# Who runs LT tires on their trailers?



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

I bought a used gooseneck several years ago and it had Uniroyal Laredo LT highway tread tires on it. I've heard of guys running them, but this was the first I did. They've been fine. I knew they were getting some age to them, but were still in good shape to the eye. Yesterday I delivered a fairly heavy load of hay, 300 bales of alfalfa, 100 miles away. Then drove 50 miles west to pick up a project tractor, and then 125 miles back home. 12 miles from home I disintegrated one of the trailer tires. The hay payload had to weigh twice what the tractor did, so that's where I thought I would have had tire trouble if I was going to. Maybe I hit something, but I don't think so. I'll say this, I don't need to mount another spare along an interstate anytime soon!

Anyway, starting to look at what I want to replace the tires with. The trailer gets used, but not frequently. Any real advantage in you guys and gals opinions of staying with an LT tire?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

If you don't want another flat tire go up in plies.You can get 14 plies for 30-40? More then 10 plies.

I've gone to 16 ply x 17.5 tires and haven't had one fail yet but they do ride rougher tho.

I did run a LT all season tires on previous trailer 245 x16 10 ply.They were OK but Prly blew one a yr always when got down to 1/4 of tread.They were cheap at the time is main reason I ran them.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

I had LTs on my cute little tandem gooseneck. They failed this summer, two of them had cord failures. They were used when I bought them, and I though they did ok. When I wanted to replace them, the tire store I often work with said that LTs are more likely to fail like that on a tandem trailer because the carcass of the tire isn't designed to withstand the twisting loads that tandem axle arrangement will impose on a tire while turning. Presumably ST tires are designed to withstand that twisting.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

14 ply 16” trailer tires are cheaper than LT’s at my tire store.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Gearclash said:


> the tire store I often work with said that LTs are more likely to fail like that on a tandem trailer because the carcass of the tire isn't designed to withstand the twisting loads that tandem axle arrangement will impose on a tire while turning.


That's it in a nutshell.

Regards, Mike


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

LT tires are better constructed than ST trailer tires and have higher speed ratings. I've had far better luck with LT's. Running load range G tires now, G614 goodyears LT rv tires and some off brands.

#1 trailer tire killer, underinflation. Don't be lazy especially travelling at highway speed, dig out the gauge. Heavy sidewalls heat up really bad when under inflated as they are forced to flex and will fail.

EDIT Link I found that had a few extra points, note ST and LT both rated for trailer use.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=219


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Also, my experience has been that tires, especially trailer tires, are only good for about 6-7 years no matter has little they get used. I've had tires that had 80+% tread start showing the cord after about 6-7 years.

I have a hay rake that has blown 3 tires and they still had the little molding thingies showing.

Back around 2000, the EPA mandated lower sulfur usage in tires and this turn causes them to incur rubber rot much sooner nowadays.

BTW: I always carry a trailer roll on jack in my truck and my horse trailers. Like Carl Malden said, "Don't leave home without it."

Ralph


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

slowzuki said:


> LT tires are better constructed than ST trailer tires and have higher speed ratings. I've had far better luck with LT's. Running load range G tires now, G614 goodyears LT rv tires and some off brands.
> 
> #1 trailer tire killer, underinflation. Don't be lazy especially travelling at highway speed, dig out the gauge. Heavy sidewalls heat up really bad when under inflated as they are forced to flex and will fail.
> 
> ...


Absolutely agree on the #1 killer and I'm very good at checking inflation, and all 4 tires were at 80psi cold before I started the trip. I hand checked the other 3 tires for temp, and there was almost no heat to the touch. 27 degree pavement helps keep them cool I suppose. Maybe I picked something up and lost air pressure in that tire.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

paoutdoorsman said:


> Absolutely agree on the #1 killer and I'm very good at checking inflation, and all 4 tires were at 80psi cold before I started the trip. I hand checked the other 3 tires for temp, and there was almost no heat to the touch. 27 degree pavement helps keep them cool I suppose. Maybe I picked something up and lost air pressure in that tire.


If you still have the carcass, look for cracks in between the tread. Rubber rot sneaking in on you.

Ralph


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> I have a hay rake that has blown 3 tires and they still had the little molding thingies showing.
> 
> Ralph


Tire titties is what we call em


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> Also, my experience has been that tires, especially trailer tires, are only good for about 6-7 years no matter has little they get used. I've had tires that had 80+% tread start showing the cord after about 6-7 years.
> 
> I have a hay rake that has blown 3 tires and they still had the little molding thingies showing.
> 
> ...


We have that issue on our straight trucks all the time, sidewalls give out long before they are out of tread, especially bad on the tandems, the single axles don't get near as much side load on em turning.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> LT tires are better constructed than ST trailer tires and have higher speed ratings. I've had far better luck with LT's. Running load range G tires now, G614 goodyears LT rv tires and some off brands.
> 
> #1 trailer tire killer, underinflation. Don't be lazy especially travelling at highway speed, dig out the gauge. Heavy sidewalls heat up really bad when under inflated as they are forced to flex and will fail.
> 
> ...


 I agree with you and yet when I had 16 ply Truck tires on my trailer I hated it. The truck tire slide too hard When I had 6 ton on the trailer and would try to back in somewhere it would Look like it's gonna to have to tear the tires off the rims As they just would not slide well. Also terrible noises coming from the suspension whenever you turned... When I got the 16 ply open tread hard as a rock trailer tires And put a 110 pounds of air In the trailer towed so much easier it took less gas. . I would never use LT tires on something I haul heavy with


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

My tires call for 80 psi, but I've run them now for 5 years at 65-70. My traviler has been overloaded more times than I'd like to remember, probably 300 times. 
In my case it must be low speed and short trip not building up enough heat to blow tires. Since my trips are short (10 miles) and I run 45-50 MPH in the right lane loaded, and 55-60 unloaded. 
One thing I can't believe is how good my tires still look. They are the original Chinese trailer tires the trailer came with in 2015. No signs of aging except tread is only around 1/3rd remaining. I do keep it stored inside whenever possible to cut down on sun. 
As cheap as they are ($70 each), I'm planning on replacing them this year. Blowouts are not worth it.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

You're talking semi-trailer tires I think. Cheap china ST trailer tires are just as soft compound and slide poor like a normal LT. The full on commercial tires with the super hard rubber compounds do slide easier turning and pull easier regardless of the tire carcass type.

About 25% less friction coefficient in the hard long wearing tires from that hard compound. A few % lower rolling resistance too.



endrow said:


> I agree with you and yet when I had 16 ply Truck tires on my trailer I hated it. The truck tire slide too hard When I had 6 ton on the trailer and would try to back in somewhere it would Look like it's gonna to have to tear the tires off the rims As they just would not slide well. Also terrible noises coming from the suspension whenever you turned... When I got the 16 ply open tread hard as a rock trailer tires And put a 110 pounds of air In the trailer towed so much easier it took less gas. . I would never use LT tires on something I haul heavy with


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## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

JD3430 said:


> My tires call for 80 psi, but I've run them now for 5 years at 65-70. My traviler has been overloaded more times than I'd like to remember, probably 300 times.
> In my case it must be low speed and short trip not building up enough heat to blow tires. Since my trips are short (10 miles) and I run 45-50 MPH in the right lane loaded, and 55-60 unloaded.
> One thing I can't believe is how good my tires still look. They are the original Chinese trailer tires the trailer came with in 2015. No signs of aging except tread is only around 1/3rd remaining. I do keep it stored inside whenever possible to cut down on sun.
> As cheap as they are ($70 each), I'm planning on replacing them this year. Blowouts are not worth it.


 My friend just got a ticket for 65psi in a trailer tire from a township DOT cop somewhere in south east PA. Cop told him if tire says 80 psi it better be close to it. Apparently PA is training local guys to enforce DOT it's all about them making money.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Sounds like that is a ticket worth fighting. Was it only one tire or were they all low and the maximum pressure is for the maximum load so if he wasn't loaded heavy that would be another out. But you have to waste a day in court sometimes it is worth it though. Then again maybe he was lucky to only get a ticket for tire pressure.


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## Wrenchhead1968 (Feb 7, 2020)

Any Lt tire after 4-5 yrs of age you don't dare go over 65-70 mph even empty as they will blow out in a trailering application.Your tire got stretch flexed with weight and got spun up fast on the way home.fasterthan it wanted.If it had ran low the inner liner would have been chewed up,alot of chewed up rubber dust and stinking like burnt rubber.A tire can't run low and not stink..even some of the super cheap designated "ST" special trailer tires brand new are not rated for more than 60-65 mph...A lot of it has to due with being radial and not bias ply.The steel belts in a radial tire get bent from extended periods of time from sitting idle all the time,become oblong,out of round .Even bias become oblong and out of round on a tractor that we all notice when we hit road gear with a tractor that's been sitting awhile and when you take off all the steel belts are bent from extended time off sitting.Farmerbrown2 is smart importantly driving slower.In certain situations more/less air pressure is a double edge sword...I buy and put bias tires one of my trailers that sit around a lot and Keep them covered and or keep them out of the sun.On collectible vehicles and my fifth wheel camper and almost anything I really care about I put on stands.When we mount scrap tires for augers,elevator,small trailers,minimal seasonal use we use tubes and easy on the air psi as they blow out in the sun.Even old rotten bias tires hold up better than the radial casing tires.If you look close at a blown tires inner liner you will find an repair patch from flat repair.Regular volcanizing a repair patch with out a plug plugging the hole or a plug patch is a No No!!!Bore the hole out to the appropriate size arbor,pre-clean before buffing and after if necessary,and vulcanize real thin with clean fresh glue.A regular goey tire plug in hole and quality patch on top off the plug when angle of injury is over 20 degree angle otherwise one piece radial plug patch up to a 1/4 hole will hold up with dozens of repairs in a radial tire that was run on a corvette at a test site some 10-15 years ago at a clinical I attended for my tire shop.For liability purposes we plug patch everything.Jd 3430 is a smart man on daily air psi check.and walk around and feel the tires when load checking as well.If you have a low one it will be warmer than others.Ypur tighten straps,filling with fuel,checking lights anyways.I personally had four plug patches in a 6" square area on my brand new Lt on my Duramax and made it to full life of tire.plugs when installed in a way are better than just patching as they seal and protect the steel belts from moisture,oxygen,road salt,gravel,etc...The patch only makes the inner liner hold air keeping your tire inflated.Thats a half ass job.if you expect it to last,let alone reach highway speeds. That's because the steel belts become contaminated from #1 enemy road salt,moisture,oxidation,moisture,etc now within days you have rusty steel belt cancer migrating Inbetween the tire construction layers.now months latter you take off loaded/unloaded/slow/fast don't matter it is going to fail as it wasn't properly repaired.Rusty steel wire doesn't bend or flex but breaks.Next time you see a fresh blow out look at the evidence...Where the tire exploded you will see rusty frayed ends as it let loose.if the liner is intact and you look at enough of em you will see the patch lineup with the rust.If you catch the separated tires before they blow out the seperated shifted belts are located almost perfectly 180 degrees opposite side of an improper flat repair..They made it hold air but never sealed the carcass.We quit recapping tires with injuries for this purpose at Goodyear 25 yrs ago from all The failures.Like a wound it needs decontamination.even with the smallest puncture we use an identifier small pick to find the exact entrance of injury,intentionally bore "decontaminate" with appropriate size arbor,use prebuff,scrap before buffing.Pre means before not after...prebuff removes oils from liner and preps rubber very important.if you made a mess and need more liquid prebuff and scraping after buffing wheel fine.prebuff creates a chemical reaction necessary to adhere the patch.Boring contaminated hole out with1/16 inch smaller than plug patch arbor ,clean hole with prebuff liquid and clean dry compressed air ,smear repair hole with glue and tire pick before brushing light coat of fresh strong smelling non-coagulated Vulcanizing glue.wished I had $.10 for every patch I could peel off with my thumb nail.several lawsuits of tire technician proven in the court of law going to jail over wrongful death in early 2000's lawsuit was over improper tire repair.a lot of shops won't repair tires anymore.to much liability.Improper tire repair is responsible for a large percentage of rubber laying on the roads.That Duramax tire ended up on a running gear bale hauler no problem.Company I worked for 10 years on/off have there own retread facility before I opened my own Complete tire and auto service including ag repair and DOT inspections for the state.Laws are changing here as well.I won't run trailer tires especially radials more than 4-5 yrs old ...I'm not smart like farmer brown ...I have a lead foot 20yrs in a stock car.I blew out 5 out of 8 Lt's chasing a hot deal on a 4020 down to Oklahoma one night and I was empty.I threw 8 new Samson 14 ply all steels 235 70r16 on board before I left just in case.I blew out 3 empty,and 2 loaded.live,breathed,and shitted tires my whole career with my shop one block offa state hwy and interstate 9 miles away.I have zipper blown,JFK style blown,blown them off the beads,18 times and I'm talking mounting and airing up tires on the job,my wife blew one up once as well...You see a patched tire be careful.Anything over4.5 yrs old and your getting risky.Last 4 digits of the dot number in the oval circle on only one side of the tire reveals its Manfacturer date 5216 would mean week 52,of 16.if the oval circle has only 3 numbers it's before the millinium.example 529 week 52 of 1999.Run.My state requires not to repair any steer tire on OTR,bus,Ambulance,or Law enforcement,as well as no recaps.Knock on wood the only thing that happened when I've blown up tires at work was wreck my underwear.Had a hired man send a split rim up in the air 20 ft.We implement safety classes and the whole nine yards...The kid same age as me finally died in the nursing home a couple years ago from a tire injury,he worked in our sister store when I started my career in the early 80 's...We had extensive training and I always keep that in my mind and I hope yours as well when airing tires up keep your head out of there.I could easily be dead many times over.I worry about you all and care...I had to retire 1yr ago from that for health reasons.I'm now shifted into a lower gear,threw the Jake on, running my campground,haying,and what time I have left with Dad.Thinking about persuing my journalism dream from high school,possibly the instructors position at the college for their mechanics position.Instructor thinks I'm a good fit...I told em "hiring me is like losing 3 good guys" because if there is 10 ways to do it wrong I did it 15 before I got it right... My choice for running 75-80 mph on my gooser with wet hubs are the cheap all steel14 ply .my trailer pulls like butter night and day difference.Duramax runs cooler.pulled 20k lb payloader from down in Kansas on hottest day on record back in 2018 up to sw mm...would have wrecked the truck with 10 ply's...As tall and wide as possible makes a difference.bigger footprint and less rolling resistance,just make sure you have suspension clearance and sidewalks don't touch when suspensions loader..Love to have sw mm hay an 17.5 16 ply I'm guessing 70 series aspect ratio nice footprint and my tired diesel would like that.Stick to factory size tires on you pickups and your Trany,engine,enginetemp,ball joints,and whl- brgs will appreciate you and the correct gear ratio.I have a nickname for them big wheels but I don't want create a draft under anyones skirt or make their mascara run.Moderator Vol or it was Swmnhay hay were correct.Light truck tires are speed rated but can't handle trailer application well.Theyare not constructed for side flex loaded road force,twisting,and have no shoulder construction for it."ST" stands for special trailer and is designed for twisting,sliding loaded,different sidewall construction.Most tire failure are on RFO on OTR,campers,and especially people not turning wide enough on right hand turns.Go over curbs on right hand turns real slow if unavoidable,they get damaged(bruised) busted sidewall cords and bends the belts, them failures are also identifiable,and look like the tire was shot out from the inside with a shotgun..I sold a lot of OTR trailer tires with shallow trad nd curb hard technology...If you liked and appreciated the 2cents please like me.If offended,disagree,I apologize for pissing in your wheaties as I'm bored and trying to help out .Ive had multiple medical problems and recovering from an ass load of ailments .Tommorrow morning i check into heart hospital got some serious issues,plumbing,electrical,bunch of shit .Hope to be back in few days and I will maintain my optimism,after all I got a birthday coming up soon.


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## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

If you use your trailer alot I'd recommend a tire pressure monitering system. I put one on my hay hiker. Seemed expensive at $300 but doesn't take many ruined tires and or rims to pay for that. I'd almost always do daily checks before I got that, PITA to crawl under that machine to check the inside tires. Now having that is like having a hired man check the tires while I fill fuel. Flip it on and it takes a few minutes to cycle through and pick up all the sensors but then it measures pressure and temp all the time. If a tire blows out, instant warning alarm. Kind of interesting to see how much warmer the inside tires get when running down gravel roads that really have a crown in the middle.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Quick story about 16" LT and ST tires. In 2011 I bought a tractor in CT, about 1100 miles from me. Went and got it with my 3/4 ton pickup and a tandem dual trailer. Trailer was fairly new and had Chinese made ST tires on it, most likely an ST235/80R16. Pickup had relatively new Firestone Transforce 265/75R16. Gross weight was around 32,000 lbs which was well within the tire and axle limits. To this day I don't think the trailer has ever had tire problems, but wouldn't you know it, the two tires that were on the back of the pickup on that trip had cord failures shortly before they were down the the tread wear indicator. First time I had ever seen a SteelTex or a Transforce Firestone fail.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I think the transforce is a decent tire for pickup trucks.....for trailers I use Roku? And Salun? Idk if that’s the spelling but the look like commercial tires and I believe they are 14 ply....haven’t had a blow out on one yet. Did have a hub fail and took out a tire....that got interesting real quick.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Having a temp sensor in the tire is interesting too. I carry my ir gun and check the tires and hubs when I stop. Amazing what a few psi low translates to for tire casing heating.


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