Tires on Rpod - R-pod Owners Forum

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manrocker

Newbie

Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: Nokomis fl
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Posts: 14

Topic: Tires on Rpod
Posted: 21 Feb 2013 at 5:18am

I am confused with the many different fews on the live of tires on the Pod.Some say you should change every 3 y ,even if there is no damage and plenty rubber on it.If you store your Pod for a while you must move it every so often to rotate the tires so they do not get any flat spot and the build in fluid in the compound moves around ,I guess.I bought my 177 in jan 2012,used it 3 times ,once on 2000 miler and 2 shorter trips about a week each.The rest of the time I keep it stored in my backyard,the tires rest on 4-4s I put I 4feet length under the tires,so they are dry and not sitting in the grass.I wonder what you all think and do .By the way I use my Rpod for my 5 hour clock Coctail hour every day,but that shouldn't hurt the tires too much.Manfred kh6rp Venice fl

Manrocker Kh6rp

tsunami123 View Drop Down

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Joined: 07 Dec 2012
Location: MINNESOTA
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Posts: 21

Posted: 21 Feb 2013 at 9:39am

I store my Pod in a machine shed with a concrete floor. A tire retailer friend of mine told that concrete can migrate moisture from the floor into the rubber of the tires. He recommended putting some vinyl carpet runners under the tires to block any moisture. I ended up raising the tires by placing some jacks under the axle jack flanges. The tires do not touch the floor. About once a month I hand spin the tires a couple of reverse rotations. This moves the axle grease around evenly and moves the position of the brake pads on the drums. And there is no weight on the tires to 'warp' the radial belts.

techntrek

Admin Group - pHp

Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Location: MD
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Posts: 9059

Posted: 21 Feb 2013 at 2:01pm

As long as there is no visible dry rotting up to the 5-year mark, and plenty of tread, I wouldn't worry. After the 5-year mark I would replace them before a big trip but not for shorter local ones - as long as there was no visible dry rot.

My father bought a utility trailer in 1987. The trailer had heavy use until we refurbished it in 2011, including a new axle/wheels/tires. It still had the original tires on it and they were still good, just a noticeable reduction in tread thickness compared to the spare which was always mounted on the front of the trailer. We never did anything special - the tires were on the ground, sat for long periods in one spot, uncovered so they got full UV exposure. Go figure!

Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

tsunami123 View Drop Down

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Joined: 07 Dec 2012
Location: MINNESOTA
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 21

Posted: 22 Feb 2013 at 10:57am

My sister and her husband hauled their 30 ft fifth wheeler from their previous home in California to MN last summer. The trailer had sat out in the open in the woods in CA, between trips...my bro-in-law inspected the tires, which were five years old. They looked ok. In Nebraska, one of the left tires blew its radial tread right off the rim! The extra weight then dropped onto the tandem wheel which then also blew out. He had checked the tires whenever they stopped for gas and didn't notice anything.
After being hauled into a repair shop...it turned out that the tire(s) inside side wall had blown out!
It probably had been deteriorating for quite awhile. They had not slid under the trailer to look at the other side of the tire. Nearly $10,000 worth of damage! They should have taken the trailer in for a professional tire check. My tire expert friend insists that 7 years is the safety maximum for any tire you are going to depend, and an even shorter time period for 'cheaper' tires.
So, check 'all' of your tire before you go on a trip.

Outbound

podders Helping podders - pHp

Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Location: Oshawa, Ontario
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 767

Posted: 22 Feb 2013 at 5:03pm

A pair of trailer tires should last about 60,000 kms. But there are other considerations...

Dry rot - cover your tires while in winter storage (if you have a winter ). During the summer, I apply tire cleaner/shine with a UV protectant every two weeks.
Age - five years is about all you can expect to get out of a pair of trailer tires. If you're in the desert sun/heat most of the time, four years may be your limit.
Inspect for unusual signs of wear, cracking, soft or sticky spots, etc. Don't forget the back side of the tire too. If you see any of these, replace immediately.

Before heading out on a trip, always check the tire pressure and top-up as necessary. Also, check your lug nut torque while you're at it.

Over the years, most of my trailer tires (on the various trailers I've had) have made it five years. They start to show a little bit of cracking around the rims, and they start to look a little dry. When it comes time to replace them, don't forget to replace the spare as well - although it'll look perfectly fine on the outside, its likely suffering from dry rot from the inside out.

Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150

manrocker

Newbie

Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: Nokomis fl
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14

Posted: 22 Feb 2013 at 8:57pm

So far I learned a lot ,thank you gentlemen m

Manrocker Kh6rp

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manrocker Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 16 Jan 2012 Location: Nokomis fl Online Status: Offline Posts: 14	Topic: Tires on Rpod Posted: 21 Feb 2013 at 5:18am
	I am confused with the many different fews on the live of tires on the Pod.Some say you should change every 3 y ,even if there is no damage and plenty rubber on it.If you store your Pod for a while you must move it every so often to rotate the tires so they do not get any flat spot and the build in fluid in the compound moves around ,I guess.I bought my 177 in jan 2012,used it 3 times ,once on 2000 miler and 2 shorter trips about a week each.The rest of the time I keep it stored in my backyard,the tires rest on 4-4s I put I 4feet length under the tires,so they are dry and not sitting in the grass.I wonder what you all think and do .By the way I use my Rpod for my 5 hour clock Coctail hour every day,but that shouldn't hurt the tires too much.Manfred kh6rp Venice fl
	Manrocker Kh6rp

tsunami123 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Location: MINNESOTA Online Status: Offline Posts: 21	Posted: 21 Feb 2013 at 9:39am
	I store my Pod in a machine shed with a concrete floor. A tire retailer friend of mine told that concrete can migrate moisture from the floor into the rubber of the tires. He recommended putting some vinyl carpet runners under the tires to block any moisture. I ended up raising the tires by placing some jacks under the axle jack flanges. The tires do not touch the floor. About once a month I hand spin the tires a couple of reverse rotations. This moves the axle grease around evenly and moves the position of the brake pads on the drums. And there is no weight on the tires to 'warp' the radial belts.

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059	Posted: 21 Feb 2013 at 2:01pm
	As long as there is no visible dry rotting up to the 5-year mark, and plenty of tread, I wouldn't worry. After the 5-year mark I would replace them before a big trip but not for shorter local ones - as long as there was no visible dry rot. My father bought a utility trailer in 1987. The trailer had heavy use until we refurbished it in 2011, including a new axle/wheels/tires. It still had the original tires on it and they were still good, just a noticeable reduction in tread thickness compared to the spare which was always mounted on the front of the trailer. We never did anything special - the tires were on the ground, sat for long periods in one spot, uncovered so they got full UV exposure. Go figure!
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

tsunami123 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Location: MINNESOTA Online Status: Offline Posts: 21	Posted: 22 Feb 2013 at 10:57am
	My sister and her husband hauled their 30 ft fifth wheeler from their previous home in California to MN last summer. The trailer had sat out in the open in the woods in CA, between trips...my bro-in-law inspected the tires, which were five years old. They looked ok. In Nebraska, one of the left tires blew its radial tread right off the rim! The extra weight then dropped onto the tandem wheel which then also blew out. He had checked the tires whenever they stopped for gas and didn't notice anything. After being hauled into a repair shop...it turned out that the tire(s) inside side wall had blown out! It probably had been deteriorating for quite awhile. They had not slid under the trailer to look at the other side of the tire. Nearly $10,000 worth of damage! They should have taken the trailer in for a professional tire check. My tire expert friend insists that 7 years is the safety maximum for any tire you are going to depend, and an even shorter time period for 'cheaper' tires. So, check 'all' of your tire before you go on a trip.

Outbound Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 19 Nov 2009 Location: Oshawa, Ontario Online Status: Offline Posts: 767	Posted: 22 Feb 2013 at 5:03pm
	A pair of trailer tires should last about 60,000 kms. But there are other considerations... Dry rot - cover your tires while in winter storage (if you have a winter ). During the summer, I apply tire cleaner/shine with a UV protectant every two weeks. Age - five years is about all you can expect to get out of a pair of trailer tires. If you're in the desert sun/heat most of the time, four years may be your limit. Inspect for unusual signs of wear, cracking, soft or sticky spots, etc. Don't forget the back side of the tire too. If you see any of these, replace immediately. Before heading out on a trip, always check the tire pressure and top-up as necessary. Also, check your lug nut torque while you're at it. Over the years, most of my trailer tires (on the various trailers I've had) have made it five years. They start to show a little bit of cracking around the rims, and they start to look a little dry. When it comes time to replace them, don't forget to replace the spare as well - although it'll look perfectly fine on the outside, its likely suffering from dry rot from the inside out.
	Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150

manrocker Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 16 Jan 2012 Location: Nokomis fl Online Status: Offline Posts: 14	Posted: 22 Feb 2013 at 8:57pm
	So far I learned a lot ,thank you gentlemen m
	Manrocker Kh6rp