Purchased a 24 ft tandem single wheel flatbed a month or so ago and the rear two tires need to be replaced. The trailer currently has bias ply tires 7.50 16 10 ply. Should I go back with bias and only buy two tires or bite the bullet and spring for all new radials? I have been reading about bias vs radial but get no real answer. (Bias are the original tires that came on the trailer.) What are your thoughts on bias vs radial?
Radials were originally for drive & steer tires because they conform better to the surface under them, giving better traction. On a trailer they don't seem to make much difference.
I've put both on trailers before, repaired both, found some of each to be easy, found some of each to be hard.
Rule of thumb: never combine sizes or types on the same axle. Having the front axle as bias and the rear axle as radial won't hurt anything.
If it has bias on it, I would stay with the 10ply bias. They should have less side to side flex, and the trailer would track much better, Radials were designed for ride, handling on steer tires, NOT trailering apps. So really if you look at all REAL trailer tires, they have 10ply and probably 6-8 ply sidewalls.
JMHO, I wouldn't mix them, NO experience as to why, no real reason except it doesn't sound like a good idea, (one axle may react different than the other, who knows. (I have been a passenger in a truck where it started whipping and he couldn't get it to stop, took us completely around 180* facing the wrong way on a 6 lane interstate, luckily the trucker behind saw us in trouble, and "Blocked" traffic for us, it was uneventful, (Except for the stains on his seat... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img])
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<font color="green"> I long haul livestock in big gooseneck (and big trucks, too) cattle-trailers.
I first had nothing but BIAS tires and few problems.
Then, some years ago, I let the constant nagging of those less smart as I convince me that radials were the way to go.
I, then, started having at least one catastrophic tire failure per day.
I know this sounds like I am stretching things; but, I probably would drive as far in one day as most will drive in a month.
Every time I walked around the trailer, I would find at least one tire fixing to sling it's tread, or belts all broken and fixing to blow.
Most times, I would simply hear a BOOM and see the rubber shrapnel go flying all over traffic.
Finally, I wised up and went back to BIAS.
Yes, they feel hotter, after a couple hundred miles on a hot Georgia interstate; but, they will still be in one piece and bring the trailer back home.
I would much rather have a hot tire in one piece, than have a cool tire all to pieces.
Also, it has been my observation that on seldom used trailers, that sit for long periods, that radial tires will rapidly deteriorate, whereas BIAS will seem to hold up to time and the elements much better. </font>
Big trucks use radials on their trailers, at least all of the trucks I have driven and or worked on. You need to buy the RIGHT tire for the application. That does not mean that a trailer tire, sold as a trailer tire is the right tire. If you are doing a lot of maneuvering in tight spaces, you need a steer tire because of all the flex that trailer tires have to go through.
I have 10 ply commercial T/A's on my work trailer and they are fantastic.
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You can go either way. If you choose radials I'd look for a ST (special trailer) trailer rated tire. These will have a stiffer sidewall than a car radial. The bias ply tires are very stiff and that does help control sway. Many also run LT (light truck) radil tires such as the Michelin XPS. I've pulled a friends tandem axle gooseneck horse trailer about 15,000 miles on the Michelins and had no issues with sway. My 18' triple axle flat bed used to be 100% bias and I've slowy been converting to radial. Currently have 4 radial and 2 bias on it. They are mixed in and I've had no issues with that. I woudn't do it on a car as it creates some rather unnerving handling characteristics. No sway issues on the flat bed. I have radials on my 33' tandem axle fifth wheel and have no issues with sway.
In theory radials have a lower rolling resistance and would give slightly better fuel mileage. They will also conform to the road better providing better traction and be less likely to hydroplane. I also feel that having a steel belt makes it more puncture resistant but others will disagree. This is why I'm converting to radials. Discount Tire also offers a road hazard warranty on the radial Greenball tires, but not the bias and that is a big plus for me.
The most important thing is to run quality tires of the adequate weight rating on wheels that can handle the weight. Keep them inflated to the proper pressure. Air pressure is what gives you the load carrying ability.
Diesel_Aggie is right. The ST tires are stiffer and generally carry a higher load rating.
We run bias on our shop trailers and have good luck out of them. With bias you have to constantly check pressure and make sure you are fully aired up. I generally run over on the pressure because we are seldom underweight.
Towing a boat I was concerned about the rough ride given by
bias ply tires. I noticed a massive difference when switching
to radials. The trailer stays solid behind the truck also. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]
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My truck's tires are about half-worn and I am now considering putting them on my trailer and getting new ones for the truck. My truck's tires are LT265-75-16's Yokohama AT's. Are these too wide for a tandem trailer with a 6" wheel? They are rated over 3000LB per tire. Any thoughts on this?
I just installed new Goodyear G614 radials on my trailer. They are 235/85R/16, G load rated which is the same as 14 ply, 3750 lbs capacity at 110 psi. They have steel belts on the side walls as well as the tread and are re-groovable. I just put 7600 miles on them in the last two weeks and I am very happy with them. They were expensive at $210 each but if you plan on putting on a lot of miles it is money well spent.
The best 7,000# trailer tire ever made is the Titan ST23580R16E 3520# capacity at 80 psi. It really does not matter if you run biased or radial tires as long as you run the same.
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I don't have alot of experience with Bias tires, but what I have found out is that Bias are heavier, get hotter, they require strict adherence to pressure, and I have had one come apart.
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My truck's tires are about half-worn and I am now considering putting them on my trailer and getting new ones for the truck. My truck's tires are LT265-75-16's Yokohama AT's. Are these too wide for a tandem trailer with a 6" wheel? They are rated over 3000LB per tire. Any thoughts on this?
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A 6" wheel is not a recommended wheel for your tire size per Yokohama. See page 2 at http://www.yokohamatire.com/pdf/geoatpls2.pdf
Doesn't mean it won't work but in my experience mounting a 305/70-16 on a 7 inch rim on a 94 F-250 4x4 it drastically lowered my stability. I have no experience mounting non-recommeded tires sized on trailers though.
You'll need to look at your fender clearances on your trailer to see if you have room for this size. Both width and height. Some do, some don't. The link I posted above has the actual width/heighth of the tire. This may vary slightly depending on wheel size you mount on.
The weight rating of the Yokohamas is probably sufficient but double check your axle weights to make sure. It's an LT tire so it's going to be much stronger than a passenger (P) tire.
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