Advice Needed: Mixing Tire Brands on a Single-Axle Camper Trailer

[neu]

Hello everyone!
I have a single-axle 16ft camper trailer. It's equipped with ST 205 75 R14 Castle Rock Radial ST 226 tires. Last season, I discovered cracks on the sidewall of both tires in the same location. I believe this happened because, before I bought the trailer, it had been sitting on deflated tires for a certain period.

I replaced the tire on one axle with a spare (which is brand new and of the same brand), but left the one with cracks on the other axle.

As the next season starts, I'd like to sell the trailer but want to replace the cracked tire with a new one so that the new owner can safely use the trailer. I don't see the point in doing this for both axles since one axle already has a brand-new spare. I tried to find a wheel of the same brand in Canada, but it turned out to be an unsolvable problem; they just don't sell them here. The cost of shipping from the US plus import tax makes the price of a new tire of the same brand a very expensive purchase.

Do you think I can put a tire from a different manufacturer on the other side of the axle if it's the same size? Do you think this could deter buyers, in your opinion?

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

What's the age of the spare? Whether it has made one revolution in it's life is secondary.

My take on it would be to leave it as is and disclose it. Knock some off the price or give the guy a gift card to a tire store. I was "stuck" with new tires I didn't like when I got my RV, I would've much rather picked my own.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[neu]

What's the age of the spare? Whether it has made one revolution in it's life is secondary.

My take on it would be to leave it as is and disclose it. Knock some off the price or give the guy a gift card to a tire store. I was "stuck" with new tires I didn't like when I got my RV, I would've much rather picked my own.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

The age of the spare is six years. Thanks for your advice, maybe I'll really go with this option

 

[Babe2201]

Are you going to be using the TT for any long trips before you sell it? If you are I would be looking at 2 new tires and possible 3 for a new spare as well. If not then I would sell it as is and like Mark said take a little off the price so the buyer can choose which tires he puts on it. I am not sure how prices are running in Canada at the moment but in our area you could get 3 really good trailer tires for under $300.

 

[LarsMac]

Well, when we sold our horse trailer, we spent 600 bucks on new tires, and raised the price a grand.

 

[Domo]

Don't mix tire brands on the same axle.

Six years is pretty much where I'd expect daily inspection of the sidewall as well as check for tread separation.

Disclose to the buyer as suggested above, and let them decide - if they are naive - TELL them to do it and give them some guilt money. I'd write it on the bill of sale so the buyer knows it can be a serious issue.

 

[Excalibur]

Don't mix tire brands on the same axle.

Six years is pretty much where I'd expect daily inspection of the sidewall as well as check for tread separation.

Disclose to the buyer as suggested above, and let them decide - if they are naive - TELL them to do it and give them some guilt money. I'd write it on the bill of sale so the buyer knows it can be a serious issue.

Six years you are still good with that spare. Ten is the federal rule beyond which no tire shop will touch it, even for a repair. Found that out the hard way.

 

[CharlesinGA]

If I were buying, I'd want Goodyear Endurance tires. Have learned the hard way on that. If it had brand new Chinese tires, I'd buy the trailer but I'd be replacing the tires as soon as I got home, and selling the others or sticking them on a utility trailer or giving them away.

Charles

 

[neu]

I just thought that perhaps I could use the trailer for one more long trip before selling it. Maybe I should consider buying a used wheel from a different manufacturer? But then the same question arises: is it okay to have different tire patterns on the same axle?

 

[longhaul]

But then the same question arises: is it okay to have different tire patterns on the same axle?

X2.
With 5 trailers on the road and 28 tires on the ground I learned the hard way its not the best idea to use a different brand (tread pattern) on a single axle/tandem axle/tri axle trailer.
Biggest issue is hard braking on especially wet pavement will usually result in one tread pattern has more wet pavement grip than the other brand(s). This results in that tire sliding along, gets flat spotted.

If it was me I would sell the trailer as is and let the new owner decide what size/type tire he likes.

 

[Domo]

Six years you are still good with that spare. Ten is the federal rule beyond which no tire shop will touch it, even for a repair. Found that out the hard way.

Yes, the fed is here to help you. (Sarcasm)

I much prefer giving posters the safest advice to protect them, their RV and their families as well as others.

Checking tirrd daily is not a burden when you want to extend the usage. Please don't encourager posters to rely on government guidelines without checking their own gear.

 

[Ray-IN]

Different tread designs on trailer tires is not an issue IMO, especially if it does not have brakes. All the tires do is support the load, and allow towing vs dragging.

 

[CharlesinGA]

I don't see the point in doing this for both axles since one axle already has a brand-new spare

To eliminate some confusion, an AXLE goes all the way across the trailer (in most instances) and has a left and a right wheel on it. You trailer has ONE axle which has a spindle and hub on each side. I had to read this a couple of times to figure out what was going on.

I tried to find a wheel of the same brand in Canada, but it turned out to be an unsolvable problem; they just don't sell them here.

You are not looking for a wheel, but rather a TIRE. The wheel is the metal part that the tire is mounted to. I assume you have three good wheels, the spare and the two on the ground, but the tires are questionable.

Castle Rock is cheap Chinese, real cheap. I have seen some people in forums say they didn't finish the first camping trip before a Castle Rock blew out.

GY Endurance in ST295/75R14 LR D size at Canadian Tire - $230 Can

Hankook Vantra ST in ST205/75R14 and load range D/8 ply - at Canadian Tire $210 Can

Canadian Tire does not have the Carlisle in load range D, only in C

Carlisle ST205/75R14 load range D at Speciality Tire - $165 Can

This might help with the decision making. These are the only three brands I would recommend. Hankook is a Korean company that has plants in Korea, China, and the US and they are designed/engineered in the US. Hankook is the OEM supplier for most Ford Truck tires right out of the assembly line.

I am not sure how prices are running in Canada at the moment but in our area you could get 3 really good trailer tires for under $300.

Thats kinda of a stretch, GY Endurance at Discount Tire locally is $175 US in the OP's size. Carlisle Radial Trail is $115, the Hankook is $132. For all of these you add mount, stems, balance.

Charles

 

[SpencerPJ]

IMO, many people do not like to buy an item then immediately spend money on it. Many of us would buy the more quality brand tires, and for good reason. We do not know the model or the weight of this trailer, but there are many entry tires that would work fine. The though of a clean trailer, NEW tires sounds like a great sales pitch with little $. Maybe simple tires off Amazon, example

 

[Babe2201]

Thats kinda of a stretch, GY Endurance at Discount Tire locally is $175 US in the OP's size. Carlisle Radial Trail is $115, the Hankook is $132. For all of these you add mount, stems, balance.

I sell a lot of Power King Towmax Vanguard in that size for about half of what the Endurance tires sell for and have not had any issues with them. I have not checked who makes them but the ones I sold prior to these were made by Goodyear and looked exactly like the Marathon and I did not have any issues with those either. I am not going to say that the Endurance are not better but they are certainly not twice as good and you don't have to pay for the blimp. I would not hesitate putting the Vanguards on any trailer I had and actually did put them on my TT.

 

[Kirk]

Do you think this could deter buyers, in your opinion?

If the buyer is experienced he will probably check the date codes on all 3 tires and based on that plan to buy new tires all around. If he is new RV owner then he will probably just look to see what they look like. A lot also depends on the price that you are asking as compared to what similar RVs are selling for.

The age of the spare is six years.

If I were buying the RV, I would consider all tires due for replacement and would pay based on it needing 3 new tires.

I just thought that perhaps I could use the trailer for one more long trip before selling it.

In this case you need to consider what could happen while you are using it. If a tire should blow out while traveling at highway speeds, it is very common for major damage to be done to the RV. Consider what the steel belt can do when hitting the inside of the wheel well at 60 mph..... What would that do to your ability to sell the travel trailer?

 

[Babe2201]

I just thought that perhaps I could use the trailer for one more long trip before selling it. Maybe I should consider buying a used wheel from a different manufacturer? But then the same question arises: is it okay to have different tire patterns on the same axle?

Just keep in mind that a lot of damage can happen to a TT from a flat tire and can even total them. I am not sure what good it would do to buy a used wheel unless you are looking for a wheel and tire assembly to pop on but good luck with finding one that is not as old or older than the ones you have now. I have replaced hundreds of trailer tires and have had less than 10 of them that were replaced that were still useable and 4 of them were on my personal TT that were only 2 years old.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

But then the same question arises: is it okay to have different tire patterns on the same axle?

There is nothing inherently wrong with using different tire brands/models on the same axle, but different tire tread patterns or wall construction have all sorts of problem potential and should be avoided. So the general advice is to use the same brand/model on both ends of an axle and you won't have any of those worries.

What it boils down to is that relatively few buyers have the knowledge to assess whether another brand/model of tire is sufficiently alike to be trouble-free, but anybody ought to be able to read the brand and model name on the sidewall.

 

[Fluffywhitedogs]

I agree with Kirk, what would the damage caused by a potential blowout do to your ability to sell? (Not to mention you or someone else could get hurt, or it could ruin your last trip).
Throw a set of Carlisle’s on it, enjoy your last trip, and use them as a selling point.
I’m in Canada as well, and got my Carlisle’s for a great price through my mechanic. He was a big trailer guy and was very impressed by their quality. When I had a single axle, it was nice to know that it had great tires on it.

 

[neu]

To eliminate some confusion, an AXLE goes all the way across the trailer (in most instances) and has a left and a right wheel on it. You trailer has ONE axle which has a spindle and hub on each side. I had to read this a couple of times to figure out what was going on.


You are not looking for a wheel, but rather a TIRE. The wheel is the metal part that the tire is mounted to. I assume you have three good wheels, the spare and the two on the ground, but the tires are questionable.

Castle Rock is cheap Chinese, real cheap. I have seen some people in forums say they didn't finish the first camping trip before a Castle Rock blew out.

GY Endurance in ST295/75R14 LR D size at Canadian Tire - $230 Can

Hankook Vantra ST in ST205/75R14 and load range D/8 ply - at Canadian Tire $210 Can

Canadian Tire does not have the Carlisle in load range D, only in C

Carlisle ST205/75R14 load range D at Speciality Tire - $165 Can

This might help with the decision making. These are the only three brands I would recommend. Hankook is a Korean company that has plants in Korea, China, and the US and they are designed/engineered in the US. Hankook is the OEM supplier for most Ford Truck tires right out of the assembly line.



Thats kinda of a stretch, GY Endurance at Discount Tire locally is $175 US in the OP's size. Carlisle Radial Trail is $115, the Hankook is $132. For all of these you add mount, stems, balance.

Charles

Thank you for the response. I think the Carlisle ST205/75R14 load range D tires at Specialty Tire for $165 CAD suit me more than enough. The CATScale for my empty trailer (and even with some of my stuff inside) is 2700 lb. These tires are specified with a "Max. single load of 1760 lb". Thus, I have at least an 820 lb margin. This is more than enough for me, even if for some reason I travel with full tanks (which I don't do due to the already significant tongue weight).