Tow Legal - Tow Safe

Tyres

Drivers of non-commercial trailers often fail to appreciate that although the tyres fitted to their trailer/caravan may appear to be similar to that fitted to their car, trailer tyres are invariably of a heavier construction and usually operate at higher inflation pressures.

Specifically, small camping trailers, luggage trailers and dinghy trailers may be fitted with 4.00 x 8 tyres, which resemble wheel-barrow tyres. The heavy duty variant of this tyre may require 95 p.s.i. to avoid overheating.

As discussed elsewhere (see horse trailers) trailer axles and suspensions are prone to damage (particularly heavier trailers towed behind powerful vehicles) which often results in the wheels/tyres running "out of track", leading to peculiar tread wear patterns.

Also common on non-commercial trailers, are long periods of inactivity, interspersed with comparatively high-speed towing down the motorway. If not carefully stored, tyres can suffer from ultra-violet degradation and tread root cracking - which is particularly common on Cross-Ply tyres.

As a general rule, operators of commercial trailers are more aware of tyre issues although this does not always result in effective maintenance procedures.

It should be noted that during the course of these events, no tyre mismatching (Radial + Cross-Ply on the same axle) was found on the trailers examined.

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