[SOLVED] Trailer towing - just had catastrophic tread separation

[SOLVED] The dumb-asses at AZ Tire Pro put two different sized tires on my trailer! The correct size is 175/80/13. They installed that size on the drivers side of the trailer. On the passenger side, they installed a 185/80/13. This is a larger tire.
SO - as the tire heated up on a blistering 106F day...hauling for 3 hours at 60MPH, the larger tire came into contact with the rear fender mount and sucked the steel fender right into the tire, shredding the tread. They denied any wrong doing of course and thinly suggested that I was lying and put the larger tire on the trailer. After a lot of back and forth, all they would do was spit the cost of a new, correctly sized tire. That does not address all the damage to my trailer...but in the end it is my word against theirs. Also feeling pretty stupid for not catching the difference in tire size myself. Trailer seemed to sit level, and towed just fine...so I never really looked at the markings on the tires.


Hi Guys,

I am new here...I own a 2003 Tundra 4.7L 2WD. It is a bullet proof tank. 180K miles and still runs as new.

I need some advice on the trailer I am towing and some possible guesses what caused one of my new trailer tires to fail on the the highway a few days ago. The tire remained inflated but the tread band shredded completely off the tire. I got it off the road safely but it caused a fair amount of damage to the trailer fender and rear tail light. I checked the tire pressure before I left for my trip and each tire was at 50psi.

In short, I bought a 6'x8' cargo trailer at tractor supply and used it as a base to mount a 1958 Alaskan truck camper. I will try to post a few pics.

A few weeks ago (before the tread separation) I took the trailer over to a certified weigh station and here's the data:

TOTAL Gross Weight of trailer with all gear loaded (everything except food): 2,100 lbs
(cargo trailer GVWR is rated for 2,400 lbs)

Tongue weight: 220 lbs
(spec is 360 lbs max)

Drive axle weight: 1880 lbs
(spec is 2200 lbs max)

I removed the cheap Chinese tires and replaced them with expensive Maxxis trailer tires. Each Maxxis M8008 tire is capable of a maximum weight of 1480 lbs each (2,960 combined)

Trailer data from Tractor supply:

Specification Description Brand: Carry-On Trailer Application: Utility Payload Capacity: 1,675 lb. Tire Weight Rating (original Chinese tires) (ea.): 1,100 lb. Coupler Type: A-Frame Number of Axles: 1 Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 2,400 lb. Product Type: Wood Floor Trailer Coupler Size: 2 in. Tire Diameter: 13 in. Empty Weight: 725 lb. Manufacturer Part Number 6X8GW2KP

The GVWR is 2,400 lbs The tongue weight allowance is 200 to 360 lbs. We use this tongue weight as part of our max gross rating. The axle is rated 2200lbs.

So the question is - did I do something wrong? By my account I am close to the trailers max ratings but definitely not "at" or "over" the specified limits. Also, if I am understanding the Maxxis tire ratings - they will support a combined weight of 2,960 lbs...the gross weight of the trailer is 2,100 lbs (drive axle weight of 1880lbs + tongue weight of 220lbs)

Am I interpreting the data incorrectly? Am I over the limit on what the tires will safely support? Any experienced advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thx,

Tom

Truck camper mounted to cargo trailer


framed and skinned

Factory hydraulic roof in "up" position

roof "down" and ready to tow

Interior shot

Tread failure - tire remained inflated. Destroyed steel fender and tail light

 

Check date stamped on sidewall. I would say it was just a defective tire. I had one do that on my boat trailer. Not sure how long I drove on it. Tire was pushing 9 years and its mate on opposite side blew a week earlier. 1 ran 80 miles on 3. No choice because the spare blew somewhere on return trip from lake. Put a used P rated on and it did not go a mile before popping. I have Goodyear Endurance now with no problems. Unless you can hub centric balance them don't bother.

 

From your description I’d agree with @Stumpjumper you did nothing wrong, it was a defective tire.

 

1st off Welcome to the party!!

Nope you didnt do anything wrong and calculations seem to be spot on. It seems that it was just a defective tire.

Just food for thought, when it comes to trailer tires, the beefier the better. Based on ply rating, if you are running 6 ply instead of 10, or even up to 14 or 16 depending on wheel size, you are probably going to have more issues. Trailers take a good amount of beating from potholes, uneven road surfaces, and general heat.