Replace them with Goodyear or Carlisle tires and under no circumstances buy any Chinesium brand.

Second get the bearings greased.

Thirdly get one of these. It makes changing a tire on a tandem trailer a breeze. I’ve used them multiple times.

https://www.amazon.com/Trailer...CHN5-&hvexpln=0&th=1

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Replace them with Goodyear or Carlisle tires and under no circumstances buy any Chinesium brand.

Second get the bearings greased.

Thirdly get one of these. It makes changing a tire on a tandem trailer a breeze

I'll look into getting either Goodyear or Carlisle, any brand names to avoid that are from the CHICOMS? I have a single axle trailer and the jack i use for my truck i can use on the trailer. I had the bearings greased back in November so Im good there.

Having first hand experience with blowouts on a trailer, I carry 2 extra Endurance tires mounted on the aluminum rim- same as the trailer. I carry a Safejack to lift the trailer and I carry a Viair air compressor. Changing out a tire on a trailer on the side of the interstate sucks! But changing out a tire and discovering that the air is too low to travel on doubly sucks… I replace our tires about every 5 years even if they appear OK. Again, blowouts suck and a blown trailer tire can tear up your trailer as it flaps around.

quote:

I had the bearings greased back in November so Im good there.

Its May. And in theory you are headed off on a long trip. Time to do it again. Do you have grease fittings, time for a little grease. If not fittings time to have someone regrease them.
Tips for a safe journey.
Recent bearing and electric brake service (if equiped).
Workable spare or better yet spares. or at least the correct tire even if not mounted.
Tools for a quick tire change (including a battery impact gun, jack or alternative, torque wrench and a spare lug nut or two).
Complete hub assembly and bearings ready to go. Parts in the hinterlands will be hard, but anyone can change a hub.
After that be happy. you won't have an issue due to preparation.

Have a full size spare for your tow vehicle as well.

I’m in Corbin, TN half way to our house in MI atm trying to figure out what to do about the tire I plugged last night after it was punctured by a piece of bone in Atlanta yesterday. The bone went in vertically (perpendicularly to the tread) into the sidewall right next to the tread on the inside. I had to use the vehicle’s jack to remove the tire to get at the puncture.

The patch kit, Viair compressor, torque wrench, 22mm socket, and breaker bar I carry all did their jobs just fine. No need for a battery operated impact wrench which might have saved two minutes.

I’m also glad I had the TPMS sensor on that tire replaced Wednesday morning when I had the tires rotated and balanced. I was able to pull off I-75 and fix it in a YMCA parking lot in some Richie Rich neighborhood before a blowout. I check the tire pressures every morning when traveling and once during the day, but I would not have caught this before the tire blew out.

I’m wishing I had a full size spare because I have 700 miles to go.

quote:

I’m in Corbin, TN ...

I think you mean Corbin, KY.

It was past midnight when we got here and it’s just over the line. But yes, KY. We got on I-75 at exit 25, the low tire warning came on, and I’m at the WalMart at exit 29 waiting to get a new tire. Tire had the same 40psi this morning before we left the motel that I put in it yesterday, but had 25psi at WalMart.

We actually pulled the tire again on the side of I-75. I spit on the plug and it was leaking. I tried shoving another one in next to it, but decided to suck it up and get a new tire. The old one was new last year, doesn’t even have 2/32s of wear, and I have the road hazard, but there’s no Sam’s Club nearby that has the size in stock. I think we can still make it to the house in MI today.

One more point to ad to the thread, don’t plan on having cell phone service where ever you have a blowout. I had one on our travel trailer on US-2 in the UP. The travel trailer was new and came with roadside assistance which came in handy with the first blowout in Dayton, OH. By the time the guy got there, I had been to Harbor Freight and purchase the tools I needed to change the tire.

I thought I had the tools, but the lugnut holding the spare onto the spare carrier were a different size. I mean seriously, WTF? Those tools came in handy with our second blowout on US-2 in the UP. No cell phone reception, no calling for roadside assistance. When we got back to the LP, I the rest of the tires with Carlisles.

I could break out a half dozen more trailer flat tire stories, but in summary:

Good air compressor that connect to the battery. The cigarette lighter ones take a long time.

Good plug kit

A pliers or something to pull whatever put the hole in the tire. My Knipex just crushed the piece on bone yesterday, so I used my Fallkniven S1 to finagle the bone out of the tire.

Breaker bar

Sockets, deep sockets get you a little more room and you may not need an extension.

Jack

Something to put under the jack if you are on a soft surface.
Wheel chocks, you don’t want the trailer moving while it’s jacked up.
Hand cleaner and rags.

Spare tire and wheel.

People have mentioned wheel bearings and a hub. It’s not a bad idea, but I have yet to have a bearing failure. If you do decide to carry a spare, the 12” Knipex smooth jaw pliers come in handy to take the nut off and a couple spare cotter pins would be good. The 10” one might open wide enough as well.

Be careful if your axels have zerk fittings for greasing. Spin the wheel while off the ground and grease very very slowly. Otherwise, you may blow the seal out on the back side of the hub with the hydraulic pressure. Another lesson I learned…

Two new tires
One spare on a rim
One spare w/o a rim
Compressor
Grease bearings,
Spare bearing
Jack
Wheel chock
Trailer hitch lock
Locks for bikes on the trailer

Cash :
3) 100's
3) 50's
6) 20's
5)10's
5) 50's
10) 2's for tips

Change them both, and carry a mounted spare as well as one of the takeoffs. You’ll be crossing through states with very few service areas per mile if you’re used to eastern population densities.

You might find a tire shop but they might not have that tire, replace the bad one as soon as possible with that old tire if need be.

If you are attached to a tool system consider bringing an impact wrench with you. It doesn’t have to be the biggest baddest one, but you’ll not be mad having it. Leave it in the packaging to return if your in that kinda situation.

We trailered our bikes from Chicago to ID, MT, WY and SD every year. We never had a problem because I did a couple of things. I replaced the tires every 3-4 years and had the bearings repacked at the same time. It’s cheap and way easier than having a problem in the middle of MT on US 200! The one thing I never managed to solve was trailer lights! Never got them to all work for more than 2 years in a row Haha.

quote:

Its May. And in theory you are headed off on a long trip. Time to do it again.

For real? Every seven months? I’m way behind on my grease monkeying.