Hey all

I got small 5x8 trailer with 12" tires. Since I am second owner, I don't have a manual. My question is what is right pressure for those tires.
In summer time, those tires getting pretty hot.

 

Look closely at the tire itself. Every tire has printed on the sidewall the Max cold psi.

 

Ditto. I would suggest running trailer tires at the max printed on the sidewall.

 

Thanks for replies, guys.

 

The max pressure on the side of the tire is for the combined weight of the load. If you have a single axle trailer with two tires and the max pressure is 35 psi. @ 2800 lbs., this equals out to 5600 lbs. You can carry including the weight of the trailer. If your trailers weight is 600 lbs. and you are carrying a 600 lb. atv that is 1200 lbs.
One, the trailer will bounce all over the road and running that much pressure will cause the center of the tread to wear out quickly.
Second, it will also depend on whether the tires are byass or radial.
What you need to do is weight the trailer with the most common weight you will be hauling.
Then adjust the air pressure to that weight. So; if as above, your total weight is 1200 lbs., I would suggest you run roughly 28lbs. in both tires and periodicly check to see how the tires are wearing and adjust form there.
However if you ever load more than your determined weight.......be sure to increase the air pressure to match that weight.......don't just leave the 28 psi in the tire if you are carrying 3500 lbs.
A tire will normally loose (psi) 1 pound/ month and 1 pound/ 10 degrees of temp drop. So check your tires often. Example: If you check your tires in August @ 80 degree temp and you put in 30 psi. in the tire, by January @ 30 degree temp., the tire will have dropped 10 lbs. to 20 psi. This a mainly just a reference of what to go by.

I have seen too many guys carry to much pressure in a trailer that it wears out the center tread and evenually the tire fails.

 

That is answer I was waiting for. Thanks.

 

I have to run mine at about 1/2 of the max pressure. Any higher and it eats the center of the tread right off.

 

I had been running tires on a 5th wheel at less than max psi, since they were way under their rated load.

One of them exploded on the highway. I pulled over quickly and all that was left was two sidewalls.

Looking at the tire brand's web page, they said for their trailer tires to run them at max psi all the time. I started doing that, and haven't blown up another trailer tire yet.

With that little flatbed, though, if it did bounce badly or wear too much down the center I might consider backing down a bit.

 

jeffintd

You do have somewhat of a point.
As I said it depends on whether it is a radial or byass tire. A radial tire will build alot more heat when run at lower psi due to the steel cords. So with a radial tire some compromise has to be made, but it still needs to be adjusted to weight.

 

Jeffintd
Also your tire failure may not of been the lower air pressure. It could of been a flaw in the tire such as a seperation of cords caused by hitting a pot hole or curb, or just a tire flaw.
It may have had a small leak that happened several miles back and the lose of air caused the tire to then over heat and blow. If you had no tread to bring back to the tire dealer to inspect, that is their excuse to not warrentee the tire even if if had a warrentee and their answer to get themselves out of hot water.
I was in the tire business for over 15 years and have seen more "trailer" tire failure due to over inflation (wear out the center and it allows easier penatration of rocks) and punctures than I have seen with proper inflation.