Potential Causes for Uneven Trailer Tire Wear

Question:

Have a Jaco travel trailer and had problems with axels bent but after weight checked for insurance purposes I was OK never was over as I travel for eight years with same stuff .I have up graded to six thousand from five thousand pound axels and to 16 in tires from 15 in tires now 235 80 r16 load range e Last year one tire seams to ware on one side more so I balance and but same kind new again after a 3000 mile run tire same position doing it again needs replacing would there be a better tire load range to go to .Im running good year Marathon . Please let me now of a helping solution.also my axels were flipped to give me clearance .

asked by: Emile

Expert Reply:

Uneven trailer tire wear can result from incorrect air pressure, a misaligned trailer suspension, a damaged axle or hub or from use of an axle that is rated too high or too low for the trailer's actual weight.

Axles have an upward bend in them, so that once they are loaded up near their rated capacity they can flatten out and be straight when under load. If your axle does not have enough weight on it to flatten it out, then the outside edges of the tires will make more contact with the road than the inside edges. If your tires were wearing out more on the inside edges then this would suggest the axle was overloaded, bending downward too much, and resulting in the inside edges of the tires making more contact than the outside edges. I suggest making sure your loaded trailer weight is correct for the ratings of the axles you're using.

It sounds like you installed an axle over-under kit like # K71-385-00, which fits 3-inch axles, to gain more ground clearance. This is commonly called an "axle flip" but you cannot really flip your axles due to the bend mentioned above. The axle has to maintain the upward bend in the middle so that it can straighten out under load.

In your ST235/80R16 tire size the highest load rating we offer is a Load Range E, the same that you are now using. All four can be seen on the linked page. Most are rated for 3520-lbs at their rated 80-psi pressure, but tire # AM10248 from Kenda carries a slightly lower rating of 3197-lbs.

expert reply by: Adam R