Do trailer tires need to be balanced? - Page 2

**jcanavera** · 05-02-2006, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 53FlyingCloud

I wished..Airstream doesn't balance the tires~!!
If you go in for service, they will (if you request it) send the tires out to be balanced but..They are NOT set up at the factory to balance tires on the trailer~
In all the time I've been there at the Center, not once have I seen such an equip set-up..

53FC

Just to clarify, the newer trailers do come from the factory with balanced tires. I crawled under mine and saw the wheel weights on the inside of the wheel.

Jack

Silvertwinkie · 05-02-2006, 08:50 AM

My unit was built not long after Jack's unit was built. I assume my rims had weights too, but I never looked. I had my rims replaced under warranty when I was at the factory for service in late April of 2005. The factory took my old tires off the rims to be replaced and when the tires were mounted to the new rims, there were balance weights on the new rims. I don't think they had the balancer in the service area as I watched a forklift take my old rims/tires to the production area and shortly after saw 4 tires on rims brought from the production area to the service area.

My take is that they factory does in fact have a wheel balance machine and places the weights on the rims on site. This may or may not be a change from prior practice, but without question, the new rims had new weights on them with my old tires when I got the trailer back from the service folks. Since I don't think they can pre-balance rims without tires, I assume that they in fact did balance the rims after they placed my old tires back on.

53flyingcloud · 05-02-2006, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Just to clarify, the newer trailers do come from the factory with balanced tires. I crawled under mine and saw the wheel weights on the inside of the wheel.

Jack

That's interesting news~!
It was 2004 since my last trip there and, on that trip..they send out my tires and new wheels to be mounted.
So...
If I were to travel to the factory...You're saying then, they now do the wheel balance on the trailer while you wait at the factory??
Ithink that sigv has his ans now, that the tires should be balanced ..

**jcanavera** · 05-02-2006, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 53FlyingCloud

That's interesting news~!
It was 2004 since my last trip there and, on that trip..they send out my tires and new wheels to be mounted.
So...
If I were to travel to the factory...You're saying then, they now do the wheel balance on the trailer while you wait at the factory??
Ithink that sigv has his ans now, that the tires should be balanced ..

I think Eric's example was due to the factory replacing his wheels. My guess is that you probably can't ask for a wheel balance as a normal service request.

Jack

2airishuman · 05-02-2006, 05:07 PM

hi wheel watchers.....

surest thing is to call or email factory....
get the straight dope.....
as i recall from last summer
the factory has a couple of vendors
supplying wheels/tire assembly
for new production and
these come to the factory balanced.

when a customer gets new tires....
in the service center,
i cannot remember if they balance in house
or send 'em out...
and if disc vs drum and
vintage vs new alloy wheels matters

someone here
recently visited
and had new tires
put on her vintage trailer....
now to find the thread.....

oh, it's easier just to email jc

cheers
2air'

scottanlily · 05-03-2006, 12:16 AM

The only correct answer as we all know is absolutly yes, The local tire shop here used to do on vehical wheel balancing .the machine had a drive drum that spun the wheel rotor /drum tire assy up to speed ,stopped ,weights installed , The company was BEAR Alignment , worked excellent ,usually if you had large ,off highway tires ,it did the best job .Most are long gone today .My other choice shophad one till it broke down and was too expensive to fix due to newer spin balancers we see today . balancing the whole assy does get a better balance ,job.In lieu of availability of that type ,having the tire and wheel assy balanced only is going to be fine . i have also noted unfortunately that even my local tire shop has improperly balanced my service truck tires on the front ,it shook at 45mph went back ,they redid the balance ,I watched ,they got it right ,took 2 times though. bummer! Dont forget the importance of good shocks as well ,they control the rebound effect of the tire and help smooth out the ride.

Scott

sigv · 05-03-2006, 03:34 AM

Thanks for all the good advice. I called the trailer place and asked them again to balance - said they never do that.

I am picking up the tires and wheels tommorrow from them, bringing them to shop and getting them balanced.

Thanks again,

-Sig

**Action** · 05-03-2006, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigv

Thanks for all the good advice. I called the trailer place and asked them again to balance - said they never do that.

I am picking up the tires and wheels tommorrow from them, bringing them to shop and getting them balanced.

Thanks again,

-Sig

I never understood that about shops. You are asking them to do a proceedure that they can do and is something they have the capability to do safely. You have money to give them for the services that you are requesting. And they don't want to do it!

Even if they thought your request was nutty I would think they still would want to do work and get paid!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

**Chuck** · 05-03-2006, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Action

I never understood that about shops. You are asking them to do a proceedure that they can do and is something they have the capability to do safely. You have money to give them for the services that you are requesting. And they don't want to do it!

Even if they thought your request was nutty I would think they still would want to do work and get paid!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

maybe they don't have a tire balancer.

I was shopping for tires last year...there is a local "trailer" shop near me that services all kinds of trailers...not just campers. they could sell me rims and tires, but when I asked about balancing, they said the same thing: "trailer tires don't need to be balanced".

They don't have a balancer.

maybe this is why sob's rattle themselves apart in a few years. their service folks think they're immune to the laws of physics?

doesn't make alot of sense, thats for sure.

but, as for the fact that they don't have a balancer...perhaps thats not so crazy, considering that perhaps most of their customers don't actually "need" balancing...or that they believe this to be true. for the cost of the machine, the space it takes up, etc, etc...perhaps its too small a profit margin to be bothered. just guessing, there. But these guys always look like they're quite busy enough, as it is.

scottanlily · 05-03-2006, 10:31 PM

Hello chuck ,
Funny you should mention that about sob shaking apart. I do road service work on sobs in conjunction with my local RV shop.Many customers complain about that very problem ,also bouncing around going down the road and a big common problem,broken leaf springs ,why ,no tire balance and alot of sobs do not use shocks! Shocks control the rebound and movement of your tire and wheels. Its hard to believe ,but true.

Scott

frozen chosen · 05-03-2006, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Just to clarify, the newer trailers do come from the factory with balanced tires. I crawled under mine and saw the wheel weights on the inside of the wheel.

Jack

Sorry Jack, I crawled under my '04; no weights. I plan on getting them balanced this week.

Silvertwinkie · 05-03-2006, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frozen chosen

Sorry Jack, I crawled under my '04; no weights. I plan on getting them balanced this week.

FC, my Safari was built 12/03. I think Jack's was built between 30-90 days before mine. What is the build month/year of your coach. We might be able to narrow down when they started putting the weights on the rims......

frozen chosen · 05-04-2006, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

FC, my Safari was built 12/03. I think Jack's was built between 30-90 days before mine. What is the build month/year of your coach. We might be able to narrow down when they started putting the weights on the rims......

Not sure; but I'd guess around July 2003

**jcanavera** · 05-05-2006, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

FC, my Safari was built 12/03. I think Jack's was built between 30-90 days before mine. What is the build month/year of your coach. We might be able to narrow down when they started putting the weights on the rims......

My build was September or October of '03. You do have to look carefully for those weights. They aren't the typical big lead ones that you see on auto's or trucks. I know I missed them the first time I looked.

Jack