Troubleshooting Boat Trailer Tire Wear On the Outside of Tire

Published 04/09/2015

Question:

I have a 2012 Trailstar boat trailer. The tire on the left side is wearing badly on the outside. I have attached picture number one that is the tire that was on the left side of the trailer. I replaced it with the spare which was new and put the spare of the left side. You can see from the picture how the tire picture number 1 was worn when I took it off. Picture number 2 is the spare that I put on the left side. Even though I have pulled the trailer less than 900 miles since putting this tie on you can see that it is now developing the same wear pattern on the outside. At this rate I would need a new tire every 4 to 6 months. Picture number 3 is the original equipment tire on the right side. You can see that there is no unusual wear patterns on this tire. Someone said it is probably caused by low air pressure, however, after putting the spare on the right side I have made certain to keep the pressure at 50PSI. Can you help identify my problem?

asked by: Dan G

Expert Reply:

Most likely the outside edge of your trailer tire is wearing because of an issue you are having with the suspension of the trailer. Check the suspension for worn out components or holes that are egg-shaped instead of round where the suspension components come together.

Typically, when the outside edges of a tire are showing wear its because the tires are under-inflated. The solution is to inflate the tires to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall in this situation.

You may also consider taking the trailer to a shop that can align trailer axles to see what they think is going on.

expert reply by: Jameson C