Protecting Trailer tires

I have 2 trailers, one that gets used with some regularity and another that sits most of the time. Does anyone have a good way of protecting the tires from sun cracks? I had one set of tires go bad and the tread was practically new. Thanks for your thoughts.

try putting on tire protecting liquid and cover them with the uv resistant covers and lift them off the ground

Dennis wrote:try putting on tire protecting liquid and cover them with the uv resistant covers and lift them off the ground

like he said above, keep them clean and spray with tire protector i use the cheap silver tarps and back up on to a junk piece of plywood to keep it off of the ground ,

Dennis wrote:try putting on tire protecting liquid and cover them with the uv resistant covers and lift them off the ground

... supporting the trailer on jack stands or blocks so that the axles hang free of the weight of the trailer. This will help keep the springs in top shape as well. Before you cover the tires, drop the air pressure down.

Thanks guys, why do you drop the air pressure down?

NWBuilder wrote:Thanks guys, why do you drop the air pressure down?

There's a couple of reasons but mainly, I had an old boss (very smart dairy farmer, one of my lifetime mentors) that was an antique car owner and that's what he said was the right thing to do. Lower pressure puts less stress on the carcass of the tire which should keep the cords in better shape over a long period of time.

Another reason is air contains a good deal of oxygen. Oxygen can affect a rim bead contact point on the trailer tire or any tire rim. That is why nitrogen is such a popular newfangled way to fill tires. No oxygen no oxidation. I've seen it more on the aluminum alloy rims then I have steel rims but they rust just the same. On the aluminum rims you get a white powdery deposit right at the bead seal. That weak seal caused by the powder (oxidized aluminum) allows the air to leak out. All of this applies to the rubber stems too, same principles.

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:

NWBuilder wrote:Thanks guys, why do you drop the air pressure down?

There's a couple of reasons but mainly, I had an old boss (very smart dairy farmer, one of my lifetime mentors) that was an antique car owner and that's what he said was the right thing to do. Lower pressure puts less stress on the carcass of the tire which should keep the cords in better shape over a long period of time.

Another reason is air contains a good deal of oxygen. Oxygen can affect a rim bead contact point on the trailer tire or any tire rim. That is why nitrogen is such a popular newfangled way to fill tires. No oxygen no oxidation. I've seen it more on the aluminum alloy rims then I have steel rims but they rust just the same. On the aluminum rims you get a white powdery deposit right at the bead seal. That weak seal caused by the powder (oxidized aluminum) allows the air to leak out. All of this applies to the rubber stems too, same principles.

Thanks, so drop it down a little or cut it in half? How much do you actually take out? Thanks.

I don't know if there's a rule for this other than a rule of thumb. When I've done it, I've held just south of 20 psi..

I don't know if there's much of a return from airing down if you only store for a few months. I'd imagine there's more of a return for long term storage but short term returns on tire life add up given how expensive tires have become. The fellow I learned this from had a collection of antique cars, JD and Farmall tractors. Nothing I have sits around that long.

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:I don't know if there's a rule for this other than a rule of thumb. When I've done it, I've held just south of 20 psi..

I don't know if there's much of a return from airing down if you only store for a few months. I'd imagine there's more of a return for long term storage but short term returns on tire life add up given how expensive tires have become. The fellow I learned this from had a collection of antique cars, JD and Farmall tractors. Nothing I have sits around that long.

One of my trailers is a construction job trailer. It gets moved from job to job so it does move several times a year. The other is a small flat bed that gets moved maybe quarterly. Adding and subtracting air is no big deal as the compressor is right in the garage but maybe I will let the construction trailer be and just adjust the other one. Thanks for your input. Ken

I'd becareful with the tire spray.

I have a RV, travel trailer, and I read once that those tire sprays are not the best thing for tires that just sit there such as travel trailers, campers, boats, etc... Over time it will increase tire cracks.

I bought a nice set of tire covers on Ebay and faithfully put them on all the time.

I put trash bags over the wheels of trailers I have that don't get much use. I have a 10 year old travel trailer that is on a seasonal
site. I replace the bags every couple of years. Tires look new, no cracks or warping of any kind.

Yeah I steer clear of any sprays or magic in a can for tires - they end up pulling the oils out of the tire and accelerating the decay process. That's what I was told back in the day by a Dunlop rep.

I try to park the trailer as much in the shade as possible. Black trash bags are a good idea too. I don't do anything with mine as far as covers or pressure. Main thing is to keep the sun off them. Sun & heat are rubber killers. If your ever in Phoenix, check out weatherstripping on a 30 year old car. It won't be there.

If it's going to be sitting a few years, then jack it up off the ground. If just for a few months, don't worry about it. Tires today have pretty strong construction inside. Takes alot to change their shape.

This liquid crap they are putting on the roads to melt ice is hell on tires. I'd suggest washing them & keeping the sun off them. I'm not big on spray on stuff. I do use nitrogen in my tires. It's nice to only check pressure twice a year...and often not have to add!

I don't buy into the nitrogen hype either. It's great in that it's unaffected by temperature (same reason it's used in motorcycle suspension, namely rear shocks), but to me the extra cost to have it in a tire that's leak prone by nature is not worth it.

Just my .02 ...

The air we breathe and pump into our tires is 78% nitrogen. When you mount a tire it contains this same air at about 14 psi (atmospheric pressure). The "industrial nitrogen" pumped into the tire is actually 85-90% nitrogen. So I don't see how the usual nitrogen fill on our tires can make much of a difference.
I agree with Smitty, it's not worth it.