Problems with small trailer tires.

 Roger, back in March 2024 I bought a Bear Track Aluminum Trailer to tow my new-to-me Harley Trike. The bed is 10', trike fits great, trailer weight 400 lbs and I love it. But not so happy about the tires. For one thing, I just found that when I bought the trailer, the tires were already over 2 years old, date stamp is "0822". Anyway, we did a short trip in Apr 2024, all was fine. Then a big trip in Oct 2024 and about 80 miles from home we had a flat. A puncture, so not the tire's fault. But then in March 2025 I took the trailer back to where we bought it, because one side the wheel wiggled. They said the bearing needed tightened. They did that under warranty, but also told me the tire on the other side had a broken belt. They got that replaced under warranty as well. Then just last week, returning home from a 5 day trip, the other tire a belt broke while on the road and the tire went immediately flat. So now, all 3 tires, only the patched tire (now the spare) is even usable.

So my question is, what brand do people recommend most for trailer tires and where can I get some that were made very recently. The ones that came with the trailer are MasterTrack UN203 Branded, Size: ST175/80R13, other numbering: 6PR 91/87M Load Range C, rated at 1360 lbs (single) I think that means one tire on each side. So the Trike weight 1200 lbs and the trailer 400 lbs. So that should be 1600 lbs total or only 800 lbs exerted onto each tire. Well below the limit indicated.

Also this tire says Plies: Tread Polyester 1 + Steel 2 Sidewall Polyester 1

I am willing to spend more for a better brand, higher Load Range, whatever it takes.

 

My answer..............

Based on the numbers in your post, I'm not sure why you are having "broken belt" problems. That term is kind of a catch-all, so without seeing the tire and lacking a few pictures of the "Broken Belts", I am doing a little "shooting in the dark, but here goes.

 

An 0822 date tire should not be having belt problems at that light a load. However if the dealer was willing and able to change one tire under warranty at 3 years old and the second tire also having some issue at 3-1/2 years, it is not unreasonable for you to "shop around".

IMO an  ST175/80R13 LR-C when only loaded to 50% of its "rated load" in your type of service should be good for 4+ years assuming it is always fully inflated to 50 psi.

I would suggest you check with etrailer.com as they have both radial and bias tires in LR-D in your size. Even though the etrailer tires are LR-D you can get 1,360# load capacity at 50 psi as long as you keep them inflated to that level.

 

Tire terminology: Basic tire construction, Part 1

 After a recent post on selecting travel trailer tires, I received a question from a reader who asked, "What is a cap ply?" I sent an email explaining that some tires include a layer of fabric on top of the belts to help stabilize the tread area of the tire. Pay attention to the different types of tire. Some have a "cap ply" and some do not.

You can learn if a tire has this reinforcement if you "read" the tire sidewall. For example, the tire in this picture has 2 body Polyester ply + 2 steel ply + 2 Nylon Ply in the tread area.  It also has 2 ply of Polyester in the sidewall.

 

 

Obviously, I am too close to the topic of tire construction and sometimes too focused on the technical terminology, so I decided to cover some of the basics. It is easiest to provide links to a few videos on tire construction. But first, I want to be sure that we are all on the same page.

1. Different tire applications, i.e., trailer, car, pickup, small motorhome, and Class A RVs all have different loading and different needs, so there are some construction differences among the tire needs for each application.

2. Having said that, tires for different applications are "different." But it is also important to understand that the general features and parts of tires are similar. So, don't jump over one video just because the tires in that video are not specific to your use. There are still enough similarities that some of the information presented will help you develop a better understanding of the features in your tires.

Basic passenger car tire

Let's start with a basic passenger car tire with a video from the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association. This tire has 1 body ply and 2 steel belts and no "cap ply". It is just your basic, low-cost passenger car tire. The steps in this video would be what you saw if you were able to visit any tire plant in the world.

You will note that almost all radial tires, from a small 13" to a large 24.5" tire, have the basic features and components shown in the video, those being inner liner, body ply, sidewall, belts, and tread.

High-performance passenger car tire

The first video was an animation. Now, let's look at the real thing, in this case, a high-performance passenger car tire. Did you note the addition of rubber-coated fabric (time 3:15 in the video) just before the tread rubber was applied?

This is what is known as a "cap ply" or tread "overlay".  The "cap ply can be the full width of the belts, as seen in this video. Or, it may be just in the center portion of the tread or possibly two individual strips of reinforced material over the edges.

Different tires have different performance needs, and different tire companies can select different methods of meeting the performance, durability, and cost objectives for their tires.

Next week we will cover larger, all steel radials, as found on most Class A RVs.

If you have any questions on this information you can email me at Tireman9 (at) gmail.com or use the form below.