Trailer Tire Wear on the Outsides of the Tire Tread

Question:

I was wondering what would cause my boat trailer tires to have heel to toe wear on the outside edge of both tires? Its a Shorelander 2012 single axle trailer with a weight capacity of 2200 lbs. My 16 foot aluminum boat and 60 hp motor are roughly 1500 lbs. The tires are ST185/80D13. I havent repacked my wheel bearings yet but have kept the bearing buddies full of grease.

asked by: Brian

Helpful Expert Reply:

Wear on the outside of a trailer tire is an indication that the weight on the trailer is not significant enough to straighten out the axle when under load. Most trailer axles have a bow in them that points up in the middle. When enough weight is placed on the axle it will straighten out. Otherwise the tires will tilt in at the bottoms. This is likely what is going on.

The other possibility is that there is something wrong or worn out with the suspension. Check the suspension for worn out components are holes that are egg-shaped instead of round where the suspension components come together.

expert reply by: Michael H