Trailering Articles

Informative Trailering Articles

Tire Safety

11/20/2008

Make it a practice to check the air pressure in all the tires on your trailer regularly. If a tire is under inflated on a tandem axle rig, the tire can become very hot and catch fire. (The under inflated tire many not be evident because the other wheels are supporting the weight of the trailer.)

The most common causes for tire failure are loading the trailer with more weight than the trailer's rated cargo capacity and having under-inflated tires. Both result in excess flexing of the sidewall, which causes heat buildup and eventual failure.

Also, check the lug nuts regularly. The axles and wheels are subjected to more flexing than, say, a passenger car's axles and wheels. This can cause the lug nuts to loosen. You should tighten lug nuts to the torque rating specified by the manufacturer. Over tightening can cause the studs to break.

When it comes time to replace a tire, make sure you match the tire load rating specified by the trailer's manufacturer.


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