It's tire time for tow dolly - thoughts?

Upinsmoke · 03-19-2021, 03:01 PM

Hi all, I've decided that peace of mind is worth a couple of hundred bucks. My tow dolly has about 22k miles on it and they are 5 1/2 years old per the stamp on the sidewall.

They are ST205 75R14 6 ply rating (not actually 6 ply), load range C 1760@ 50psi and speed rating of L. I need to keep the size the same because of the trailer wheel well but would like to take the load rating to D.

Any thoughts or knowledge/experience on the matter? Goodyear was about the only name brand tire I could find with these parameters.

Any help would be appreciated.
Rick

emiddleb · 03-19-2021, 03:27 PM

I have a slightly different tire size on my dolly (ST215/75 R14) but on my last dolly tire change I went from Cs to Ds without noticing any difference other than some peace of mind. I had a blowout that was more due to road debris than anything else but took it as an opportunity to upgrade. They are the Goodyear Endurance tires. Very happy with them so far after 4 years of mild usage.

Reniram · 03-19-2021, 05:44 PM

Quote:

They are the Goodyear Endurance tires. Very happy with them so far after 4 years of mild usage.

Very pleased with these on my motorcycle trailer...

Upinsmoke · 03-20-2021, 02:01 AM

Thanks, I saw them but nice to know you both have had success with them.

emiddleb · 03-20-2021, 06:57 AM

Yes, the Goodyears are working well for me. IMHO, dolly tires are one of the few spots I consider a critical point-of-failure. Those two small tires are carrying the weight of the dolly and the front of the towed, and those little guys have to work hard to keep up with the large 19.5 or 22.5 RV tires (think of a little dog behind a bike) at highway speeds. I have them monitored by my TPMS along with the RV tires. I think you are on the right track looking to upgrade the load rating.

danhannah · 03-21-2021, 01:28 AM

I went to America's Tire, also known by Discount Tire and other names in other states. The warranty is honored at a lot of locations.

I needed the same size as you, selected the load range C, basically a factory type replacement. Cost was about $225 down the road. The tech said that trailer tires should be changed every 3 years instead of waiting 6 years, like I did.

I also had them install steel valve stems, since the stems have to carry the TPMS units, which I didn't like on rubber stems. That cost an extra $6 per tire.

For me, it made sense to buy a medium price tire, and replace them much more often than I have been.

Best of Luck

Americanrascal · 03-21-2021, 06:01 AM

I have replaced mine 2X in about 8 years. Same size as yours. The latest change was 3 years ago and have been running Carlisle's in that size (205-75R-14) with metal stems. They wear great and have put a good 25,000+ on them with zero problems. I'll probably go back to another set of them in a year or so.

lewisedge · 03-24-2021, 04:17 PM

The original factory-installed tires on my 2008 Demco Kar Kaddy SS lasted at least 45,000 miles and 13 years before I sold it. The tires still had plenty of tread and no visible cracks in the sidewalls but the tow dolly's buyer told me that he planned to replace the tires.

Grapehound · 03-24-2021, 07:29 PM

Trailer tires, like RV tires, should be replaced long before they show signifciant treadwear. I had a D load range tire fail after five years on my fifth wheel. (The stock tires were actually "C" load range tires.) When I checked the dates on the sidewall I learned the tires were seven years old when one failed. They apparently sat on the shelf degrading for two years before I even bought the, I replaced all four with new load range E tires, same size, with very recent date information.

My feeling is to replace tires within 5-7 years of the manufacture date. You don't have to pay for damage caused by a blowout too many times before timely tire replacement is a given for RV-ing.

NeilV · 03-25-2021, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grapehound

Trailer tires, like RV tires, should be replaced long before they show signifciant treadwear. I had a D load range tire fail after five years on my fifth wheel. (The stock tires were actually "C" load range tires.) When I checked the dates on the sidewall I learned the tires were seven years old when one failed. They apparently sat on the shelf degrading for two years before I even bought the, I replaced all four with new load range E tires, same size, with very recent date information.

My feeling is to replace tires within 5-7 years of the manufacture date. You don't have to pay for damage caused by a blowout too many times before timely tire replacement is a given for RV-ing.

Indeed, too many seem to feel because some have gotten away with running tires past the 5 year mark that everyone is guaranteed to have the same experience. Michelin's 10 year claim deceives a lot of people who don't read the fine print because there is a pretty "BIG IF" attached to that warranty which is IF you Pay Michelin to take every tire off the rim every year for inspection starting with the fifth year and they pass that inspection then the warranty will be extended for another year up to 10 years. Of course you also have to pay to have the tires mounted and balanced again too.

It can be a pretty expensive game to play when you risk running tires over 5 years old on the highway.

Rick 99037 · 03-25-2021, 08:19 AM

Lots of good comments here. What we do know about tires is their rubber starts slowly degrading the day they're made. We are told they need to be replaced after 7 to 10 years. Also, most tire stores won't even fix a flat from a nail on a tire over thay 10 year mark. Imagine the roadside call, only to find that out!

As to changing load rating on the tires, higher load rating is about being able to inflate a tire to higher pressures to carry more load. Unless you need the to carry more load, you will inflate the higher rated tire to the same pressure you were using, because a higher pressure than that will bulge the center of the tread, and then wear out the center of the tread.

So then what is gained? Well the added reinforcement should make them tougher. That wouldn't stop a nail, but might help an older tire to hold together longer.
On the down side; increased reinforcement material increases tire heat, which needs to be dissipated out the sidewall. If the higher rated tire was inflated to its much higher inflation pressure it is designed to take; it would run cooler, but at the lower pressure that it needs to be at to match the load; it will run a little hotter.

You car dolly probably weighs about 600 pounds empty. And your car probably weighs well under the tire rating your car dolly needs to carry your car plus 300 pounds a tire including the dolly.
But if you're hauling your 4 X 4 truck, you better find out how much that front axle really weighs on a scale. You could need that next rated tire, and you should know the load rating of your trailer too.

Upinsmoke · 04-01-2021, 01:02 AM

OP here with an update. I had the tires replaced with Goodyear Endurance and increased the load capacity and speed rating by one level. I'm hoping this didn't increase the width dimension because there is NO room for them to be any wider.

With the tires removed, it was obvious that maintenance on the trailer was needed. I've pulled the fenders completely off of the trailer and removed the brackets so that I can get the rust off. They'll be painted (?) and then for sure, they'll be undercoated and I've also ordered new SS hardware.

One thing of note is that the wiring harness has a connection which allows the fenders to be removed (very handy) and if you look at the one photo you can see the typical green corrosion showing around the connection. I'll of course clean all of this up but if you have a trailer, you may want to look at them.

I may post a final pic or two just prior to putting the tires back on. Thanks for the tire suggestions.