Blowing the tires

[BoarX]

Hello all,

Our T28 came in 2018 on a Venture trailer with a set of new Husky Gallant 175/80R-13; I suppose this was the standard size. Didn't do much travelling until last year. And last year on a return from trip from ~400miles away we blew one. Today with very little travel this year we blew yet another one. On both occasions the speed was within 55-60 mph - nothing extraordinary. On both occasions the failure was rather fast, not the real explosion of course, but I would say in lees that 30 seconds. Only suspicion I can come up with is the air temperature which on both occasions was in mid eighties. Which tires is everyone using? Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance,
Lucy, Alex

[Ron]

Alex -

I've had several tires go, years ago, when I was moving the boat between NJ and FL. The trailer had drum brakes back then, and the problem was definitely caused by over-heated brakes. Launching and retrieval in salt water was the real problem. Nearly impossible to flush out all of the salt water. Installing 4 wheel disc brakes was the fix. Does your trailer still have the drums. Get one of those laser based temperature gauges and measure the actual temperature of the drums (or rotors) after driving for a half-hour or so. I recall mine were up to around 400 degrees at times (before the fix). I even carried a big spray bottle filled with water to help cool them down.

Another possible problem - the surge brake activator on the hitch. Corrosion could easily get this to stick with the calipers or shoes partially applied to the discs or drums and over-heating them. Had this problem as well.

[BoarX]

Thanks Ron!

Yes, our brakes are still drums, but I have thoroughly overhauled them and I haven't been is salt water ever since. The previous owner, who was really friendly and shared a lot of his experiences, warned me about brakes getting seized after the winter storage on land - but it never happened to me. I routinely check drums and bearings temperatures while on the way - just by hand, but I would have noticed 400 deg! The pressure is always correct throughout. Tires though felt really hot to touch during the recent blow-up event. Strangely, one of them was noticeably hotter than the others - and that was not the one that blew. This despite all the tires being exactly the same type and age. They felt just lukewarm after two hour drive this spring in moderate temperatures. Quick Google search shows that RV people are often suffering from blowouts at high air temperatures. It is reported that tires can safely heat up to 156F, but not more. Age is also a problem since "new" discounted tires may only appear new. Also, checking the load rating on my current tires installed by a "pro" trailer shop just before purchasing the boat, it appears that they are overloaded. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised after all. Live and learn.

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable season!
Best,
Alex

[Ron]

Alex -

You should check for possible corrosion (or other problems) on the moving parts even with fresh water. This includes the wheel cylinders, linkage, hydraulic lines, and the surge brake actuator on the tongue. If anything is sticking a drop it could cause the brakes to drag which will cause heat which will damage the tires. This applies to any kind of braking system - drums, discs or ??. I usually lubricate these parts every 2-3 years or so. Same for the wheel bearings. Lift the trailer and see how easy the wheels turn. You want to avoid heating up the axles and wheels.

Does the trailer still have brakes on only one axle? This could be part of the problem as well. The 2 wheel brakes are overloaded.

[BoarX]

Thanks again Ron, but I have installed a new brake actuator this year, replaced leaking wheel cylinders, adjusted the brake pads and bled all the brakes. Checked all bearings, replaced a couple of suspicious seals and fully load the bearings with new marine grease. This of course doesn't fully guarantee that some brake was not grabbing, but I pretty much know the normal free run of the rig and it didn't noticeably change. And the blown tire hub was rotating freely during the wheel replacement process., no signs of overheating. And again, I did check the brake temperatures by hand after the recent blowout. So while I appreciate your input, all the evidence points at the overloaded and overheated tire.

Best,
Alex

[BoarX]

Hi Ron,

In the interest of further investigating this tire blowout phenomenon, as I understand, your tire problems either stopped and were noticeably reduced after you have switched to disk brakes, right? Now, did you change just the brakes from drums to disks or you have replaced the axles as well? I have a suspicion that my rear axle might be out of alignment or even slightly bent. So far both my blowouts happened on that rear axle.

Thanks in advance,
Alex

[Ron]

Just the brakes. Discs and calipers bolted right on. And I wound up with 4 wheel brakes. No need to replace axles. This made a remarkable improvement in the brake system. With the standard 2 wheel drum setup, those 2 hubs got real hot at times.