Trailer Tire Wear Only on the Outsides of the Tread

Question:

Both tires are wearing on the outside

asked by: Tom W

Expert Reply:

When there is tire wear on the outsides of the tread on your trailer tires that indicates that the bottoms of the tires are angle in towards the trailer. Trailer axles have a bow in them with the highest part at the center of the axle. With no load or a light load the axle will not straighten out much if at all. But under enough load it will straighten out which is what it is supposed to do.

If there is not enough load on the trailer you will see more wear on the outsides of the tread than on the insides.

This can also happen if the spindle is not welded to the axle properly or if some suspension components are worn causing the tires to lean. If you suspect something like this to be the issue I advise taking the trailer to a shop that works on trailers and have it inspected.

expert reply by: Michael H