ATTN: Tom Burwinkle and all racers . . .RE: tires

[Bill Huson]

After a long trip from TN to Wilson, NC Tom noticed one of his trailers had blistered. A fairly new tire.

Last night betwixt my various tasks at the airport I caught a break while waiting for a plane to arrive and saw a few clips on tire manufacture dates on 60 minutes (I think that was the show). Apparently the US is alone among nations with lots of vehicles by not having a *use by* date enforced on tires. The standard is about 6 or 7 years from manufacture and the tire is done, even if it has never left the sales rack! Tires age just sitting.

Not only should we check the manufacture date on our vehicle tires, but we should check the date code on our trailers. Anything over 6-7 years old and you may be looking at a tire that can self-destruct on the highway.

Date codes: Usually on what is the normal inside tire wall. Our US manufacturers don't make it easy. At the end of a string of DOT numbers there will be a code number. A 3 digit code is dangerous, means the tire was made in the '90s or even earlier. A 4 digit code sez the tire was made in the decade. First two digits are the week of the year (i.e. "24" is twenty-fourth week of the year. The last two digits are the (i.e. "06" would be 2006)

So check those tires! If you have a 3 digit code or a 4 digit code that ends in "00" or "01" or "02" think seriously about swapping them out for new ones. I have lost trailer tires and car tires at highway speeds and it wasn't much fun. Nationwide, tire failure at high speeds has caused many fatalities. Please take the time to check your tires, and remember, the best way to keep a good tire healthy is CHECK AIR PRESSURE!

[David_L6]

Good post!

Good information.

I don't think that I've ever worn out a set of trailer tires. I do change them every few years though. I'm going to go look at the dates on the tires on all my trailers today. Thanks for the reminder.

[burl11]

Good Info!

Bill,

Thanks for the information. I checked the tire that blistered and the manufacture date was 3806 (October 2006). In addition to the sizeable blister, the tread was getting ready to de-laminate in another spot on the tire. The tires have been run at recommended pressure, always checked before a trip. I suppose the tire could have had road hazard damage that was about to lead to self destruction.

A walk-around inspection at gas stops is also a good idea. If a flaw is spotted, it might help avert a blow out at speed, and on-the-road repair.

[Steve Warnock]

Great Information on Tires!

Carpetbagger!

Thanks, ever since I blew one of the original wide track tires and gone to a regular trailer tire, I have gone through ( I think 5 tires) in the last 4 years. I keep them balanced and at proper pressure, never thought about date codes.

Great information for trailers and cars/trucks in general!

Never to old to learn stuff!!

Warbs

[Bill Huson]

walk-around inspection . . .

Or as my Dad, US Navy pilot, called them - pre-flight inspection. Or as I taught my motorcycle wannbe riders - T-CLOCS - Tires & Wheels, Controls, Lights & Electrics, Oils & Fuel, Chassis, and Sidestand. Only a few of the former are applicable to trailers, but the idea of checking your junk before you hit the road is smart.

Partial list of flaws I've caught in a pre-flight(tow) inspection: Spring shackle bolt with a missing nut that had wiggled halfway out , tire with vaporized inner tread because the camber was out of whack, old rescue boat trailer with front spring shackles cracked and ready to let go, etc etc. And of course, lights, always a PITA on trailers. The Naughty Lady trailer is of course a wet launch rig, and before Wilson I replaced the lights for seventy-`leventh time. By the time the bulb craps out it is corroded into the socket. This time I gobbed up the lamps with marine contact grease and maybe, just maybe I'll be able to replace burned out bulbs.

How about brakes? The Naughty Lady is less than 2,000 lbs on the trailer. No brakes. My Parker 2310 walk around goes close to 6,000 lbs on the trailer with a full tank (150 gal) and the trailer has brakes. The Parker stops easier than the Naughty Lady! I'm becoming a fan of trailer brakes, even on fairly light tows.

[oldracer]

Trailer Check

Bill- How would LED trailer lights work for you? Yeh, changing light bulbs and having some corroded in the sockets is a pain as is disconnecting the lights when launching.
Ye Olde Desert Geezer Al

[Bill Huson]

LED lights rock!

The Road King for my Parker has LED lights - bulletproof. The Naughty Lady trailer has an LED over 80" light, but the rest are bulbs. It's an `83 trailer soon to be doomed by rust so I figure another few years and it will be a goner. I can net crabs off the dock pilings at my usual launch sites here in East BugSplat, NC which means salty water. Rust NEVER sleeps

One more tire thang. As your racing stable grows, boats , engines, tools, you should check the load limit rating of your tires. Many moons ago the Region 4 rescue boat returned from a loaner trip to Florida with toasted tires. Of course the hull was a sweet place to load up up race committee gear, and I quickly calculated that the GVW was well over the load limit of the weenie 13" tires. We switched to 14" tires and no more problems.

[RichardKCMo]

Wow!!!

After a long trip from TN to Wilson, NC Tom noticed one of his trailers had blistered. A fairly new tire.

Last night betwixt my various tasks at the airport I caught a break while waiting for a plane to arrive and saw a few clips on tire manufacture dates on 60 minutes (I think that was the show). Apparently the US is alone among nations with lots of vehicles by not having a *use by* date enforced on tires. The standard is about 6 or 7 years from manufacture and the tire is done, even if it has never left the sales rack! Tires age just sitting.

Not only should we check the manufacture date on our vehicle tires, but we should check the date code on our trailers. Anything over 6-7 years old and you may be looking at a tire that can self-destruct on the highway.

Date codes: Usually on what is the normal inside tire wall. Our US manufacturers don't make it easy. At the end of a string of DOT numbers there will be a code number. A 3 digit code is dangerous, means the tire was made in the '90s or even earlier. A 4 digit code sez the tire was made in the decade. First two digits are the week of the year (i.e. "24" is twenty-fourth week of the year. The last two digits are the (i.e. "06" would be 2006)

So check those tires! If you have a 3 digit code or a 4 digit code that ends in "00" or "01" or "02" think seriously about swapping them out for new ones. I have lost trailer tires and car tires at highway speeds and it wasn't much fun. Nationwide, tire failure at high speeds has caused many fatalities. Please take the time to check your tires, and remember, the best way to keep a good tire healthy is CHECK AIR PRESSURE!

Wonder if that's how Henry and Harveys offspring explaned that to the FORD EXPLODER OWNERS that rolled over, sounds good to me.
RichardKCMo

[RichardKCMo]

So Rite Bill!!!

Or as my Dad, US Navy pilot, called them - pre-flight inspection. Or as I taught my motorcycle wannbe riders - T-CLOCS - Tires & Wheels, Controls, Lights & Electrics, Oils & Fuel, Chassis, and Sidestand. Only a few of the former are applicable to trailers, but the idea of checking your junk before you hit the road is smart.

Partial list of flaws I've caught in a pre-flight(tow) inspection: Spring shackle bolt with a missing nut that had wiggled halfway out , tire with vaporized inner tread because the camber was out of whack, old rescue boat trailer with front spring shackles cracked and ready to let go, etc etc. And of course, lights, always a PITA on trailers. The Naughty Lady trailer is of course a wet launch rig, and before Wilson I replaced the lights for seventy-`leventh time. By the time the bulb craps out it is corroded into the socket. This time I gobbed up the lamps with marine contact grease and maybe, just maybe I'll be able to replace burned out bulbs.

How about brakes? The Naughty Lady is less than 2,000 lbs on the trailer. No brakes. My Parker 2310 walk around goes close to 6,000 lbs on the trailer with a full tank (150 gal) and the trailer has brakes. The Parker stops easier than the Naughty Lady! I'm becoming a fan of trailer brakes, even on fairly light tows.

I'm reading backwards!!!
RichardKCMo

[Bill Huson]

Ford Exploders . . .

Wonder if that's how Henry and Harveys offspring explaned that to the FORD EXPLODER OWNERS that rolled over, sounds good to me.
RichardKCMo

I seem to recall the Exploder tire probs were a combination of screw ups. Yes, the tires weren't quite up to spec. Careless manufacturing. And of course the Ford had problems as well - oh, what a surprise! FMC advised the dealers and customers to set their tire pressure down - below normal light truck PSI - in an effort to *cure* a handling problem. Low PSI - slightly wonky tires - KABLAM!

I wonder which cost Ford more - the Exploder tire fiasco, or the time when FMC cheaped out and saved 17 cents on wiring and created the notorious Pinto Bomb. Ford - the Better Idea company! Reserve your burial plot now!