How important is it to get the weight off the wheels?

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jdege

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Jan 16, 2021
Posts
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I've seen people who routinely lift their trailer onto blocks or jackstands for winter storage, and people who don't.

How much difference does it make?
 
For longer life of tires, it is a better method to lift since unlike motorized vehicles, trailers have to be hooked up to be moved, they tend to sit longer.
 
Have never done it and have never had tire issues. Crank the tires up to max pressure and leave it be for the winter. Any flat spots that might develop should work themselves out in just a few miles come springtime. To me, you take more of a chance damaging the trailer trying to properly jack it and support it than to just let it sit on the tires.
 
Have never done it and have never had tire issues. Crank the tires up to max pressure and leave it be for the winter. Any flat spots that might develop should work themselves out in just a few miles come springtime. To me, you take more of a chance damaging the trailer trying to properly jack it and support it than to just let it sit on the tires.
How heavy is your trailer?
 
I've never done it with my parents' camper, mine, or even enclosed cargo trailer. As stated before I just keep the tires properly inflated. The way I look at it is that I don't want to have to replace anything, but if I had to replace tires I'd take that over a bent or twisted frame.
 
Getting the tires off the ground for long term storage was much more of an issue back in the bias belt tire days when flat spotting was problem. Modern radial tires don't flat spot.
 
Our current 5th wheel which we have had since 2016 is about 8,700 lbs empty - plus we probably have about 500 lbs of random stuff that stays in there over the winter. Our two travel trailers prior to this one were about 7,000 and 5,500.
 
For long term storage, tire manufacturers recommend relieving some of the weight from the tires OR increasing the inflation by 10%-15%. The idea is to prevent flattening of the tire body from sitting a long time in a compressed condition. As to how important that is to long term health, it's hard to say outside of a lab environment where all factors can be controlled. Factors such as temperatures, freeze/thaw cycles, mosaiture, sun expesoure, etc all have some effect and it's difficult to to say that how they affect a given Rv tire.
 
Ever hear "They don't make 'em like they used to"

Usually that means products in our grandparent's time were better made.
But in the case of tires it's the other way around. (Well. somewhat)
Over the years they have done lots and lots of research and the materials of which tires are made today are far far better than what Henry put on his Model T.
However as to how well the tires are made........... Now that's a different issue.
 
I go by the tire manufacturer's guidelines, which in my case are to inflate the tires to maximum and because mine stored off site and isn't where I can see it daily or even frequently, I do put jacks under each side so that if the inflation pressure should drop the additional weight rests on the jacks and not the underinflated tire. The jacks also prevent the travel trailer from rocking in any wind storms that pass through.
 
Getting the tires off the ground for long term storage was much more of an issue back in the bias belt tire days when flat spotting was problem. Modern radial tires don't flat spot.
I agree, personally I don't worry about them.
 
It’s not. Fill them to a couple PSI below sidewall max pressure number and you are fine remember to lower the pressure back to the recommended number when you take it out of storage.

JMHO.
 
Note that it's not tire construction that leads to flat spotting, but the reinforcing material used. Earlier tires usually used nylon reinforcement. Nylon does tend to take a set over time in the same shape. Newer tires tend to use rayon, or polyester, both of which are weaker than nylon but do not take a niticeable set.

Ernie
 
34 years, 3 5th wheels and I've never lifted it up for storage.
I probably will now that I have a hydraulic leveling system.
But I bought it in May and put 8000 miles on it already.
Going to rest till February and hit the road again for Alaska.
 
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