How to Prevent Tire Cupping on 20 Foot Gooseneck Equipment Trailer

Question:

We have a 20 foot goose neck equipment trailer with two axles.. The tire on the front axle, drivers side, cups on the inside after only a few miles. We have changed the wheel and checked the bearings and this did not help.. Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

asked by: Gary T

Expert Reply:

Typically, cupping on a tire is caused by the tire bouncing on the road, which can be caused by several things.

Check the air pressure in your trailer tires. A trailer tire should be kept inflated to the maximum air pressure listed on the tire sidewall. Also make sure the weight rating of your tires is not being exceeded

Having one or more wheel/tires out of balance could also be causing the problem, have a tire shop check your wheels for balance. Typically, trailer tires are not as sensitive to being balanced as passenger vehicle tires, but if one wheel is far enough out of balance, it will cause problems.

Closely examine your trailer suspension. As components wear, the suspension can get loose and cause wheel hop. Take a look at your leaf springs and shackle straps, replace shackle straps that have bolt holes that have been worn to the point where they are oblong, instead of round.

One or more of these items might be causing the uneven tire wear you describe. I have linked you more information about trailer tires that you might find helpful.

expert reply by: Mike L