Tire Wear Issue on Tandem Torsion Axle Horse Trailer

Question:

I have a 16 foot goose neck horse trailer. 3500 lbs axles torsion. Only carry two 1200 lbs horses. My passenger side tire on the rear axle is worn down to bald condition. Other 3 tires purchasaed two years ago have plenary of tread. Checked bearing tightness. All good. No apparent bend in axles. Less than 3000 total miles on tires Do you have suggestions for additional things to check?

asked by: Dennis O

Expert Reply:

If one of the four tires on your trailer is older than the other three, or of a different type, size or load range rating that could explain the higher wear on it. It is always best to use identical tires all around. Same type, bias or radial; same size, same load range.

If the tires are indeed all the same age, type, size and load range rating, but just the one tire is wearing substantially more, you could have a bent/damaged spindle on the rear passenger side. It may not be too likely, but a consistently uneven loading condition - lots more weight over that one wheel all the time - could cause higher wear.

Another possibility is that the one tire has a bad valve stem that is not allowing it to hold its full pressure. An under-inflated tire will certainly wear faster, especially at the outside edges of the tread surface. An over-inflated tire will wear more in the middle of the tread. Special trailer tires, whether radial or bias ply, should ALWAYS be inflated to the maximum COLD psi pressure shown right on the tire sidewall.

expert reply by: Adam R