambling makes sense

On my enclosed triaxel, I run Goodyear 235-85-16 G range tires. You run them at 100-110 PSI (I forget which one) I believe they hold 3800# a tire or something like that. They are heavy, thick and hard to mount. but tough as hell!!

How much do those tires cost?

i think 170-180 sounds about right

Forgot to mention that, that's why I went with the Hankook, they were only about $100-110 each.

thanks for the input so far guys...looks like goodyear and michelin are the way to go with a couple more towards GY... if we get both rigs on the trailer like we're trying we'll be at 11,500 plus the trailer, so we will be pushing the 14k rating within 500 or so. I know about hte balancing and all that crap and the ratio of the actual weight being carried to the tire pressure being run.. I just know our whole club has problems with trailer tires and I have no desire to be in that trend :). I'll look into the G rated tires and see about that route... any more input will be appreciated, as I still have a few weeks before making a decision...

Thanks,
PSD


:usa:

I know i went with the michelins at the time and had 0 problems for just a hair under 100k miles other than a few nails which a plug kit fixes. But know i wouldnt hesitate witht he GY's.

Check air pressure when you stop to fuel up on long trips, i dont know how many times i almost lost a tire because of a slow leak that i pciked up between my walk around and the next 300 - 1000 miles. Low Air pressure is what gets those suckers hot fast.


Good luck.

Goodyear G114

215/75R175

H-rated

Single 4,805 lb at 125 psi (2,179 kg at 858 kPa)
Dual 4,540 lb at 125 psi (2,059 kg at 858 kPa)

Tire Weight= 62.190 lb.



They are working great. The tread wear is amazing, and the ride is great. Its an excelent tire. But the 17.5 wheel size is a little odd... the Aluminum wheels were not fun to buy, especially 6 of them with 2 spares :eek:

IF you are looking at having to buy new wheels to run 16" load range G tyres trying to find a set of used 17.5" off of a RV or old Isuzu box truck might be another avenue to explore.

Run of the mill 19.5” tyres are not going to be much improvement over the aforementioned 16” load range G tyres in weight capacity. I used to run the OE General LMT 450 in the 225/70R19.5 size load range F tyres that came on my F-550 on a 30K oilfield float. As they were rated at 3640#’s @ 95psi for single and 3415#’s @ 95psi for duals they limited me to 27K on the axles.

I have since went to a Michelin XZE 245/70R19.5 load range H rated at 4940#’s @ 120psi for single and 4675@ 120psi for duals and they seem to pull much nicer with 12 40’ lengths of 12” 0.500” wall pipe (31K) on the trailer.

So where do you get these 17.5 wheels and these Goodyear G114

215/75R175

H-rated

Single 4,805 lb at 125 psi (2,179 kg at 858 kPa)
Dual 4,540 lb at 125 psi (2,059 kg at 858 kPa)

Tire Weight= 62.190 lb

Price on such a package?

Long distance? does 4150 miles round trip count?
Heavy load? does 10,000 lbs count?

Last month I hauled my rig, spare parts, tools and gear from Kansas City to the Rubicon, back through Moab and across Colorado on a 3 week wheelin' trip. I have Goodyear Marathons on the trailer and never had the slightest issue with any of them. I also went the extra step and had my wheels/tires balanced on the trailer.

Long distance? does 4150 miles round trip count?
Heavy load? does 10,000 lbs count?

Last month I hauled my rig, spare parts, tools and gear from Kansas City to the Rubicon, back through Moab and across Colorado on a 3 week wheelin' trip. I have Goodyear Marathons on the trailer and never had the slightest issue with any of them. I also went the extra step and had my wheels/tires balanced on the trailer.

Counts in my book, but also demonstrates that you're doing a helluva lot more right than selecting the right tires. On the other hand, I made a 3,000 mile roundtrip over three days from Bloomington, IN to Miami, FL, to rescue a trailrig with a 7K equipment trailer....shod with MasterCraft P235/75/R15s. Those tires are now 5 years old, have seen over 25,000 miles, and still have good tread and are wearing evenly for the trailer's present owner.

Do I recommend P-metrics? Nope, not on a bet, but the facts are, there are folks that run them with no problems, and others who blow Marathons. Tires are the weakest link in a towing system, and the best tire will fail if proper towing methods/procedures are ignored or neglected.

Billavista devoted a lot of time and effort to gathering info on towing and I suggest that people study it, paying special attention to the "Towing Tips, guidelines, and safety tips" section: BillaVista's Trailer and Towing Page (http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Towing/index.html)

Safe and happy hauling, y'all.

Goodyear G114

215/75R175

H-rated

Single 4,805 lb at 125 psi (2,179 kg at 858 kPa)
Dual 4,540 lb at 125 psi (2,059 kg at 858 kPa)

Tire Weight= 62.190 lb.



They are working great. The tread wear is amazing, and the ride is great. Its an excelent tire. But the 17.5 wheel size is a little odd... the Aluminum wheels were not fun to buy, especially 6 of them with 2 spares :eek:

i run the same on my gn, 16,000. except i have steel wheels
what did you pay for the aluminum rims and where did you buy them
the tires cost me about 300 per. i second the wear rate is damn good

You're headed down the right path. Most LR-E pickup tires are rated for around 3000#. Doesn't add up will on a 14K trailer, even if you have 10% tongue weight.

For the trailer, look into the Goodyear G614 (I'm guessing the tires you have are LT235/85R16's). Know multiple people that were having troubles with 14K goosenecks that had multiple problems with LR-E tires and switched to these and they eliminted all their problems. Just keep the tires inflated properly and they'll pay for themselves over time.

One thing to be aware of - some rims are not rated for the higher pressures the LR-G tires can run at.

Lastly - some manufacturers are starting to over-rate their tires (i.e. stamping 3500 lb load rating on a 235/75R16). Load ratings are set by industry standards for a given size. They're violating these standards and using this as a sales pitch. Be careful if you see this.

Im running on 6 Goodyear Marathons on my trailer. I have had no problems with them. A freind of mine is running LT truck tires and has also had no problems. I think my freind will see more miles than me. The truck tires seem to be wearing better. I think Keeping proper load rating and air pressure are more important than anything.

Mike

Im running on 6 Goodyear Marathons on my trailer. I have had no problems with them. A freind of mine is running LT truck tires and has also had no problems. I think my freind will see more miles than me. The truck tires seem to be wearing better. I think Keeping proper load rating and air pressure are more important than anything.

Mike

Second that last sentence. Check the air pressure the night before when "cold" and run them at max psi. When in doubt weigh the trailer with everything on it.