Dual vs triple axles...

Hi Dave,
Do you have an explanation on why you are going through so many trailer tires?

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Yes, the first boat tire this year was a replacement from Les Schwab tires, and it was the newest tire on the trailer. It was on the rear axle and had all the tread scrubbed off from turning. Despite being only about 4 years old and having less than 2000 miles on it, the tire wore out quickly due to tight cornering on pavements, especially at the boat ramp. To mitigate this, I've been learning to make U-turns in two parts to avoid scrubbing the tires sideways. The second tire and wheel were lost in Anacortes while maneuvering to park for my wife to get a crab license. I clipped a curb with the front axle, which rolled the lip of the wheel enough to let the air out. Though it seemed punctured, it held air after I restored the rim's shape using a hydraulic jack. During that trip, I had to use my only spare and couldn't find a Goodyear Marathon within a reasonable distance, so I opted for another Les Schwab tire to get home. This flat was more about operator error. The third tire failed on a hot day when road surface temperatures reached about 150 degrees, causing the tired to blow. This is a known failure mode for Goodyear Marathons, which suffer from age, triple axle abuse, surge brakes, and heat. On a 350-mile trip with significant grades, the surge brakes applied increased the brake drum temperature to 200 degrees, adding heat to the wheel and tire. I'm considering switching to electric brakes, as my travel companion's triple axle trailer with electric brakes maintained a much cooler brake part temperature of around 130 degrees. On that trip, I observed many tire carcasses along the road.

Did you carry spare bearings, grease, and tools to change a bearing?

I do for my fifth wheel trailer, which has greased hubs. For my boat trailer with fluid-filled 50-weight oil hubs, I can easily drain and replace the oil, so I don't need to carry spare bearings or grease.

The trailer gets submerged in water as you launch and retrieve the boat. A small amount of water remains by the seal. When the trailer is stored unheated for the winter, the water freezes, expands, and causes a gap in the seal. In spring, the trailer is used again, causing the grease or oil to leak out, and then the bearing gets hot and fails.

Although my hubs are oil-filled and kept in heated space during winter, a small amount of water might still get in, which is easily flushed out. With three axles, you’ll lose tires unless you replace them based on time, ideally around four years. It's not unusual to lose tires like that. For my small boat with a single axle which I've had since 1968, I've never needed a spare tire. On my fifth wheel, I carry one spare tire and a greased spare bearing set and tools. For my boat trailer, I carry two spare tires and monitor the bearings with an infrared temp gun. This is crucial in the Pacific Northwest, where traveling long distances to get tires, especially on a Sunday, can be challenging. It's always better to be prepared.

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