I'm obviously not talking about simply wearing out the tread as that depends on how many miles the trailer goes. I mean if you don't tow that often, plenty of tread left, how long do the tires last? I just started to get my boat ready for the year and noticed side wall cracks on 2 of 4 tires. They are 6 years old. It is stored outside but the tires are always shielded with plywood planks from the sun. How much of a worry are the sidewall cracks? My plan was to put the boat in the water as is in about 2 weeks (it stays in the water until about Labor Day) let the trailer/tires sit outside until the fall and put new tires on right before I take it out of the water this fall. Sound reasonable or are any sidewall cracks too dangerous to tow with at all?

 

They generally last about 5 years before they start to dry rot. I don't think I'd trust them with sidewall cracks.

 

the trailer tires my dad just bought have a 7 year warrenty if that tells you anything. more info on the boat (weight) and how far are you pulling it. surface cracks and pulling it 20 miles down the road wouldnt worry me

 

I've always heard 5 years as well. I bought a trailer last year with 6 year old tires and allegedly not many miles (most of the tread was there). However, it had been sitting in the grass and you could tell the tires were on their last leg. When I use it though I'm typically driving 4+ hours away so I was rather concerned about a blowout a good distance from home.

 

Tires have a life of about 5 years from the date of manufacture.
The fed government has been toying with the idea of putting expiration dates on tires. 5 years is from the date they were made. Many tires are in storage or at tire dealers for up to a year(s) before they are sold making available life even shorter.

Any dry rotting tire should not be trusted.
This doesn't mean they will blow, but the chance of tire failure or tread/casing separation is greatly increased.

Most trailer tires are replaced long before they go bald/worn, but because of dry rotting.
I also advise not to buy a new tire as a spare tire; it will probably go bad long before it is ever used.

Last note: Remember to always run your trailer tires at maximum tire pressure listed on the tire. This will let it run cooler and decrease rolling resistance.

 

i replace my tires every other year ... its good insurance for what they cost ... for 125.00 you can get a pair of 14" tires installed and not have to worry about it ... i tow 2 hours away multiple times a year ... i would rather spend a little on tires than have a blowout and destroy a fender and tail light

 

I have done a couple hundred miles trip with the 4 tire cracked pretty bad last year.
Put 4 new one this to be worry free.

 

I just had a blow out last week on my pop-up. It was the driver side (I just realized it was because it faces the southern sun every day). IIRC it was about 4 years old, maybe a couple thousand miles on it. Replaced it with a 15-yr old spare Gotta get some new tires!

 

Update:

I took the (very small I think) risk and hauled the boat up to get it in the lake last Friday. No issues. The cracks were few in number and small in size. I guess as has been said they just basically rot. Although I shield the tires with plywood when parked, the 2 that were cracked were both on the north facing side so although the heat did not help things, it was definitely not just a sun exposure issue. I'll let them deteriorate for a few more months now and put 4 new ones on right before I take the boat out this fall.