Trailer Tires Sidewalls Cracking.

Hangtime · Outlaw Joined: 14 Aug 2003 Posts: 160 City: Concord

Does anyone know why trailer tires crack & what can be done to prevent it? I'm not convinced it's sun damage because it doesn't happen to cars that live outside year round.

89comp · Posted: Nov 13, 2003 4:06 pm Post subject:

hangtime-
a lot of it has to do if you use the tires along with sunlight. My boat sat in the backyard for 5 yrs and didn't move. the tires were new when it went to sleep and when I went to get it out of the yard, the tires were cracked. It's called tire "dry rot".
you'll need to put on new tires so they don't blow out - it happened to my friend and he ended up running across the median and hitting another car and killing the driver.

Hangtime · Outlaw Joined: 14 Aug 2003 Posts: 160 City: Concord

89comp -

Yeah, I'm getting new tires -- but I'd like to prevent it from happening again.

Thanks!

lee · Outlaw Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 196 City: USA

Treat them with some 303.

streeter · Posted: Nov 13, 2003 7:08 pm Post subject:

Throw something over them to keep direct sunlight off...proper inflaton as well.

Hangtime · Outlaw Joined: 14 Aug 2003 Posts: 160 City: Concord

lee -

Do you use the same 303 made for vinyl seats, or do they make a product just for tires?

streeter -

I've seen RV owners use covers for their tires, but I've never seen a boat trailer with them. I hoped I wouldn't have to go there.

Regarding tire pressure, I'm religious about that to get good tread wear. One of the tires started leaking air from the cracks in the Tow Master lettering.

streeter · Posted: Nov 14, 2003 9:39 am Post subject:

When the tires are in use, as on daily drivers, the pressure builds with heat from driving and then dissipates from cooling when stopped. The resulting expansion and contraction keeps the rubber pliable.

I've had my trailer for over 3 years and my tires still look like new; however, I have a completely enclosed storage.

Treating them with something like 303 should help, but it would be pretty cheap insurance to just cover them with some old rags or towels.

Fishmaster · Posted: Nov 14, 2003 1:03 pm Post subject:

303, Armor All, etc. will all help reduce the UV to the rubber while keeping them "moisturized", plus it makes the rig look better

03Belmont · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 4656

it is deffentaly dry rot I have heard you just need to move it around once a mounth and that won't happen

llenta · Addict Joined: 22 Jul 2003 Posts: 788 City: Davis

also the quality of the tires that come with new boats are the greatest. we wore the tread bare in a year after we bought our boat (2002). the new tires haven't showed any signs of wear yet.
________
Breakup Advice Dicussion

Hangtime · Outlaw Joined: 14 Aug 2003 Posts: 160 City: Concord

I crawled under the boat today to look at the inside sidewall of the tires -- no cracking there.

I think the solution is UV protection and move the trailer around once/month to keep the rubber pliable.

Thanks for the advice everyone.