Do you balance your trailer tires?

ctechbob

ctechbob

Well-known member
With all the tire talk lately, this question sprung to mind.

Do you or do you not balance your trailer tires?

I do, since it is included in the Tire Rack mobile mounting service, but I'm curious if anyone here just mounts the tires and skips the balancing.

IMO, it is worthwhile since it would be slightly less stress on the axle/trailer components. Whether that makes a huge difference in the end, who knows, but I've got to think it will help over the long haul.
 
ctechbob said:
Do you or do you not balance your trailer tires?
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Neither the Airstream or our New Horizons tires were balanced from the factory. I consider that not paying attention to details.

ctechbob said:
IMO, it is worthwhile since it would be slightly less stress on the axle/trailer components. Whether that makes a huge difference in the end, who knows, but I've got to think it will help over the long haul.
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My opinion is yes they should be balanced. Out of balance tires/wheels will stress practically everything from the tires and bearings to the structure of your trailer. I live close to a tire shop that can balance the 17.5" tires on our trailer. That's one of my to-dos next spring and I'll check the brakes and bearings while the wheels are off.
 
current tires on my RV were balanced but a ton of them on the road aren't... people never worried about it on trailers, I don't think they even bother with balancing on stuff like tractor trailers.. but in the world of today, where internet engineers prevail, you get all sort so ideas on what you should do or not do.. in the end if my tires weren't balanced on my trailer, I wouldn't worry about it..
 
The China Bombs that came on our trailer were not balanced. I had them swapped out after our first long trip for the Goodyear Endurance tires and had those balanced and metal valve stems installed. Went from load range D to E’s and have been very happy with them. Our trailer only weighs around 7K lbs and with the 2500 can hardly tell it’s behind us.
 
OLEJOE said:
The China Bombs that came on our trailer were not balanced. I had them swapped out after our first long trip for the Goodyear Endurance tires and had those balanced and metal valve stems installed. Went from load range D to E’s and have been very happy with them. Our trailer only weighs around 7K lbs and with the 2500 can hardly tell it’s behind us.
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FWIW almost all trailer tires fall under the category of China Bombs... It is worth pointing out when I was a teenager and worked at a gas station with a tow truck, we used to go out and change a bunch of tires that had to have been American Bombs.. as China didn't import anything to the US in those days...

Personally I think the situation with tires is the same as it has always been. People neglect them and then blame the device when they really should be looking in the mirror.
 
I didn’t have any problems with my original set but I kept a close eye on them. I drove class 8’s for almost 40 years before I retired and understand what you are saying. I check my tires with a gauge every time I hook up to it. I also check them every time we stop. Visually and feeling if they are hot and whether one is hotter than the others. We started RVing in 2020 and knock on wood haven’t had a single issue.
 
OLEJOE said:
I didn’t have any problems with my original set but I kept a close eye on them. I drove class 8’s for almost 40 years before I retired and understand what you are saying. I check my tires with a gauge every time I hook up to it. I also check them every time we stop. Visually and feeling if they are hot and whether one is hotter than the others. We started RVing in 2020 and knock on wood haven’t had a single issue.
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I've had exactly 2 tire problems in all my years towing trailers. one time it was with brand new tires just installed, and the tire dealer hadn't gotten the bead seated properly on a new tire and I caught it wheil I was towing the vehicle home.. tire was going low..

other time was a blowout... I knew one tire was bad as it had became football shaped and I was just trying to limp it home.. tire blew out 15 miles from home while not moving.. just Boom.

kep your eye on them is the best advice.
 
Wayne said:
Were they already balanced when you bought the trailer, or did you balance them. If you balanced them, did you notice any difference?
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I am on my 3rd or 4th set of tires on my this travel trailer. The last two sets were balanced. The float trailer has pretty good size tires, they are balanced as well.
 
MSCH said:
I've had exactly 2 tire problems in all my years towing trailers. one time it was with brand new tires just installed, and the tire dealer hadn't gotten the bead seated properly on a new tire and I caught it wheil I was towing the vehicle home.. tire was going low..

other time was a blowout... I knew one tire was bad as it had became football shaped and I was just trying to limp it home.. tire blew out 15 miles from home while not moving.. just Boom.

kep your eye on them is the best advice.
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I have had one blowout in 15 years of towing, it was from picking up a nail. This trailer ate two bearings on the same spindle. Second time I replaced the axle myself. The guy who welded the perch pads on the new axle determined the spindle was off just enough to side load the bearing. No issues with the new axle.
 
axle.png

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I have an infrared thermometer that I carry with me to check tire temps and bearing temps when I stop.
I keep 2 extra drums, grease, gearings and the tools to do a swap it it happens while out and about. After the one pictured I was back on the road in 30 minutes. I got another 350 miles out it. To the campsite and home a week later.
 
ls1mike said:
View attachment 1963
View attachment 1964
I have an infrared thermometer that I carry with me to check tire temps and bearing temps when I stop.
I keep 2 extra drums, grease, gearings and the tools to do a swap it it happens while out and about. After the one pictured I was back on the road in 30 minutes. I got another 350 miles out it. To the campsite and home a week later.
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We stop every 2 and a half to 3 hours and I feel of mine. So far so good. They all get pretty warm but if you get one getting hotter than the rest, then it needs attention. I do need to get an extra hub and bearings for mine though.
 
I have trailer tires balanced. Especially because trailers don't typically have shocks to dampen any oscillation, it's that much more important to keep the tires reasonably steady in motion.
 
I agree. My truck weighs more than the trailer and I wouldn’t think of not balancing its tires. I like to know if I start getting a slight vibration it’s not a tire out of balance but something else. Everything in the trailer takes a beating as it is. No reason to not make it run smoother. I don’t balance my flatbed tires though but it isn’t towed over 20 miles and slower.
 
MSCH said:
Personally I think the situation with tires is the same as it has always been. People neglect them and then blame the device when they really should be looking in the mirror.
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This and the RV manufacturers installing tires at their absolute load limit. Then the owner doesn't understand how important it is to inflate the tire for the load. The tires are loaded to the max and should be run at max sidewall pressure, but the owner sees about 30 psi and figures it's ok, because that's where their car tires run. It's not ok.
 
ls1mike said:
View attachment 1963
View attachment 1964
I have an infrared thermometer that I carry with me to check tire temps and bearing temps when I stop.
I keep 2 extra drums, grease, gearings and the tools to do a swap it it happens while out and about. After the one pictured I was back on the road in 30 minutes. I got another 350 miles out it. To the campsite and home a week later.
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Why replace that spindle, nothing wrong with it! :cool:
 
Wayne said:
Why replace that spindle, nothing wrong with it! :cool:
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Lol. When I saw it i was like...f....... I was 300 miles from home. I cleaned it up, put the new parts on, finished the trip and got it home 5 or 6 days later.
 
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