Tire rotation?

[miatared]

Just curious would it be worthwhile to rotate tires on a dual axle trailer or a 5th Wheel?

To even out tire wear... Or am I smoking bad weed

[crocus]

Only if there is something wrong with your axles, and one tire wears more than another. But in that case, the axles should have an alignment.
So the short answer is 'no'.

[Twisty]

Trailer tires only have braking force being applied.
Other than that they just roll.
They will feather or cup just like the front tires on a rear wheel drive car.
IMO, they absolutely must be rotated for longer life.

[transamz9]

Originally Posted by twisty

trailer tires only have braking force being applied.
Other than that they just roll.
They will feather or cup just like the front tires on a rear wheel drive car.
Imo, they absolutely must be rotated for longer life.

x 10!

[Oakman]

Ditto what crocus said.

There is no need to rotate tires on your trailer. If you are experiencing abnormal tire wear (feathering, cupping, wear on one side) on one or more of your tires then you have either an alignment or suspension issue and need to have it fixed. Rotating the tires would merely put abnormal wear on another tire.

[TURBS]

If they cup and they WILL! swap them side to side.
they cup because they have no shocks.
When rotated they will smooth back out.
maybe that's why I got 6 years out of my trailer tires
and looked good yet.

[Triguy]

I'll be watching this thread. I never rotated before but was considering it with this trailer when I get the tires balanced.

[Oakman]

I've never had any tires on either of my previous two fifth wheel show any signs of cupping or feathering. One thing I do that might be a waste of money, I buy new tires once I have 25,000 miles on them regardless of how good they look.

[TURBS]

How to Rotate Trailer Tires | eHow.com

[RonLynnJr]

Originally Posted by crocus

Only if there is something wrong with your axles, and one tire wears more than another. But in that case, the axles should have an alignment.
So the short answer is 'no'.

When you say alignment, is this something that I can do at home (with a few measuring tapes and a set of good reference points on the trailer) or is this something that must be done with a computer alignment system like cars?

[crocus]

I have always had even wear on my trailer tires, and never needed to rotate them.
Anyone having problems with uneven wear has a suspension issue.
Those who rotate tires to "even out" the wear are just ignoring the problem.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by crocus

I have always had even wear on my trailer tires, and never needed to rotate them.
Anyone having problems with uneven wear has a suspension issue.
Those who rotate tires to "even out" the wear are just ignoring the problem.

I respectfully disagree with your opinion and feel you are misinformed.
I would ask you to back up your claims respectfully.

[crocus]

RonLynn, just keep an eye on your tires. If there is any abnormal wear, you should take it to an alignment shop. You probably couldn't measure the slight difference it would take to cause a problem. And you wouldn't be able to fix it. But most likely, you won't have any problems.

turbo, my facts come from experience and common sense. My last fifth had the same tires, never rotated, for 10 years. They were worn down to the point of definitely needing replacement, and they had ZERO signs of abnormal wear.
Trailer tires simply roll along in a straight line, and the only forces that would cause uneven wear are a bad alignment, or possibly an out-of-balance issue. If it is the latter, get your tires balanced, as that is a good idea for many reasons.

[Rugged Brown]

Originally Posted by crocus

RonLynn, just keep an eye on your tires. If there is any abnormal wear, you should take it to an alignment shop. You probably couldn't measure the slight difference it would take to cause a problem. And you wouldn't be able to fix it. But most likely, you won't have any problems.

turbo, my facts come from experience and common sense. My last fifth had the same tires, never rotated, for 10 years. They were worn down to the point of definitely needing replacement, and they had ZERO signs of abnormal wear.
Trailer tires simply roll along in a straight line, and the only forces that would cause uneven wear are a bad alignment, or possibly an out-of-balance issue. If it is the latter, get your tires balanced, as that is a good idea for many reasons.

Makes sense to me.

[TURBS]

The op asked if he should rotate under normal tire wear not abnormal as you stated.

[TURBS]

trailer axles are not zero camber nor are they zero
toe. Since they have toe and camber they don't just
roll in a perfect straight forward situation.
they will have wear that can be corrected by rotating
just like a car that would have toe and camber.

[crocus]

"trailer axles are not zero camber nor are they zero
toe. Since they have toe and camber they don't just
roll in a perfect straight forward situation.
they will have wear that can be corrected by rotating
just like a car that would have toe and camber."
==================================
Even if that was the case, if all of the alignments measurements were correct, rotating the tires would have no effect. Only if one, or more, of the axles were out of alignement would you get uneven wear.
Rotating tires on a car/truck is done mostly to even out the wear on the drive and non-drive tires.
turbo, where is your proof that rotation is necessary?

[MilCop4523]

I have feathering on my tires - all 4 with only 2000 miles from factory to my yard rolling on them. FR dealer locally won't touch unit under warranty because it was not sold by them. Its been a problem in getting $123 recovered from FR from Sept '11 Claims for small problems.
Can hardly wait to see what they say about the tires.

[crocus]

"The op asked if he should rotate under normal tire wear"
====================================
No, the OP did not say that.
He wanted to know if he should rotate to "even out" the tire wear. That would indicate to me that he did not have "normal tire wear".
No need to make things up to prove some point.

[crocus]

MilCop, with only 2000 miles on the tires, you probably have an alignment issue. Are the tires feathered differently on the passenger side that the driver's? Are they all feathered toward the inside, or the outside?