Visit our Popular Forums

Powerarrangr · 06-02-2019, 11:43 AM

Hi all, hope everyone is 'streaming smoothly!

I've encountered an extremely uneven wear pattern on one of my 2015 GYMs. Pictured is the right front tire on my 2015 25' FC. This tire, and its mate on the other side of the axle are original to the coach and have approximately 50,000 miles. The mate does not show this uneven wear; it looks more like the 'good' section of the bad tire in the pictures. Both tires were never rotated and are being replaced.

This was discovered after I completed an 1,800 mile trip from DePew, OK to Gainesville, GA and back. All highway miles, running at 60-65 MPH. It's a miracle that I didn't have a blowout on this trip!

In the pictures, my hand is on the outside facing sidewall of the tire.

Am I looking at an axle problem or could it just be a bad tire? To me it looks like a suspension issue, but I replaced the shocks late last year and they appear to be in good shape. The wheels turn smoothly and no brakes are dragging as far as I can tell. All four wheels have Centramatic balancers installed (I know, not recommended for Nev-R-Lube bearings) and the bearings appear to be in good shape.

Suggestions appreciated!

Bill M. · 06-02-2019, 12:21 PM

Bad tire in my opinion. I would replace any Marathaon that is left. I personally change tires every 4 years and have never seen any tire wear at all on the trailer so I think you should check the brakes and axle but I am betting on the tire.

HowieE · 06-02-2019, 12:32 PM

Yes do not replace with Marathons.

Get an 8 ft florescent light bulb and place it along the center line of the tires. Note any space between the front and rear edge of each tire. Max shold b less than a 1/16 in. If an 8 ft. bulb won't clear the fender well find something that is dead strait for the cjeck

If you replace the axles repeat this test on the new axles and if there is any gaps between the bulb and the edges of the tires take the trailer to Gaumer Ind. in Chambersberg Pa. The way these axles are made lends them to be out of alignment out of the box.

My last trip there with my tri axle was $600 but the tires out last there age limit.

Looking at that one tire with the bald spot lead me to think the CenterMatic was completely out of balance. The internal material not moving to offset the tire.

My current mileage on my trailer is well over 250,000

Powerarrangr · 06-02-2019, 08:52 PM

Haha, don't worry, I won't be replacing with marathons! I have (Bridgestone?) Primewell tires on the rears and they're doing great. The GYMs they replaced were flatting constantly so I got fed up and changed them out.

I never heard of Centramatics seizing up, is that a thing? I just checked mine and they all make a satisfying 'shoosh' sound when I spin each wheel. No leaks that I can tell, but it's dark out, I'll look again in the morning.

I stopped traveling and started working full time at an RV park since January so the Airstream doesn't move much now. I blocked it up on cribbing at the axle mounting plates to relieve the axles. I took it down for the trip to GA in April and finally got around to putting it back up yesterday and found this problem.

The brakes appear to be fine, not binding at all. Not sure how to go about checking the axle itself. Garage jack and a tongue scale? No excess play in the bearing, either. When the tires are on the ground the axle deflection is the same at all wheels. No sagging.

I'm planning a trip back to Maryland after the season slows down here. I'll give Gaumer a call and see what they have to say. In the meantime, I'll try to find a straight edge; the longest tubes I have are 6'. Maybe I could do it with string?

rowiebowie · 06-02-2019, 09:10 PM

Those last two pictures looked like flat spots. Any chance the trailer brakes locked up?

BIGED52 · 06-02-2019, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powerarrangr

Hi all, hope everyone is 'streaming smoothly!

I've encountered an extremely uneven wear pattern on one of my 2015 GYMs. Pictured is the right front tire on my 2015 25' FC. This tire, and its mate on the other side of the axle are original to the coach and have approximately 50,000 miles. The mate does not show this uneven wear; it looks more like the 'good' section of the bad tire in the pictures. Both tires were never rotated and are being replaced.

This was discovered after I completed an 1,800 mile trip from DePew, OK to Gainesville, GA and back. All highway miles, running at 60-65 MPH. It's a miracle that I didn't have a blowout on this trip!

In the pictures, my hand is on the outside facing sidewall of the tire.

Am I looking at an axle problem or could it just be a bad tire? To me it looks like a suspension issue, but I replaced the shocks late last year and they appear to be in good shape. The wheels turn smoothly and no brakes are dragging as far as I can tell. All four wheels have Centramatic balancers installed (I know, not recommended for Nev-R-Lube bearings) and the bearings appear to be in good shape.

Suggestions appreciated!

This is wear normally due to tire age and axle alignment. If you check the manufacturers date code on your tires at a local tire dealer like Goodyear I bet you'll find that these tires are aged out (Older than 5 years). All tires breakdown from the inside out and show wear patterns like balding, cord separation and tread wear from rubber breakdown. The other sign on your tires appears to be from misaligned axles. When you replace the JUNK Marathon tires with new tires take your trailer to a trailer service shop like ones that sell and service horse trailers. They will be able to check and adjust the alignment of your axles. Not cheap but well worth the price for the peace of mind to know that the trailer is tracking correctly behind the tow vehicle. I put light duty 8 ply truck tires on my trailer as radials seem to flex the sidewalls too much for me! Have never had an issue with tires and I too replace mine every 4 or 5 years. If you buy good quality tires they will serve you well and you won't regret the money you spent. Nothing beats the secure feeling of knowing your tires and trailer are good to go! Hope this helps, Ed

xrvr · 06-03-2019, 04:49 AM

Just worn out tire. 50000 miles?!?! Each tire wears dif. At that miles, wow.!

ROBERT CROSS · 06-03-2019, 04:54 AM

Straighten the bent axles...add a set of GYE's and go camping.

Bob
🇺🇸

CapriRacer · 06-03-2019, 05:57 AM

I think that is a belt separation. These were common in the Marathon line, but so far, non-existent in the Endurance series.

Of interest is that fact that this tire has a cap ply. We don't know the exact date code except for the 2015 comment. That would be before the introduction of the Endurance line.

We also don't know the tire size.

Tireman9 · 06-03-2019, 07:20 AM

Based on the level of wear it is obvious that the tires were not being inspected in a timely manner.
Based on most Owner's manuals it is recommended that tires be inspected (at least minimal visual)before each trip. Those tires were "worn out" and illegal in many states more than a thousand or two miles ago.

I agree there are indications of brake flat spotting as well as possible belt separations. IMO they should be replaced BEFORE the next trip.

drairstream · 06-03-2019, 07:40 AM

You sure all lugs were tight? Could be from wobble if they were good up to the last trip

fwjumper · 06-03-2019, 04:06 PM

Belt separation in the tire. It would fly into smithereens if you put it on the highway.

Powerarrangr · 06-03-2019, 06:59 PM

Thanks for all the helpful replies. It is a wonder that the thing didn't explode on my last trip. I do a walk-around at every stop and that includes tire inspection. I'm mystified (and not a little embarrassed) that I missed this. I was on a tight schedule and making fewer stops. What are the chances that the flat spot was on the ground each time?

I have a perfectly good spare I could have used!

Anyway, as stated before, of course the front tires are being replaced. I'll be putting Primewells on since the ones I have on the rears are doing great. Since the Airstream is up on blocks I'll take the other three wheels in for a rebalance just for good measure.

For those that were curious, the tires are stockers at 225/75 R15. The date code on the offending tire is 4214, so it doesn't owe me anything.

I'll get these replaced before my next trip and I'll watch the wear pattern on the right front carefully to see if a similar problem crops up. If I don't see anything abnormal in the next 10-15K miles, I'll chalk it up to a bad tire and move on.

Thanks again to everyone who commented and shared their experience! I'll give you an update after I've put a few miles on the new shoes.

CapriRacer · 06-04-2019, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powerarrangr

…… I'm mystified (and not a little embarrassed) that I missed this. ……

You shouldn't be. It only takes a few hundred miles between when the separation becomes large enough to notice and what you have photo'd.

Plus, what slowed down the detachment was the cap ply (plies?).

r carl · 06-04-2019, 06:23 AM

Looks like a normal marathon to me.

Tireman9 · 06-04-2019, 10:08 AM

Most owner's manuals say you should inspect your tires before each trip. It is also suggested that inflation be checked and set before each trip as well as each travel day. Given that most people limit their travel to 200 to 500 miles a day I find it difficult to believe the tires went from OK and having 3/32" tread to the worn condition seen in the pictures in just a few hundred miles.

Wear on trailers if usually faster than on motor vehicles since every turn places significantly higher sideload and tread scrubbing than on any motor vehicle tire. Backing trailers is even worse than pulling for wear.

IMO the primary reason for the "extreme" wear was the "extreme" number of miles. Brake lock-up flat spotting and possible belt separation is also high on the list of suspect contributing factors. A close inspection by a kknowledgabletire engineer could possibly confirm the suspect separation.
BUT 50,000 miles is more than most people get so if I were you I would be happy.

I strongly suggest a more pro-active inspection and tire maintenance plan in the future.

Tireman9 · 06-05-2019, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powerarrangr

Thanks for all the helpful replies. It is a wonder that the thing didn't explode on my last trip. I do a walk-around at every stop and that includes tire inspection. I'm mystified (and not a little embarrassed) that I missed this. I was on a tight schedule and making fewer stops. What are the chances that the flat spot was on the ground each time?

I have a perfectly good spare I could have used!

Anyway, as stated before, of course the front tires are being replaced. I'll be putting Primewells on since the ones I have on the rears are doing great. Since the Airstream is up on blocks I'll take the other three wheels in for a rebalance just for good measure.

For those that were curious, the tires are stockers at 225/75 R15. The date code on the offending tire is 4214, so it doesn't owe me anything.

I'll get these replaced before my next trip and I'll watch the wear pattern on the right front carefully to see if a similar problem crops up. If I don't see anything abnormal in the next 10-15K miles, I'll chalk it up to a bad tire and move on.

Thanks again to everyone who commented and shared their experience! I'll give you an update after I've put a few miles on the new shoes.

Aren't Primewells P-type tires? Were the OE tires P-Type or ST type? GY Marathon tires are ST type. (this is a problem when people write about their tire size , forgetting thet ALL the letters and numbers are important.

235-15 205/75R14 and 235/85R16 10 ply are all Incomplete tire size descriptions.

Don't forget when you use P-Type (this would include Euro-Metric tires that do not have the "P" before the numbers in the tire size) need to have their load rating DE-RATED. This means Load/1.10 = De-rated load capacity.

perryg114 · 06-05-2019, 07:24 AM

I would replace all of them after 50k miles. Looks like that one tire was either way out of balance or the plys were separated making the tire out of round. If you get edge wear you can always rotate them every 10 k or so to even out the mileage. Most trailers never see 50k miles on them ever. 50k out of a set of tires is outstanding. You can go the OCD route and spend cubic hours asnd dollars trying to get a perfect axle alignment or pay attention. I never get over about 35k out of a set of car tires on my daily driver. Check air levels, inspect at each stop, rotate and you should be fine.

Perry

fwjumper · 06-05-2019, 10:09 AM

From the FWIW department, I'm running our first test with Goodyear Endurance tires, load range E. As far as I know, they are the only ST tires made in the U.S. (You may think that is a good thing or not) I've got about 10,000 miles on them so far with no visible wear. I still use 15" wheels, although I have replaced all six aluminum wheels and I thought I would give Goodyear another try. I had my several "Marathon Moments" years ago. Wish you good luck!

jadatis · 06-09-2019, 09:49 AM

Could it be that you replaced the wheel wrong when you did the chocks late last year.
If you lift the wheel off the ground and turn it around, you then see it hits the ground and half a turn further its off the ground.
If you did not already had it of after you saw the damage, seeing the pictures.