Rotating tires?

[sallye]

We haven't been on the road with our AS since 2018. Last summer, DH was in too much pain before his mid-summer hip replacement. After the surgery, he was recovering. This summer the virus is keeping us home. Not because we couldn't go anywhere, but if something happened, we didn't want to end up needing medical help, so decided to just stay here. Maybe we'll do a bit of driveway camping.


Anyway, last summer we jacked up each side in turn (20' - single axle) and turned each tire, just so it's not sitting on the same spot. My question - is that useful or a waste of time?

Is there anything else should do? (Please don't suggest we take it out for a short drive - it won't happen.) I should mention - the tires are kept covered, were new in 2018, and are holding pressure just fine.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Jack and leave it up...I have done it every Winter here in WNY.
Helps both the tires and the rubber in the torsion axle.👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[sallye]

You have to jack it up on both sides, right?

[Action]

That is likely the best advise.

Yes lift both sides.
Properly support the trailer.
Take tires/wheels inside away from the sunlight.

The tires will not take a set or flat spot. And being out of UV (Even in New England) will help extend tire life.

>>>>>>>>>Action

[sallye]

We keep tire covers on. Why remove the wheels.

[Action]

Originally Posted by sallye

We keep tire covers on. Why remove the wheels.

So there is no weight on the tires
So the rims are not exposed to the weather. Especially non-steel wheels
So the tires are kept in a moderate temp and humidity environment
Lifting the trailer also helps the rubber torsion axles last longer
Would suggest tightly bagging the tires as well. Less exposure to ozone
https://blog.tirerack.com/blog/alexs...s-for-any-need

This is only a long term storage strategy to prolong service life. If not using trailer for 12 months or more.


Action

[sallye]

Wow, I didn't know about the ozone. Thank you.

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by sallye

Wow, I didn't know about the ozone. Thank you.

As an alternative to removal, if you treat your trailer tires with 303 Protectant and cover them with tire covers you will very effectively protect them from UV and ozone degradation.

[Action]

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...&affiliate=HJ3

Bullet point 3

https://www.303products.com.au/produ...otectant-30382
And 303 only lasts 30 to 45 days which is counter to long term storage, with no mention about ozone protection. UV yes, ozone unknown and the user needs to reapply every month.

>>>Action

[ROBERT CROSS]

As I noted every year for the above stated reasons.
No tire failures(3 sets), axles have lasted 17yrs, Hensley and tongue rust free.

Bob
🇺🇸

[Bill M.]

For the trailer I pull I just change the tires every 4 years. The little bit of extra expense (if it really is extra) saves a lot of jacking and covering and worrying. For me just keeping the tires properly inflated and the TMS batteries working is maintenance enough. I live where the trailer can be used year round so I hate to disable it even though I have no plans to go.

[moosetags]

We have averaged 150 nights of Airstream camping per year for the last 14 years. We have never taken any action to preserve Lucy's tires. We have never rotated, covered, or treated her tires. She sits in the alley behind our house ready to go at all times. She is plugged-in and the A/C and refrigerator are running. We always replace her tires in six years or less regardless of wear. We have gotten over ten years and 120,000 miles out of two sets of 16" Michelin LTX Tires. We have not had a single tire issue of any kind during this period.

I don't know if what we are doing is correct, but it works for our situation.

Brian

[Action]

Originally Posted by moosetags

We have averaged 150 nights of Airstream camping per year for the last 14 years. We have never taken any action to preserve Lucy's tires. We have never rotated, covered, or treated her tires. She sits in the alley behind our house ready to go at all times. She is plugged-in and the A/C and refrigerator are running. We always replace her tires in six years or less regardless of wear. We have gotten over ten years and 120,000 miles out of two sets of 16" Michelin LTX Tires. We have not had a single tire issue of any kind during this period.

I don't know if what we are doing is correct, but it works for our situation.

Brian

You are doing the opposite of what the OP is doing. You are using the trailer!

The OP has new tires installed in 2018 (Not sure actual age based on date code) and they have NOT used the trailer since that year. And may not used until next summer. Long term STORAGE not long term usage! Big difference in how the tires are cared for. In addition the OP is not up for moving the trailer at all and the trailer is located in an area that gets all four seasons. Usage helps to extend service life. Non-usage is not healthy for tires and other measures are needed to extend service life.

Lastly it is a brilliant topic to create a thread, based on the current situation of the US. There may be others that are not traveling to stay healthy. As such their trailer may not be used at all this year. Kudos to the OP.

>>>>>Action

[sallye]

Thank you all for your excellent suggestions!



DH does put some UV protection on the tires, but I didn't realize it was for ozone too, and I don't think he puts it on the insides of the tires - just on the "sun" side. He will LOVE this new information. ; ' }



I'm very sad about not being able to camp for so long. These tires were new in 2018, and I doubt they have 1000 miles on them. But next year they will be 3 years old anyway.

So, I think we are going to leave the tires on but put the weight on jacks, keep them covered and coated with the UV stuff. And hope we can camp next year!

[panamerican]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

As I noted every year for the above stated reasons.
No tire failures(3 sets), axles have lasted 17yrs, Hensley and tongue rust free.

Bob
����

Placing the jack in that location, I found can distort the bottom of frame rail. That area is not a boxed frame, but more of a "C" channel. The area in question has zero vertical support (like the axles are mounted to). That location is just a somewhat thin horizontal piece of steel.

Have you noticed any deformity of the bottom of the frame resting the RV on a jack stand in that location? My inclination would be to reinforce that area given what I've exp before resting the RV in that one location, or use several locations in that area to distribute the weight?

Airstream clearly marks the jack points and when at the factory, you'd think where you placed your jacks would be an easier solution, however, the factory raises the RV from that jack point rear of the wheel wells. Since that is covered by the belly pan, I have no idea if that location is reinforced, but given what I've seen from the bottom of the frame as you suggest having done this exact thing (on my dual axle Airstream, not the tri-axle), tells me that might not be a great idea. I may call Airstream to ask, but would be very interested in hearing or seeing pictures of your lower frame rail where that jack stand is placed.

[Bill M.]

Simply put, tires go bad at about the same rate if you use the trailer or not. Or if you preserve them or not. There is a cost to having a trailer sit. The aging of tires and batteries is part of that cost. Yes, people get 6 or 7 years from tires. I prefer not to do it that way. And I do not much like jacking up the trailer or crawling around on the ground with a cover. But .... I think is is probably a good idea if you do it.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by panamerican

Placing the jack in that location, I found can distort the bottom of frame rail. That area is not a boxed frame, but more of a "C" channel. The area in question has zero vertical support (like the axles are mounted to). That location is just a somewhat thin horizontal piece of steel.

Have you noticed any deformity of the bottom of the frame resting the RV on a jack stand in that location? My inclination would be to reinforce that area given what I've exp before resting the RV in that one location, or use several locations in that area to distribute the weight?

Airstream clearly marks the jack points and when at the factory, you'd think where you placed your jacks would be an easier solution, however, the factory raises the RV from that jack point rear of the wheel wells. Since that is covered by the belly pan, I have no idea if that location is reinforced, but given what I've seen from the bottom of the frame as you suggest having done this exact thing (on my dual axle Airstream, not the tri-axle), tells me that might not be a great idea. I may call Airstream to ask, but would be very interested in hearing or seeing pictures of your lower frame rail where that jack stand is placed.

Well, it's only been 17 Seasons so I guess there's still time for disaster to strike.🤔

I did try the 'marked' Jack Point once, it ended up not being directly under the frame, I prefer to see what the jack is on.

Bob
🇺🇸

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by Action

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...&affiliate=HJ3

Bullet point 3

The above reference is probably relevant if you are sealing your tires in a plastic bag as the TR suggests but not so much if open to the air. Also 303 Protectant isn't a tire dressing, which typically contain petroleum solvents, silicone or waxes.

Originally Posted by Action

https://www.303products.com.au/produ...otectant-30382
And 303 only lasts 30 to 45 days which is counter to long term storage, with no mention about ozone protection. UV yes, ozone unknown and the user needs to reapply every month.

>>>Action

Before posting I did find a reference from 303 Protectant which indicated their products provided ozone protection:

OUR PRODUCTS
303® Products developed the world’s first UV-screening treatment. 303® sets the industry standard for UV protection on virtually any surface. 303® Protectant was created for the aviation/aerospace industry to protect rubber and plastics against UV and ozone degradation.

However, your link doesn't mention ozone so I'm not sure what to think about that. Yes, 303 Protectant needs to be reapplied periodically although my experience is that it lasts longer than 30-45 days on tires when they are covered and out of the sun and the reapplication process takes less than a minute per tire. Moreover, unless your trailer tires are located in a particularly polluted environment or near electrical sources ozone is not a huge problem. Besides, as your TR article points out, tire compounds are already formulated to resist ozone degradation.

In a perfect world, and perhaps in extreme environments, jacking up the trailer on blocks, removing the wheels and tires and bagging them is probably the ultimate solution for tire care. However, it's a labor intensive task with it's own risks and drawbacks. Tires are designed to be replaced every 6 years (10 years absolute max per Michelin) regardless of wear so it's not like one is trying to maintain them forever anyway. If you pay attention to pressures, clean and treat them periodically and keep them covered, tires should easily last through their design lifetimes without having to remove them from the trailer. Just my $.02. Do whatever makes you most comfortable.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by mikeinca

The above reference is probably relevant if you are sealing your tires in a plastic bag as the TR suggests but not so much if open to the air. Also 303 Protectant isn't a tire dressing, which typically contain petroleum solvents, silicone or waxes.



Before posting I did find a reference from 303 Protectant which indicated their products provided ozone protection:

OUR PRODUCTS
303® Products developed the world’s first UV-screening treatment. 303® sets the industry standard for UV protection on virtually any surface. 303® Protectant was created for the aviation/aerospace industry to protect rubber and plastics against UV and ozone degradation.

However, your link doesn't mention ozone so I'm not sure what to think about that. Yes, 303 Protectant needs to be reapplied periodically although my experience is that it lasts longer than 30-45 days on tires when they are covered and out of the sun and the reapplication process takes less than a minute per tire. Moreover, unless your trailer tires are located in a particularly polluted environment or near electrical sources ozone is not a huge problem. Besides, as your TR article points out, tire compounds are already formulated to resist ozone degradation.

In a perfect world, and perhaps in extreme environments, jacking up the trailer on blocks, removing the wheels and tires and bagging them is probably the ultimate solution for tire care. However, it's a labor intensive task with it's own risks and drawbacks. Tires are designed to be replaced every 6 years (10 years absolute max per Michelin) regardless of wear so it's not like one is trying to maintain them forever anyway. If you pay attention to pressures, clean and treat them periodically and keep them covered, tires should easily last through their design lifetimes without having to remove them from the trailer. Just my $.02. Do whatever makes you most comfortable.

Not just tires...think AXLES.
Especially on "Cloudsplitter", where it has a 7300 GVWR on 2 3500lb axles.
A lot of our axle loading is at 7600lb with WD set.

Sitting 5+ months in Winter...NSG

Bob
🇺🇸

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Not just tires...think AXLES.
Especially on "Cloudsplitter", where it has a 7300 GVWR on 2 3500lb axles.
A lot of our axle loading is at 7600lb with WD set.

Sitting 5+ months in Winter...NSG

Bob
����

I can certainly appreciate your choice. I guess we all have to take our individual circumstances into account. For one thing, we live in an area where year round travel is possible. Also, my trailer is much newer than yours. If the axles last 10 years, it will likely take me through the window of reasonable usage for this unit and I can let whoever buys it from me worry about jacking the thing up to extend axle life!