By Craig Stanfield, Southwest Chapter
Look on the sidewall. There is a DOT code on every sidewall. Look at the last 4 digits (last 3 digits before the year 2000). Woa Nelly, tell me your tires don’t date back to the previous century! Please!!!!
Ok, now you are looking at the last 4 digits. The last two are the year of manufacturer. The two before that? The week of manufacturer.
True story, Last year (2024) I readied the Arabian to tow to the other side of the lake…Lake Conroe. I had pumped the bearings with grease. I had checked the tires and aired up to 36psi. I hooked the trailer behind
my trusty F150 and started to tow the 12 miles.
About half way there I heard an awful noise, as the belt had come off one of the 4 tires. Age of tires? 2006. No cracks, kept in the dark always. That afternoon, I got a new set.
Be Careful out there y’all.
Great and important lesson Craig. I’d like to share another trailer tire experience coupled with a solution. For those with modern GMC tow vehicles, you may have the enhanced tow / haul features. Among the many benefits, is a special sensor package for your trailer tires (special order and install). These sensors report both tire pressure AND TEMPERATURE to your truck / SUV. I believe similar packages may be available from other dealers and after market for older vehicles.
Two years ago, while on a 300 mile haul with 8400 lbs of boat and trailer, we UNKNOWINGLY had an inner seal blow out on the front left trailer tire. I got an alert on the console that the tire temperature had hit 170 degrees, which had happened in just minutes since our last pressure / temp check, which we do about every 30 minutes while towing. If the air in the tire was 170 degrees, imagine what the bearing temp was! End result was pull over, let it cool, slowly progress to nearest shop and replace the bearings. This versus the bearing fire and burnt wood pile alternative!
If you are hauling around a prized possession, the added cost of $150 / tire will grant you piece of mind that is invaluable. Added benefit? For dual or triple axles, you can see the temperatures on each axle. If you’re running hotter on the front axle, raise the hitch up slightly. If hotter in the rear, lower the hitch slightly. Getting the load evenly distributed will avoid early bearing failures in heavy loading situations.
Of course, inspect and repack bearings regularly (and keep a log of any replacements. Consider carrying a set of replacement bearings and seals with you on long hauls. These simple steps have doubled the life of our axle bearings.
Last item, our boat trailers spend time UNDERWATER, sometimes a few feet underwater. Every foot of water depth represents about 2 psi on your seals – inner and outer. If you are running a bearing buddy, they have rubber seals that are not optimal for submersion. We have replaced these with steel bearing caps (old school style) which to a much better job of minimizing water entry. Fresh water and grease make an ugly milky froth with limited lubricating capability. Salt water? A offers a different level of corrosion and pitting.
Best of luck to all heading to Clayton in September. Wishing you all cool bearings!
Thank you ACBS & Craig Stanfield for this VERY important info which applies to tires on cars AND trailers. Many people prefer not to believe that once tires get to be 7-10 years old – regardless of tread wear, sidewall appearance, storage history, etc – the tires should be replaced for safety. As Craig’s experience illustrates, a tire can fail at speed in spite of looking “A.O.K.” when parked. A blowout at highway speed on a single axle boat trailer could have disastrous consequences. Better safe than sorry.