Trailer tires fail from age and underinflation more often than from mileage. Buy tires marked for trailer use, check the sidewall date code and the load rating against your loaded trailer weight, and call Columbus Tire Shop in Columbus, OH with your tire size to ask whether it can be sourced.
A trailer that sits most of the year is hard on its tires. Sun and weather crack the sidewalls while the tread still looks new, and the first sign is often a blowout on the highway with a loaded trailer behind you.
So the question to ask is not how much tread is left. It is how old the tire is and whether it was ever properly inflated for the load.
Can I put regular passenger tires on my trailer?
Not as a swap. Passenger tires are built for steering and cornering, while trailer tires are built to carry weight in a straight line with stiffer sidewalls. Look for the trailer designation on the sidewall and match it, rather than moving to a different tire type because it is easier to find.
How do I know the tire can carry my trailer?
Find the load rating on the sidewall and the weight placard on the trailer frame. Add up what the trailer weighs loaded, split it across the axles, and make sure the tires are rated above that. A rating that only just covers the load leaves nothing for bumps or an uneven load.
Underinflation is the other half. A trailer tire run soft overheats, and heat is what takes it apart. Check pressure cold, before you tow, every trip.
What else should I check while the tire is off?
Look at the wheel, the lug nuts, and the hub. Uneven wear on one tire usually points at a bent axle, a worn bearing, or a misaligned wheel, and a new tire will chew itself up the same way if the cause is not fixed. Ask the shop whether it can look at the axle and what it will and will not repair on site.
How often should trailer tires be replaced?
Go by the date code and the condition of the sidewalls, not by tread alone. A trailer tire that has sat in the sun for years can be unsafe with plenty of tread left.
What size trailer tire do I need?
Read it off the sidewall of the tire you have now, and bring or call in that exact size. If the old tires were not the correct type, ask the shop what the trailer's placard calls for.
Do I need to check trailer tire pressure if I tow rarely?
Yes, check it cold before every trip. A tire that has sat for months loses pressure slowly and quietly.