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Old 08-30-2012, 09:46 AM   #1
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Angry 2012 Grey Wolf - Bad Tires Not Acceptable

I have a 2012 Grey Wolf 27BHKS with the bias ply tires. First off, I have to admit that I did not realize that they were bias ply tires until just recently. I have about 1500 miles on the trailer and my tires are completely bald on both the inner and outer edge tread on all 4 tires. My experience in the tire industry along with the opinion of a reputable tire dealer tells me that the tires were either overloaded or underinflated to get this type of wear. However, the tires have always been maintained at the 50psi rating that they require to handle the load of the trailer. The GVWR of the trailer is 7750 lbs and the GAWR is 7000 lbs. With all my camping gear and supplies loaded with full tanks, I am only at 7000 lbs.

Before I get a bunch of responses telling me that the tires are junk and should be changed out anyway, the purpose of this post is to shed light on the fact that this is a known issue with FR and yet they still continue to put these tires on their trailers in order to keep the cost/price down. Nobody should be expected to have to replace tires on a brand new trailer after only 1500 miles with regular maintenance and attention to tow speeds. Bias ply or not, this is not acceptable and yet FR will not stand behind them because they cannot get their tire manufacturer to warrant them. No tire company will warrant tire wear because of the many variables that can cause it. I have had multiple other minor issues that have been resolved without issue but the tires take the cake. Now I will be out $500 to buy a new set of tires for my brand new trailer.

Has anybody else had any dealings like this? I see a lot of posts about how bad the tires are and it appears to be common for people to "have to" replace them at their cost because FR refuses to put a better product on their trailers. For $20K+, one should expect to get at least 5,000 miles on a set of tires regardless of whether they are bias ply or radials. Bias ply, if properly cared for, should easily last 5,000 miles.
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Old 08-30-2012, 09:55 AM   #2
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I'm just curious, are your tires "Trail Express" and are they covered with cracks in the sidewalls?
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Old 08-30-2012, 10:09 AM   #3
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just got back from a 2000 mile trip with my 2012 grey wolf 28bh. all four tires are worn out on the inside. tire pressure was 50 lbs and tank was empty. had this trouble on my previous camper and new better tires took care of it. taking back to dealer next week.
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Old 08-30-2012, 10:46 AM   #4
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Yes, they are the Trail Express tires.

No, there is no weather cracking on any of the tires. They simply wore out well before they should have with proper maintenance and care. FR offered to sell me the Trail Express Radials for $75 per tire but I would have to pay for shipping, mount and balance. This is no kind of solution to an ongoing problem. I can buy better tires locally for less than they offered me. Their customer service director, though courteous, had no power to make any other offers to me. He even mentioned to me that they have been trying to discontinue the bias ply tires because of the issues they continue to have but FR corporate will not do away with them simply because of the price point.
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Old 08-30-2012, 01:42 PM   #5
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I bought my trailer, a Grey Wolf 21rr new this spring. I was not thirty miles from the dealer when my first tire separated into three pieces. The dealer came out and replaced the tire for me. Two months later I was examining my tires and they all had considerable cracking on the sidewalls. These were replaced under warranty and now about two more months have passed and my replacements are all developing cracks. I am currently working with Lionshead to resolve this problem. I am not sure what they will do this time. I am wondering if I am the only one on this forum with cracking rubber on my tires.
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Old 08-31-2012, 08:19 PM   #6
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I had mine balanced before using them much and have almost 4k miles on them this year with even wear and no cracks (MFR date stamp is end of 2010). Was quite suprised myself, really. Would I buy these again? Heck no, but they have not been as bad as I expected they would be from reviews and issues people seem to have. I am by no means saying these tires are great, but just dropping my experiences with them balanced properly.
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Old 09-02-2012, 08:29 AM   #7
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When they sent me my replacements I had them balanced and installed metal valve stems and a TPMS. They still cracked at two months old. Personally I think it is a lack of consistency in their rubber compound. When they get it right the tires last and when they get it to hard they crack.
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Old 09-02-2012, 09:26 AM   #8
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Where was your Gray W built? I see you are in Wash. if built in Ind.that is more than 1500 miles,if you have used it also. Did they put new tires on it after the transporter del.it? Youroo!!
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Old 09-03-2012, 03:26 PM   #9
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I had axle and tire problems with my 2011, and they replaced all 4 tires. The dealer told me they put the cheapest tires they can find, and they do not hold up. I had them upgraded to better radial tires.
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Old 09-03-2012, 03:44 PM   #10
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My 2011 Flagstaff (bought in 2010) has at least 8000 miles on Duro (made in China) tires with no signs of problems so far, although longest trip this year was probably less than 20 miles total.
On my firswt 5th wheel (Terry) got about 35-40,000 on first set of tires (don't know what kind they were). Had one blow out towards the end. Last tires on it wore on the inside edge like the axles were taking a set.
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Old 09-03-2012, 04:19 PM   #11
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Just a few points to reflect on.
1. Almost all Trailer makers put these cheap tiresome their trailers. I looked at several companies when buying my trailer including keystone (cougar, premier, outback), k-z, and jayco. The only exception was jayco. Some of them had good years on them.

2. I have trail express on mine too and have about 2000 miles on them with no signs of wear. I do think mine are radials though. Not positive on that.

3. You may want to check the alignment on your axles. It could be off which can explain the tread wear.

I too agree that the tires are cheap and plan to replace mine with maxxis tired when these start to show wear. I hope you have better luck in the future and can figure out why the bad tread wear.
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Old 09-04-2012, 10:10 AM   #12
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I have the same year trailer and we don't have uneven wear. I've been looking tho.
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Old 09-08-2012, 10:59 AM   #13
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Thank you for the responses. After much more research and discussion with my dealer, we have realized that the trailer is built to the absolute minimum specifications to be legal on the road. It will always be running at full capacity of the tires and axles with no margin for safety. Unless I upgrade to 15" wheels and tires, I will never meet my GVWR on the trailer and continue to wear out tires early. In fact Les Schwab was very hesitant to even install any 14" tire on it because they could not find anything that would support the rated capacity. If a reputable tire company won't even put them on, then how can I feel comfortable going down the road with them? We have decided to take a loss and purchase a different trailer that is built properly with plenty of safety margin to allow the tires to wear properly and not max out the load on the axles. For the record, it is not a forest river.
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Old 09-08-2012, 06:04 PM   #14
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I have a 2012 Cherokee 264L it's max weight is almost exactly the same as the OPs, and I am having the exact same problem after 3000 miles of me pulling it. It is not just wore down some, it is bald on the inner and outer on all 4. I don't get how with a max weight of 7660 the max load on the tires adds up to 7280. The dealer was telling me how they figure it out for a balance, but empty on the scale I was at 6600 on the camper wheels so with only 680 in stuff I put in it, it will be over the weight limit of the camper, but not of the trailer
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Old 09-09-2012, 12:01 AM   #15
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Bias tires were put on earlier trailers and I had severals trailers with them without any problems at all but these tires were made in the U.S. cOULD YOUR PROBLEM BE A TRACKING PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE TIRES TO WEAR ON THE INSIDE LIKE THAT. i THINK A RADIAL WOULD HAVE ENDED UP THE SAME WAY IF A TRACKING PROBLEM EXIST.
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Old 09-09-2012, 08:41 AM   #16
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I have roughly 1200-1500 miles on our 2012 Grey Wolf 26BH, it weighs in right around 7000lbs. I have been watching the tires very closely, mainly since they are a brand that I have never heard of. So far they are wearing perfect, but when it does come time to replace them I will be going with Maxxis tires. If I can find some 15" aluminum wheels for a good price I will upgrade, otherwise I will just buy some 14" aluminum wheels and put the Maxxis tires on them.
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Old 09-09-2012, 12:33 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by capucine
Bias tires were put on earlier trailers and I had severals trailers with them without any problems at all but these tires were made in the U.S. cOULD YOUR PROBLEM BE A TRACKING PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE TIRES TO WEAR ON THE INSIDE LIKE THAT. i THINK A RADIAL WOULD HAVE ENDED UP THE SAME WAY IF A TRACKING PROBLEM EXIST.
They are not wearing only on the inside, it is both inside and outside. That is not a tracking issue. If you look at anything about tire wear, the only cause can be either under inflated, which they are not, or overloaded, which I believe they are, since they have a lower weight rating than the gross vehicle weight rating
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Old 09-09-2012, 05:34 PM   #18
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you have a good answer barnman 1 specially if you add all your contents over the weight of the trailer. They are probably at their limits or over.
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Old 09-09-2012, 06:45 PM   #19
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I went and looked at my car. I see the weight rating on the tires is 6836 and the GVWR is 5525. I have looked at many vehicles and they are all the same of the tire weight rating is between 1500 to 2000 over the gross vehicle weight rating. Where on the camper the weight rating on the tires is about 500 UNDER the GVWR. I have heard some people say "oh well it is just a trailer" but to me it is a trailer I am attaching to my vehicle, carrying my wife and kid, and locked so it won't separate.
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Old 09-09-2012, 07:09 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Barnman1
I went and looked at my car. I see the weight rating on the tires is 6836 and the GVWR is 5525. I have looked at many vehicles and they are all the same of the tire weight rating is between 1500 to 2000 over the gross vehicle weight rating. Where on the camper the weight rating on the tires is about 500 UNDER the GVWR. I have heard some people say "oh well it is just a trailer" but to me it is a trailer I am attaching to my vehicle, carrying my wife and kid, and locked so it won't separate.
You do have to take tongue weight into consideration. My trailer is the same way, but when I subtract the almost 1000 lbs of tongue weight, my tires are under the gvwr by several hundred pounds. Although I would like a bigger buffer, it is all legal and under limits.
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