Factory tires on Wilderness bad news

[SailorDon]

The original tires that came with my 2014 Wilderness travel trailer are marginal for use on this travel trailer.
The max. load range C barely makes the maximum loaded trailer weight.
Add the fact that the Wide Track axles are going to put more stress on the tire sidewalls when making sharp turns into campsites, etc. and you have a recipe for premature tire failure.
5 years and 5,000 miles and one of the Trailer King tires blew out at 60 mph without warning.
Using the spare tire, I was able to make it to my camping destination about 150 miles away. The next morning I went to the local tire store and bought a "proper" replacement tire with Load Range D.
I was lucky I got home without another blowout. When I removed the 4 road wheels, one of them was showing the tread wear pattern of separated belts.
All the "wimpy" Trailer King tires are now in the trash (including the spare tire with only 200 miles on it).
Replaced with Zeemax. Load range D.

Interesting to note that Trailer King is one of the trailer tire brands sold by WalMart.
What do you expect from a $60 trailer tire?

Heartland is pocketing the difference in price. (About $30 per tire.)
It gives the Heartland customer an added thrill to the ride, as in you wonder if the stock tire is going to blow out on this trip.

 

[Mark-Roberta 051995]

First off I would like to say that I am glad your safe and you have fresh tires. Now - just an observation from your post.

You have had these tires for 5 years - it has nothing to do with mileage at this point - they are old old old.

Rating was marginal I am sure and glad you upgraded but did I mention your tires were old.

Mark

 

[G_S]

The tires on our Landmark are 5 ply and meet the minimum legal requirement for our rig. My unit is two years old in June and we are setting out on an 11 state trip. I will be replacing them next year with 10 ply tires.


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[danemayer]

The tires on our Landmark are 5 ply and meet the minimum legal requirement for our rig. My unit is two years old in June and we are setting out on an 11 state trip. I will be replacing them next year with 10 ply tires.


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A G rated tire like a Goodyear G614 is 14 ply equivalent, rated for 3750 lbs each. Your Landmark 365 probably has H rated tires like Goodyear G114 that are 16 ply equivalent, rated for 4805 lbs each.

A 10 ply equivalent would be a Load Range E tire which would not be suitable for any Landmark.

 

[G_S]

A G rated tire like a Goodyear G614 is 14 ply equivalent, rated for 3750 lbs each. Your Landmark 365 probably has H rated tires like Goodyear G114 that are 16 ply equivalent, rated for 4805 lbs each.

A 10 ply equivalent would be a Load Range E tire which would not be suitable for any Landmark.

No our factory installed tires are only 5 ply and I questioned the factory about it.



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[danemayer]

No our factory installed tires are only 5 ply and I questioned the factory about it.



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What brand name and model # is stamped into the rubber on the sidewall of the tire?

 

[jnbhobe]

No our factory installed tires are only 5 ply and I questioned the factory about it.



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No Way !!!! Possible

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[PondSkum]

As mentioned above already, 5 years is an awesome lifetime for a trailer tire. Just be glad you didn't have TowMax tires... those wouldn't have lasted 2 years. Trailer tires see a lot of abnormal forces during turns and carry a lot of weight. I've been told to be prepared to buy tires about every 3 years, to avoid the disaster of a blowout. I learned about TowMax tires the hard way..

 

[kowAlski631]

No our factory installed tires are only 5 ply and I questioned the factory about it.



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5 ply tires are automobile tires.

 

[danemayer]

Here's an explanation of tire ply ratings.

 

[RickL]

Not sure where the OP is reading his tires are 5 ply. There is no such rating to the best of my knowledge. Tires are graded in SL, B, C, D, E, etc. If the OP is reading to sidewall and adding up the plys then I could see his confusion.

Keep in in mind that I can build a tire with 2 plys that has the same strength as a 8 ply rated tire. Think of it in this term what is stronger 2 30lb fish lines or 6 10lb lines together. Same applies to tires when it comes to tires.

Heat is the number one enemy of any tire. If I build a tire with a single ply or 2 plys I will generate less heat then if I had an actual 6 ply or 8 ply tire. The single or 2 ply tire will run cooler and will be able to disparate the heat better. The heavier ply tire will retain the heat much longer and be hotter running all things being equal.

The down side of the lighter ply is it is more suspecible to injuries or punctures.

Lastly, there are differences in a passenger tire, a LT tire, and a trailer tire. It is in the construction, tread elements, and compounding. The tire on the Landmark is a true medium commercial tire. It has a steel body and is used on lowboy trailers or other trailers that need the carrying capacity without the height of some of the other medium commercial tires.

 

[SailorDon]

Not sure where the OP is reading his tires are 5 ply. There is no such rating to the best of my knowledge. Tires are graded in SL, B, C, D, E, etc. If the OP is reading to sidewall and adding up the plys then I could see his confusion.

RickL:
Where did the OP state that the tires were 5 ply?
Maybe you are confusing my post with some other reply.
Anyhow, thanks for your information on plys.
.

 

[danemayer]

RickL:
Where did the OP state that the tires were 5 ply?
Maybe you are confusing my post with some other reply.
Anyhow, thanks for your information on plys.
.

SailorDon,

G_S took the thread sideways by saying his Landmark tires are 5 ply. Most of the responses are addressing those posts.

 

[mlpeloquin]

As stated in a previous post, five years is the maximum usage life of a trailer tire. Not tread or millage. If they have reached five years, that is the manufacturing date on the sidewall of the tire, then they need to be replace not driven on.

 

[SailorDon]

If the OP is reading to sidewall and adding up the plys then I could see his confusion.

danemayer:
Thank you for explaining RickL's confusion on who posted the 5-ply rating issue.

Question:
Since the age of a travel trailer tire is so critical, should travel trailer tires be stamped with an expiry date?
Like hamburger meat at the supermarket?
How do I know how long the tire dealer has had the new tire on the shelf?
Or how long the tire distributor had the tire in stock in his warehouse?
Or does the life of the travel trailer tire start when the rubber first meets the road?
.

 

[danemayer]

danemayer:
Thank you for explaining RickL's confusion on who posted the 5-ply rating issue.

Question:
Since the age of a travel trailer tire is so critical, should travel trailer tires be stamped with an expiry date?
Like hamburger meat at the supermarket?
How do I know how long the tire dealer has had the new tire on the shelf?
Or how long the tire distributor had the tire in stock in his warehouse?
Or does the life of the travel trailer tire start when the rubber first meets the road?
.

The manufacture date of the tire is the start date and it's stamped on the sidewall as part of the DOT code number.
There's an explanation with pictures at this link.

There's no agreement on when a tire reaches end of life. From what I've read, a lot has to do with exposure to direct sun, internal temperature when rolling down the road, and perhaps other factors. The rubber oxidizes over time and heat damage is cumulative.

My personal experience with Goodyear G614 tires is that 4 years is a good time to retire them. Although they're very good tires, more than a handful of us on this forum have had failures at about the 4 year mark.

I now have Goodyear G114 tires that will be 4 years old in September. I have lots of tread and I guess I'll have to decide whether I want to take the risk of keeping them longer.

 

[SailorDon]

If they have reached five years, that is the manufacturing date on the sidewall of the tire, then they need to be replace not driven on.

I have brand new (never been on the road) Gold Crown and Zeemax tires on my travel trailer.
Just purchased them yesterday.
The dealer put the tires on the wheels.
I put the wheels on my travel trailer in the RV shed.
[There is no manufacturing date on the sidewall of any of the tires.] see update
There is an inked on QC inspector's stamp. No date on stamp.

I will assume the date of manufacture of the tires is the date of purchase since there is no other documentation or marks to verify.
I will assume the tires were not in storage on the shelf for 2 years before the dealer sold them to me.
.
UPDATE
I found the date code.
4717. That should decode to the 47th week of 2017
I guess I'm good for 4 more years on tires.

UPDATE #2
I had a file photo that showed the date code on one of the original Trailer King tires from Heartland.
On my 2014 Wilderness, the tire date code was 3812.
The tire was already 1½ years old when I bought the travel trailer!
.
Thanks to all of you who helped me through these trying tire times. I've learned a lot.
.

 

[RickL]

Replacement times on tires are a personal decision. Myself, I look at tread depth, sidewall deterioration, channel cracking, and any cuts, snags or abrasions that MAY impact the tires ability to perform. There isn’t a single manufacturer that I’m aware of that puts a definitive replacement date.

It’s not uncommon that trailer manufacturers buy bulk tire/wheel assemblies so it is possible to see tires 2 years old prior to its first purchase. I spent 35+ years in the tire industry and have seen tires that look great that are 8-10 years old. Would I run them, the answer is no. If they are 6-7 years old and have little to no channel cracking or sidewall deterioration yes I would.

The key in my opinion, is performing a visual inspection and with pressure checks. Most tire failures are a result of improper inflation. Almost always a tire failure is the result of an outside influence not of the tire itself.