Nice: Only made it about 8 Miles distant so they're sending out the service truck with a air compressor and tire changing apparatus with them. Only thing I have in this truck, is a viable spare.
I'm up to the lucky number 13 of Tire explosions on this trailer! Not a single of the tires that have been rotated through on this trailer have made tread depth wear before exploding. All have been 10 ply China bombs. I don't think any of them making 7,500 Mi before exploding. I've consistently tried to tell them they need to purchase name brand tires which falls on deaf ears.
Upgrading to 17.5"s would fix that. 17.5" tires are a far stronger tire, even with cheap tires. I have run out quite a few tires on three different trailers without any blowouts.
Yea 17.5's are the perfect solution. The next lower step is using the 235 80 16's in 14 ply. I had ordered a Diamond C with 17.5's during Covid. It was going to be a year before I would get it, so I bought one with the 10 ply 16's tread looked just like those on this pic. I took it immediately to the tire shop and had them put 14 plys on it. Much better tire, especially for the money.
I believe you can upgrade a trailer with 16's to 17.5's, replacing all the wheels. Gets expensive though . . .
I sent the owners links for four different brands of 14 ply tires and a link for four pre built replacement brake assemblies. I've been telling them about a year brakes were getting thin but I can now hear metal on metal with the brakes applied. I'm thinking there is going to be a lesson in not listening to operator complaints. Brake drums for Dexter axles are not any shade of cheap.
The price of "balking" is going to get expensive. Brake drums, along with all brake parts need replaced. Tires are to be addressed also but the jury is still out on that one.
At some point you need to park it for safety on the brakes. This is hard on dispatchability.
It's in the repair shop now and they have proven what I suspected. Parts are ordered but I have no ETA on an RTS time frame. It's about this time when operating with known deficiencies the DOT cops tend to find you..... I'm not going to be "That Guy".
I had a clapped out Miller that did 17.5 tires like that. I found a suitable replacement with 22.5 rubber. Bigger rubber is night and day. That trailer had the independent walking beam and the shops could not keep it on straight and good bearings in it. It was always dragging.
Was just talking to parts supplier yesterday about converting from old 10.00X15 rubber to 22.5 rubber and I need to get a spoke number to move along with to see if viable on a trailer I'm going to look at. Most of the lowboy trailers I've been around or repaired have 255/70R22.5 rubber.
Just the empty trailer braking difference is great, at least it was for me. That Miller was a smokeshow and the Freeway trailer, I can feel it yard back on me quite a bit before it breaks traction.
I only had the hydraulic tail trailer with 22.5 rubber. Both others had 8.25X15LPT rubber. As you say the braking difference is noticable. Only had one Lo Pro rollback truck on 19.5 rubber and didn't keep it too long citing braking performance when loaded.
You can get aftermarket brake drums and shoes for Dexter axles. Wouldn't be surprised if Dexter gets the OEM from overseas. Since they're wear items, it's not a big deal. They still use the same bearings.
I've used R&P Carriages for trailer parts for a lot of years so sent links directly to them. Hopefully they will patronize the folks as they are a small family supporting themselves with that business. Always good service from them too. Not a pitch but rather fact. I've never replaced the series of drum on a trailer this one has. They may be the same but seem different to me. Been a long time ago but I had two gooseneck trailers and one had Dexter axles, the other Hayes. I can't remember which one I put brakes on had which brand. I know this one has self adjusting electric brakes and the links I sent were exact replacement but aftermarket. The shop up the street from the dealership works on trailers a lot so will have everything needed in place. He sold trailers for three years but his repair business has flourished, so ceased selling.
The shop I know used to make 300 trailers a year. Their trailers were much better built using tubing instead of channel and just heavier duty. The problem was they couldn't charge what they were worth. Some customers would gladly pay the difference for a better trailer but they got tired of trying to compete with cheaper built trailers. Too many people just look at the price. They didn't want to damage their reputation making cheap trailers. They always did rentals and still do but they make more money doing repairs and modifications than they ever did building complete trailers. They do good work and are always busy. The owner was going to throw out a bunch of axles that his shop manager and I convinced him were worth a bunch. They sold at auction and we got about $6500 after commission.
Back years ago 14 ply trailer tires were not very common . I had a lot better luck with LT tires and i run a lot of used tires a used trailer tire wasnt worth even trying. I think for some reason age was worse on a trailer tire compared to a LT.
I'm most likely going to build myself a trailer to replace a well worn flatbed car hauler from 1986 soon. That trailer, (much like "Krusty") is well worn in and out. Probably model from my skid steer trailer which is constructed from 2X6-3/16" wall tube frame, and 2X6X1/4" wall tube comprising the tongue with "Torflex" Dexter axles. Xmembers are "jr" I beam with this one and it's been good but structurally deficient from rust these days. It was new with my 1845C in 1995, or 1996 and has been given no special care. Hydraulic surge brakes on this trailer that I really don't care for. They are not bad when loaded, but trailer is so heavy it "pushes" the pulling truck when empty under moderate braking and slick conditions. As you mention it will cost more to build one, but will track straight behind the pulling unit and won't abnormally wear tires as quality can be controlled easily when building for yourself.
I gave up on finding a trailer tire that would last on my work trailer. I bought a set of truck tires and now get twice the life out of them. I had many of the trailer tires decapitate and come apart like yours. Truck tires won’t do that.
This really has been nuts to repeat this scenario this many times. It is however the first time I've thrown it back in their lap to handle. With no end in sight to this madness, I'm about done with it altogether. I invoice them by the hour so I'm paid regardless, but their way of doing things and mine are gaining disparity so I'm stepping back.
Drill small holes in the bottom of a tubing frame trailer to let any moisture drain. 3/16" is fine for the tongue since there's usually a reinforcement on the tongue. My 14,000lb. trailer is 6x2x 3/16" tubing main frame. The tongue comes straight out off the main frame and has 4x2 tubing reinforcements under each side going back under the trailer. Channel trailers usually have long lengths going under the frame and bent to form the hitch with reinforcement on top. My trailer has 7K torsion axles and pulls way nicer than springs. I've hauled a 12,000lb. JD 355D track loader on it no problem. Truck tires are much better than trailer tires but it depends on the brands. I had 1 no name trailer tire seperate in the tread but not blow and another that did blow with just a 5000lb skid steer. I was close so just drove to a tire shop and got a good used truck tire for $50. Other than hearing the tire blow, the trailer didn't pull much differently. Another driver alerted me of the blown tire but I already knew. It was only about 5 miles to the tire shop.
I worked a job that if you fought to put your rig in the shop as it was worn or unsafe, you were going home for a day, week, month, till it was fixed. Hard spot to be in. Part time gig I do tried doing that one night when my dumptruck had air system issues. Told them if I was going home, I'm getting paid for my 2hrs of travel and don't bother calling me again. All of a sudden "we'll find something you can do"
I manned up and did the right thing, you did too. I had one of those sketchy solo truck gigs in town one slow winter. When the truck did not get fixed I got in my car and drove off.
I reported incorrectly. The angle tubing that is the tongue is also 3/16" wall. There is a perpendicular, (but acute angle) stringer that becomes the front of the chain tray and a closing channel for the deck becomes the rear. There is sheet metal welded to he underside of the tubes for the floor of the chain tray. Those tongue tubes weld into the first jr I beam xmember up next to where this xmember welds to the inner edge of the outer tubes that are the trailer frame. The rear is also closed up with a channel being full width housing the lamps, and hinge points for the fold down ramps. I'm sure lack of ventilation and condensation caused the tubes to rot from the inside. The areas where the "torflex" axles weld to the structure tubes are rotted through and weakened also, so I don't use the trailer any longer. That old car hauler trailer I had to cut the original angle steel tongue off when it got bent downward with a heavy load and hard braking. I cut these off four inches ahead of the trailer deck and welded in 3-1/2" square 1/4" wall tubing tying back under the trailer about three feet and welded on a new "Bulldog" coupler. Probably not going to bend again and that's been about 18 years ago.
This has been a tough one along the way. Small implement dealers are thinning down quickly and those still around have a relatively rough go of it. I only come in when needed to drive the larger truck as have a clean class A CDL and current medical. I have detached from the day to day operations as it's not my business but in reality they are friends and am still wanting to help them out. With me, they don't have an employee and all the associated overhead, and we schedule my time around my availability. It's a win/win for all concerned but it has to work for everybody also. I do believe they will try but by me not saying much and just keep making the repairs, it's become an out of sight, out of mind type thing. Of the 13 flats I've had on this trailer, I've mounted all the replacement tires at my shop. The same with the electrical work these things seemingly always need. It's time to shift the responsibility as becoming something less then desirable to do as no end in sight till recent.
I say that trailers are rated for a 50% load, or only loaded 50% of the time.