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not sure but tongue weight could be a factor. do you know what it was?:action::waving:
not sure but tongue weight could be a factor. do you know what it was?:action::waving:
Pulling a trailer and tire problems
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I have a small commercially built car-top-carrier type trailer to pull behind my GL1800. I used it once a couple of years ago and during the trip my rear tire came apart. It started splitting in several locations. I always try to make sure I keep tires around 40 PSI. This tire had 8500 miles on it. I didn't think much about it. The tire was a stock Dunlop D250. I was riding 2-up.
This week, a friend borrowed my trailer for a trip. All was well until his return trip home, his rear tire split in several places and had to be replaced. He had 9000 miles on that tire on his GL1800. The tire was a Dunlop Elite III. He was riding 2-up.
Can a trailer put that much wear and tear on a rear tire? I see an awful lot of GL1800s pulling trailers and I can't imagine everyone is having tire issues. The trailer pulls great with no resistence and tongue weight was minimal.
Any thoughts come to mind why this could happen?
Thanks
Tom
I have a small commercially built car-top-carrier type trailer to pull behind my GL1800. I used it once a couple of years ago and during the trip my rear tire came apart. It started splitting in several locations. I always try to make sure I keep tires around 40 PSI. This tire had 8500 miles on it. I didn't think much about it. The tire was a stock Dunlop D250. I was riding 2-up.
This week, a friend borrowed my trailer for a trip. All was well until his return trip home, his rear tire split in several places and had to be replaced. He had 9000 miles on that tire on his GL1800. The tire was a Dunlop Elite III. He was riding 2-up.
Can a trailer put that much wear and tear on a rear tire? I see an awful lot of GL1800s pulling trailers and I can't imagine everyone is having tire issues. The trailer pulls great with no resistence and tongue weight was minimal.
Any thoughts come to mind why this could happen?
Thanks
Tom
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Not sure what Dave's was - when it happened to me it was around 15-20 pounds. I try to balance it out but leave enough weight to prevent swaying.
Not sure what Dave's was - when it happened to me it was around 15-20 pounds. I try to balance it out but leave enough weight to prevent swaying.
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that sounds ok, my buddy just put around 2500 miles on his with no prob???? i'm sure someone will have something for you:action::waving:
that sounds ok, my buddy just put around 2500 miles on his with no prob???? i'm sure someone will have something for you:action::waving:
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An important factor additionally to tire milage and wear, the tires should not be older than5 yrs old on a cruiser. I like to change mine at 4 yrs old. You can see when the tire was made by checking the D.O.T. date on the side of the tire. I have even seen tires dry rot before there time. There shouldn't be any cracking in the tire anywhere. I saw a guy tire that was only a few years old with hardly any miles on it and it was all cracked and rotted. He said he always parks it in a garage so it was not sun beaten. The only thing we could attribute it to was that it may have been defective.
An important factor additionally to tire milage and wear, the tires should not be older than5 yrs old on a cruiser. I like to change mine at 4 yrs old. You can see when the tire was made by checking the D.O.T. date on the side of the tire. I have even seen tires dry rot before there time. There shouldn't be any cracking in the tire anywhere. I saw a guy tire that was only a few years old with hardly any miles on it and it was all cracked and rotted. He said he always parks it in a garage so it was not sun beaten. The only thing we could attribute it to was that it may have been defective.
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what is the alignment like on the trailer tires.... out of alginment and you could have drag causing you to put more gas/power into the rear wheel
what is the alignment like on the trailer tires.... out of alginment and you could have drag causing you to put more gas/power into the rear wheel
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Sounds strange, I've built & modified 3 trailers & pulled them coast to coast with my 1200 & 1500, never had any type of trouble. It sounds like everything is good except possible the "condition" of the rear tires & "coincidence" ? Good luck :waving:
Sounds strange, I've built & modified 3 trailers & pulled them coast to coast with my 1200 & 1500, never had any type of trouble. It sounds like everything is good except possible the "condition" of the rear tires & "coincidence" ? Good luck :waving:
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If the trailer's tires were out of alignment, you would see evidence of tread wear on them. Running your hands over the trailer tire treads, can you feel any little knife edges?
On the bike tires that split, I would think it was a coincidence the trailer was on the bike. The mileages on the tires suggest to me they were going to go anyway - couple the miles on the tire along with the DOT manufacture date and you most likely have the answer.
My daughter is on a 5,000 mile round trip with my pickup and my big trailer (landscaping type). I've never had a tire problem on it except for nails & screws picked up down at the trash dumping ground.
I would not let her take it out of town without her stopping at my tire dealer to have it inspected. They called me and said "John, the DOT dates are more than 10 years old."
I thanked them and told them to make the trailer safe for her.
If the trailer's tires were out of alignment, you would see evidence of tread wear on them. Running your hands over the trailer tire treads, can you feel any little knife edges?
On the bike tires that split, I would think it was a coincidence the trailer was on the bike. The mileages on the tires suggest to me they were going to go anyway - couple the miles on the tire along with the DOT manufacture date and you most likely have the answer.
My daughter is on a 5,000 mile round trip with my pickup and my big trailer (landscaping type). I've never had a tire problem on it except for nails & screws picked up down at the trash dumping ground.
I would not let her take it out of town without her stopping at my tire dealer to have it inspected. They called me and said "John, the DOT dates are more than 10 years old."
I thanked them and told them to make the trailer safe for her.
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Just returned from 4,500 miles with home made trailer. No issues. Sounds like you had tire issues not trailer.
Just returned from 4,500 miles with home made trailer. No issues. Sounds like you had tire issues not trailer.
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i guess it is weigh related
i guess it is weigh related
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I haul a 500 pound trailer with a 50 pound tongue weight without problems. I have had two dunlops split on me also and will never run them again. Only my personal preference from experience gained. Is it the tire? Who knows. I just know I won't run on them ever again.
I haul a 500 pound trailer with a 50 pound tongue weight without problems. I have had two dunlops split on me also and will never run them again. Only my personal preference from experience gained. Is it the tire? Who knows. I just know I won't run on them ever again.
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What kind of tire are you running now?
Thanks for your reply !!!
What kind of tire are you running now?
Thanks for your reply !!!
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
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