Time to Re-Tire?

By Mark Shaw

     It all started Friday evening before Memorial Day weekend, when my son called via his cell phone.  He was stranded on the side of the road outside Spokane. The 1992 Chevy Astro-van he was using for his summer painting business had just quit while he was on his way back to his dorm at Eastern Washington University.  His regular car, a Dodge Stratus, was parked at our home in Vancouver WA.  So since we didn’t know the extent of the problem, I agreed to haul his car to Spokane on my open car trailer and swap it for the van.  This would solve his transportation problem and I could fix the van at home.  Meanwhile, I called a friend in Spokane to help him tow his van off the freeway and get him back to his dorm that night.

     Saturday morning, I loaded his car on my open car trailer and headed East on highway 84 through the Columbia River Gorge toward Spokane.  When I got past the lush green part of the gorge where the scenery turns desert-like, the 90+ degree heat was too much for the left front trailer tire and the tread peeled like it was a re-cap.  I pulled over and parked with the trailer tire just on the shoulder of the road so I could get my scissor jack on the pavement to jack up the trailer.  I soon learned that although the jack for my Dodge Durango was ideal for jacking up the trailer, the Durango lug wench did not fit the trailer lug nuts.  I was feeling good about being prepared for this because I also carry a socket set in my Durango and it worked just fine to remove the old rusty lug nuts. 

     I was also pleased that I had the forethought to buy a spare for the trailer at Dick’s Tire Factory where they mounted a usable used tire on an old rim they let me have for about twenty bucks the year before. But, when I tried to mount the spare, I discovered that the five-lug pattern on the spare rim was slightly different than the trailer rim (So much for good intentions).  So, I then had to un-hitch the trailer, put the spare and the trailer wheel into the Durango and head out to find a service station to re-mount my spare tire on the trailer rim.  Since Arlington was closer than Boardman, I had to go about ten miles East before I could get off the freeway to go twenty miles West back to Arlington.  The little town of Arlington has two “gas stations” where you can get gas, snacks, beer, etc.  But you cannot get a tire changed!  When I asked around for a place to get my tire fixed, I was told to go to Boardman (about thirty miles East) or to a fabrication shop about two miles south of town. 

     I headed south only to find the shop closed for the three-day weekend!  So, I went back to Arlington and asked for other options.  One of the sharper “gas station” attendants suggested I call the tow truck service that operated from a closed “service station” right next door.  I called, and when the driver finally arrived, he advised me to go to the fabrication shop two miles south of town.  I told him it was closed & he immediately had a few colorful comments regarding the reliability of the owner.  I used my best-selling skills to convince him to use the service station equipment to re-mount my tire.  It must have worked because to my surprise, he only charged me $10 to do the job. I drove back to my trailer, mounted the tire, hitched up and continued on my way three hours later.  All went well unloading the car and loading the van (if you consider winching a heavy vehicle onto a trailer with a come-along in 90-degree heat going well). 

     The next morning, I was on my way for the return trip to Vancouver with the Astro-van on the trailer.  I went West on I-90 and South on SR 395 to I-84 toward Portland.  When I got down SR 395 South exactly halfway between I-90 and the Tri-Cities at mile post 60, the right rear trailer tire peeled just like the left front one did the day before.  Again, I pulled off the road again in 90+ degree heat.  I had no spare for the trailer, it was Sunday, it was the middle of a three-day weekend and I was in the middle of nowhere!

     “What would MacGyver do?”  While removing the wheel, I noticed that the Astro-van had the same size tires and the same bolt pattern as the trailer.  So I got the spare from the van and was beginning to think I was MacGyver when it went right on the trailer without a problem. I realized it would never be that easy when I let down the jack and the tire went almost flat.  So, I limped along at about 25 mph for several miles before I found another “gas station”.  I found it interesting that they actually kept the nozzle under the counter for the outside air hose, so I bought a soda, filled the tire and was finally on my way again about two hours later.

     I gassed up and ate lunch in the Tri-Cities and continued toward Portland on SR 395 to I-84.  Just east of Boardman, the trailer started making bumping sounds.  I slowed down and pulled off at a truck stop in Boardman to check it out.  I found that the left front trailer tire that I had re-mounted in Arlington the day before had a bulge so big I couldn’t fit my fingers between the fender and the tire. 

     There were too many big trucks around, so I limped into a rest stop about a mile West of Boardman and parked under a tree for shade in the heat of the day.  I then preformed a rather precarious (and no doubt dangerous) procedure.  I jacked up the trailer and then jacked up the van on the trailer and swapped tires on both.  I put the bulged tire on the van with the bulge pointing up so when I secured the van to the trailer it would still sit level.  I mounted the van tire on the trailer and was on my way again about 1 ½ hours later.  I was getting pretty good at changing wheels and tires by then. In fact, I made it home in time for dinner that night.

     I am telling you this story so you can all laugh & learn from my mistakes. Trailer tires don’t seem to wear out; they just die of old age at the most inconvenient times and places.  It was well past the time for my trailer to get “re-tired”.  My tires had like-new tread and appeared to be fine except for some slight cracking on the sidewalls. It was a secondhand trailer, so they could have been twenty-year-old originals. I got my trailer “retired” immediately after the three-day weekend with six-ply trailer tires (and fixed the van too).

“Re-tired Trailer Tips”

1.   Always make sure your spare rim fits your trailer wheels. You probably won’t be

      hauling a vehicle with interchangeable wheels and tires when you need one. 

2.   It is important to have trailer tires on your trailer if you carry heavy loads.  Passenger

      tires just aren’t made to do this. Passenger tires will bulge and modify your fenders!

3.  Always check tire pressure on all your tires including the spares on the trailer and tow

     vehicle.  Otherwise, you can carry a bicycle pump if you need the exercise.

4   Carry a lug wrench and jack to fit your trailer. Try mounting your trailer spare

     before leaving home to see if everything works.  Don’t wait until you’re in the desert.

Mark Shaw
PBR List Owner
Vancouver WA USA