tires

I have gone through all four tires on my fifth wheel within 9,000 miles some say alingment some say tires. The two that were viewable are so wear on inside with slit approx. 4" long on side. one tire dealer told me tread seperation. Good year dealer said alignment problem any body else with this problem? these are goodyear marthon. Thanks for all the replys but I stopped at a tire and trailer dealer and he said the axles need lined up at a line up shop. He showed me how the tire is dragging going down the road . Thanks Tom

 

my guess would be defective tires, what brand tires were on it?
i dont know anything about fifth wheels but i would doubt that they have any alignment adjustments on them.

 

Here is a possibility: Call or write the manufacturer of the 5th wheel and ask them which tires they recommend; Brand, type, size, etc.

I don't know about 5th wheels but on a pull-behind trailer, such as our Airstream, using auto tires instead of trailer tires is a terrible thing to do for several reasons. One is they wear badly, the other is that the auto tires are too stiff and tend to vibrate the trailer apart.

Perhaps there is some specific and special tire information you need from your 5th wheel manufacturer that the tire sales people are not aware of or well informed enough about...

 

Hello: tds566

As an additional note of mentioning to the two replies already posted, consider the fact that the dual axles do not turn while making turns. The tires actually do some dragging during the turning process.

The trailer axles most likely are correctly aligned and set for the straight ahead position. No adjustments can be made.

The axles are not castered nor cambered to compensate for road curves, {the crown in the center of a road} nor are they able to compensate for a turning radius.

Based on these factors, the tires will wear out often. Likewise, trailer and fifth wheel trailers, boat trailers, etc. tires must be rotated often. And they must be rotated correctly by trained & knowledgeable personal who know how to rotate trailer tires.

Best advice I can offer you:
Read the owners manual or obtain one, if you do not have one currently.

Follow the mfg's recommended & suggested tire rotation intervals.

Have the tire rotations done at a trailer repair shop only.

Keep the check book, credit card and or cash {$$$$$} handy.

Our RV & Boat toys cost bucks to have...

B.O.A.T. = Bail Out Another Thousand....LOL...

Regards & Good Luck.
Web Site Host & Multiple Topic Moderator.
Tom_B

 

Have you weighed the trailer fully loaded? An overloaded trailer will cause this. It can change the camber on the axles causing this condition. I would check this first.

 

the tandem axles on your fith wheel do have a alignment
as far as the axle and spring perches are concerned if they are not aligned properly they will cause a countersteering afect on each other
i do agree with doug money about the trailer wieght
if you are over gross thet will rack havok on the tires causing them to heat up excisivly and change the paramiters of the camber as he stated
making jack knifed corners will also tear them up
driving excessive speeds will also tear away at them depending on the size of the tire it rotate at a much greater speed at highway speeds do you notice in your mirrors if the trailer is tracking straight behind you when you are pullin it
if it is not get it checked out also make sure the tires you replace are of the proper speed and wieght rating for your trailer not just any old tire will do