Manager Forum

Here is the situation. In our lawncare biz, one of the dozen trailers is a 2009 Mustang 20 foot tandem axle trailer. The trailer bed has 2 ramps with a Gorilla Lift at the rear and 18 inch sides. When going out for the day, it carries 3 ExMark or Walker mowers as well as 3 blowers, 2 push mowers and 3 weed eaters and supplies. I do not know what the combines weight of the trailer and its load is. The issue is that we seem to be replacing tires every year as well as brakes. Now the tires currently in use are Carlisle Radial Trail HD inflated to 80psi. We rotate them once a year. Connected to the same truck every year, the trailer gets about 7,000 miles per year. I say, we are doing something wrong. But, what is it? Talk to me guys!! Are we overloaded? Should we be using different brand of tires?

How much tight turning do they do? We see a lot of these that the guys are turning sharp all the time and scrubbing ties off. Also I would have the alignment of the trailer done to make sure the axles are running straight. I did that with my personal trailer and what a difference on tire wear!

With the trailers as long as they are (up to 30') turning is a constant issue. That being said, I can easily understand the short turning could easily be the cause of premature tire wear for us. In theory then, tire rotation should help us, or not? What about going to a tire with more plies?

One thing you didn't mention is the type of wear. Are they wearing on the edges? center? even?

Changing plys won't help. A different brand may have a harder compound.

Rotations can help if one set wears faster than the other, but if the life is only 7000 miles, I'd rotate every 1000 (if wearing unevenly).

Like Ric said, and I did forget to ask what kind of wear. That will tell a difference. I have a lawn guy here with an enclosed and he has 2 mowers in it, usually we can get 2 years out of his tires, and we dont rotate them, just had it aligned. You should be good with the 10 or 12 ply tire

For the most part, the wear on the tires is pretty much even across the board.

To me it sounds like they are getting scrubbed off if its across the tire like that. If you are running 10 ply you could go up to 12 or 14 too, but I think they will still scrub off. Just my non professional opinion here.