thirdchildhood

iTrader: (6)

My first set that came from the factory all failed with the wires coming through and the tires going flat. I replaced them with bigger and higher load range Marathons a few years ago. Today a tire failed with the wires all coming out. No indications that the tire went flat and was driven flat and it looks like it just failed. I'm putting passenger car tires on the trailer this time with higher yet load ratings. Stay away from the Marathons!

bajaholic

ALL Boat trailer tires will fail, long before they wear out from wear. It does not matter what brand you go with. Passenger tires WILL NOT LAST any better and will make for terrible trailer-ing handling. (Unless you have a really small, light boat)

I have a theory(s) why boat trailer tires seem to fail prematurely (which are the exact same tires used on car/utility trailer tires) is because:

A) You run them down the highway, heat them up to maximum temperature then splash them into cold water, thus basically heat treating the sidewall and making them brittle.
B) You are always "sliding the tire" when making tight turns, thus putting additional stress onto the tire. Especially if you have 3 axles.
C) Most people store their boats on a trailer for long periods of time and never move them around, thus putting a "flat spot" in the tire.
D) Leave the trailer in the elements and they basically dry rot sitting there.
E) last bit not least, Running pressure on tire.... You want them to ALWAYS run at the maximum pressure, which if empty will give a harsh ride and people think by running them light is good. NOT!!!

Bottom line, run trailer tires on your boat trailer. If possible, go to a size bigger than you need and continue routine maintenance. But be aware, again, they will age out in time long before they wear out in road use.

However everything has an exception, "Firestone Transforce HT" tires are great tires, but it will depend on what size and application (16" or 17") weather this is an application that will work for your trailer? They are pricey! But again, you will still see diminished life compared to running it on a regular vehicle.

Baja Rooster

iTrader: (1)

I’ve had decent luck with the Hercules radials. The radials are definitely a bit more squishy than the bias ply tires.

thirdchildhood

iTrader: (6)

I've never had car tires fail like this. I can get car tires with higher load ratings cheaper than I paid for these Marathons. Now I can't trust the other 3 because that's how the first set went, one after another.

thirdchildhood

iTrader: (6)

I was looking at these tires and thinking they were car tires but I think the "ST" means "Special Trailer". Any opinions on these tires? They have fairly high load ratings and the price is good.

underpsi68

I've had good luck with Maxxis trailer tires.

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

The most important thing about trailer tires is how you treat them. Any of them will fail with improper treatment.
Air pressure, obvious.
Monitor for temperature when towing. Take temps every stop. Is one axle's tires hotter than another? Too much weight.
Parking on dirt grass is HORRIBLE for tires. Concrete, pavement, shingles over wood, teflon sheets over wood, plastic roofing panels, gravel, in that order are IME the best options for parking trailer tires.
AND you have to cover them from UV rays, including the spare tire. I recommend the foil covers from Amfor sold on Amazon. I have dozens of them.

This kind of crap is "not in the manual", but you learn it over time.

And IRT to the OP...
The best thing you can do at this point is upgrade to 15" wheels and tires. AND go to a D or E load rated tire. Both Maxxis ST tires and Rainer ST tires have been GREAT for me for the past few years on my trailers. They can both be bought in D & E load ranges in 14" and 15" respectively. And I am running Goodyear Endurance tires on my big toy hauler now.

https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-...t-radial-m8008

https://www.tredittire.com/tire/rainier-st/

blownhammer2000

iTrader: (1)

The Goodyear endurance that replaced the marathons seam to be pretty popular and the feedback has been very positive, you can get d range in a 14" wheel

thirdchildhood

iTrader: (6)

I appreciate all of the replies. My boat is always stored indoors on concrete and the trailer sees well under 1,000 miles per year. It does sit all winter but so do 3 cars and those tires have never failed because of it. Two votes for Maxxis so I am looking at those. Not going to buy new wheels at this time as the 14" wheels are nice aluminum wheels. The same size Maxxis as the Taskmaster that I posted are load range D and are quite a bit more money at close to $100 mounted and balanced and old tires disposed. I have to think about this because the Taskmasters are $236 out the door for 4 and the Maxxis would be $400 and will they both last the same length of time? Time flies and the new Marathons have been on for 8 seasons so about 8,000 miles. I still don't know why they should have catastrophic failure like they do. My boat isn't that heavy and the bigger tires do not flex going down the road like the smaller original tires did.

speicher lane

8 seasons even just sitting is a long time, and yes your tread will be great with that little miles but the tires are spent - face it, nothing is the same quality it was 20+ years ago including the quality of rubber. A neighbor put all new tires on his cat backhoe and they severely checked in 14 months (private hoe/ shop stored on conveyor belts, not commercially worked).....

park the trailer up on a plank or ??? just to make a barrier between the concrete and the rubber. I know quite a few people that change their tires out every other year just to take the "what if's" out of play and leave them on the side of the road with cars screaming by