Trailer tire blowout

mtudb24

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Had my first blow out on the way from the Marina to storage tonight. No warning. No vibrations. Just a cannon noise and down she went.

Can't really complain since they are the original tires from 2011 when I bought the boat new. Have less then 1000 miles on them and the trailer is stored inside all year long to help minimize sun and dry rotting. But stuff happens.

Looks like I'll be buying 5 new tires over the offseason so when I sell this boat next year, the new owner has nothing to worry about. Just did all the bearings last year for shits and giggles as the mechanic said they were fine when he tore them apart

I'll provide a PSA for everyone. Sugar beet truck drivers don't give 2 F's if you are on the side of the road in a farming community trying to change a tire. I thought I was gonna be squashed on multiple accounts. The wind those trucks produces at 65+mph lifted my shirt off my back a couple of times...


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Yup been there Todd! Had a blowout on busy 95 going through Richmond with our 1st boat trailer with a bowrider. Those tires are only good for 4/5 yrs. I believe. Then they start to dry rot!
 
Had my first blow out on the way from the Marina to storage tonight. No warning. No vibrations. Just a cannon noise and down she went.

Can't really complain since they are the original tires from 2011 when I bought the boat new. Have less then 1000 miles on them and the trailer is stored inside all year long to help minimize sun and dry rotting. But stuff happens.

Looks like I'll be buying 5 new tires over the offseason so when I sell this boat next year, the new owner has nothing to worry about. Just did all the bearings last year for shits and giggles as the mechanic said they were fine when he tore them apart

I'll provide a PSA for everyone. Sugar beet truck drivers don't give 2 F's if you are on the side of the road in a farming community trying to change a tire. I thought I was gonna be squashed on multiple accounts. The wind those trucks produces at 65+mph lifted my shirt off my back a couple of times...


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Were you on I-75 when the sugar beet haulers flew past ?
You also stated you are selling next year . Are you getting another ?
 
So glad you are alright, the boat and vehicle are alright!

what a PITA...

Just for reference.... ANY tire over 10 years old is on borrowed time... they just break down unfortunately...


Find the section: What is the Expected Service Life of Tires down the page:

What is the expected service life of tires?​
While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10 years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a simple precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not reached the legal wear limit.​
 
Damn Todd. You are very trusting at 11 years! Even stored I wouldn’t trust trailer tires more than 5-6 years.
 
Were you on I-75 when the sugar beet haulers flew past ?
You also stated you are selling next year . Are you getting another ?
No, sadly on a small 2 lane road deemed "the sugar beet express" (M-142 truck route) between Bay Port and Pigeon ( just north of the Michigan Sugar beet factory in Sebewing).

Current plan is to sell. Definitely will be a Bennington if we stay with a pontoon boat. However, if our water levels keep going down and the MDEQ is dragging its feet on our dredging permits, we may have to re-think our choices. With the drop in water this past spring, it tripled our run time getting around Sand Point ( a peninsula that runs east and west) to get from the south shore (where our cottage is located) to the north shore where we hang out on the sand bars etc.

Have to make a decision early in the new year (or sooner) if we want to have the new boat for spring.
 
Damn Todd. You are very trusting at 11 years! Even stored I wouldn’t trust trailer tires more than 5-6 years.
Yeah, I know. The worst part (Besides the sugar trucks), was having to call and wait for my cousin to bring a floor jack and blocks of wood to get the trailer high enough to get the tire off.

Makes me think its time to change our decoy trailer tires too. I don't even want to think how old they are, but that trailer only weighs a couple hundred pounds fully loaded and has the exact same tires which are rated at 1500lbs a piece
 
I ordered a Trailer Aid Plus when I got my first boat just in case.


I just left it in the cavity where the fuel fill lines were behind my seat back (RCW), that where I kept all my "hope I never need this" tools, just bought duplicates so they would always be in the boat.
 
Here is a interesting tire failure.
 

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I ordered a Trailer Aid Plus when I got my first boat just in case.


I just left it in the cavity where the fuel fill lines were behind my seat back (RCW), that where I kept all my "hope I never need this" tools, just bought duplicates so they would always be in the boat.
Thanks Derrick. Just ordered!!!
 
Our power boat trailer had two tires with belt failures with the trailer just sitting empty! Discovered they barely had a rating high enough for the rig as it would normally be towed. Made sure to replace them with way better rated tires.
 
Mine burned up because my trailer wasn't put together properly and forward tire rubbed on the fender until the friction ignited it. ( 2008 2575 RL with 5.7 litre Volvo Penta) I couldn't see what was going on because the mirrors on my tundra weren't big enough. There were flames and billowing black smoke for I don't know how long. Wish I had a picture of the guys face who pulled beside me and tried to indicate the situation with sign language. That was on the yellowed west of Edmonton, AB. Not a very busy highway at the time.
 
Glad you are okay. Scary! Being on Houghton Lake, I can appreciate “water level“ issues. We spent all but our first weekend of the summer having to walk our boat out about 250’ from our dock due to low water level. We are dreading the future of this situation and debating on how to handle it moving forward. Buying another 250’ of dock solves the problem, but..well…the $$$.
 
I just got a new truck and received tire pressure and temp sensors with it for a trailer. Had four of them installed in the boat trailer and hope to avoid such an event, sounds like it may not have made a difference for this one though!
I had a similar event way back on walleye opener in MN. The amount of trucks with boats racing up on Friday night to get to the cabin was nuts and thankfully it was the starboard side that went. Still, constant traffic at 75-80 mph and being exposed on the side of the road is not for the faint-of-heart. We should have gone straight to the casino with our luck that night.
 
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