Uneven tyre wear on trailer tyres

[HDAV]

So I decided to do my annual trailer service this afternoon.

Each year I replace one hub assembly completely and rebuild and check the other. Unbraked idespension roller trailer.


Now the trailer came with the craft I bough the used in 2015 the tyres are 2014 date coded but trailer could be older. Both tyres are worn more on the inside fat 20.5-8x10 beach wheels.

Both tyres are worn on the inner edge more than the outer but one tyre is almost to the wear markers on the inside still legal but getting close... what would cause this?

Axle not square so trailer crabbing? Worn bearings? This is side I just replaced.... under inflation? As it’s worse on one side 5an the other it did occur to swap the wheels over (tyres don’t seem to have a direction arrow but inflation valves on the inside would be a nuisance so it would be a full swap near to off.

The wheels have seen better days and may get replaced if I can’t get them refurbed for a reasonable sum (less of an option now I potentially need a new tyre also....) but that was a winter project and not something I was planning to do now.....

If it is the axle how or where do you take it to get it aligned? Trailer gets towed 60mile round trip each time I launch plus any long trips away for the weekend so it does get some use..... I have a spare buts more a get me off the motorway spare than a use it regularly spare......

[Vega252]

Hi, wear on the inside of the tyres suggeast that they are toeing out, ie pointing away from the trailer at the front. Possibly the rubber bushes which form the suspension are worn. Most garages would have a track alignmet tool which could confirm this very quickly.

Best regards

Chris

[Xk59D]

Correct me if I'm wrong but tracking on cars is done relative to the back wheels is it not? How will that work on a trailer?

[HDAV]

The rubber bushes could be worn but don’t see what adjustment there is it’s a square peg in a box section packed with rubber........and probably a bunch of sand and seawater now.....

Don’t really want to have to buy a new axle.......

Hmm https://www.etrailer.com/question-37871.html will check inflation pressure and go from here I think.....

[HDAV]

This Is the worst tyre

https://ibb.co/b0QJz7

https://ibb.co/dTZBK7

This is the other one

https://ibb.co/cR4BK7

[Last Tango]

Tread looks "feathered" over the full width of the tyre.
Garage or tyre fitting place should be able to check they're parallel.

Also if the wheels have a non-standard "hub-face-offset" to accommodate the wide sand tyres the centre of the tyre width will no longer coincide with the centre of the hub bearing assembly so the load could be forcing negative camber on the wheels.
Viewed from behind, does it look as thought the wheels are vertical or are they sloping in towards the top?

[HDAV]

Looks more like camber than feather to me according to what’s here
Tyre Wear Patterns: Types, Causes & Illustrations 🚗 May just be he bearings were worn and wheel was leaning inwards

Bearings looked ok when removed some rust starting to form on the cage but rollers and races seemed clean and unpitted didn’t seem to have a lot of play.

I think the wheels are zero offset so side doesn’t matter.

[beamishken]

Looks to me like 2 possibilities a) the wide wheels are causing extra load on the suspension creating extra camber or b) the suspension has degraded slightly altering the camber angle or creating a toe in condition
Either way there is no adjustment to compensate
If it were me id get the tyres turned on the rims and continue monitoring the situation . The tyres are 4 years old if you turn them you may get another 2 or 3 seasons by which time a pair of tyres isnt a big issue
Checking the tracking will confirm if there is a toe in situation but there is little to gain as you cant rectify it

[HDAV]

Thanks was hoping to get another 2 years or so from the wheels and tyres then I think they will need replacing was considering an upgrade next year or year after anyway...... might take the worst one for turning hope it evens out.