I have the endurance as well. So far (1 year, 5,000 miles) so good. Carlisle sucked bad and the Maxxis were good until they weren't. They all went bad at 4 or 5 years old with good tread.onI hate to say it, but replacement every 4 years is probably the best course of action.
That is my impression as well.
Bearing in mind that I myself have not hauled a trailer in slmost 60 years, when my Dad put me to carrying limestone flats from the county work farm to build walls, I have been looking into the alternatives. Everybody here is more expert than me!
I did this month buy a used trailer that seems in decent shape for the price, so I’m putting my toe in the water. Clearly there are a few replacements needed, the first of which are all new tires.
It is a tandem aluminum 14’ cargo trailer (the body V front adds another couple of feet as does the A-frame) that I plan to use bringing furniiture and tools from my parents’ old house in Ohio to here in New Mexico, then for hauling the dogs around and later this summer for camping.
Hopefully, I can bring it to Armijo Springs in August.
There do not seem to be very informative manuals on trailers, and the best on maintenance seem to be the Airstream books. All of those say you cannot count on the tires you get on a used trailer, as they are all likely bad, especially if over five years old. Think of trailer tires as consumables that age out (or rot) far sooner than vehicle tires.
Frankly, with that in mind and replacing all five including the spare, I’m looking at price points and finding the best deals at Walmart and Costco, where one 205/75 15 in. can be found for around $45-55, plus mounting, some even with wheels (I don’t see the need for more wheels.)
Fresh tires I undestand, but the seller from whom I bought the trailer took it all over the country hauling his sidecar motorcycles for competition in events like the Pike’s Peak race. He used the off-brand tires like Carlisles and managed just fine.
I plan to switcch from bias tires to radials in buying new tires, since most trailer builders seem to use radials these days. For the above price range, I can get 6 or 8 ply radial tires, which for a light aluminum tandem cargo trailer (Featherlite at 1950 lbs. empty) should be fine.
What do you think?
