Kirk W Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 Do you rotate the tires on your travel trailer? If so, do you include the spare tire? How often? Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 Yes. No. Every 6 months or 3000 miles. Whichever comes first. I'm not a "tire guy", but it seems to me that putting your spare in the rotation would adversely affect wear patterns and possibly road stability (?) unless they are rotated in pairs. I dunno.. but I don't. I only count on my spare to get me to the next convenient location. For just a small puncture and air loss, and depending on where the puncture is located, I'll consider a repair, but anything else... all 4 tires get replaced and the spare.. or whichever tire is the youngest and in the best condition.. goes back on the rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 We rotated, because with our triple axle fiver we saw more scrubbing wear on the front axle's tires than on the other two. By rotating we got more even wear and since we had the wheels off to check the brakes and bearings anyway it was no more effort to rotate. We included the spare, since the axles are independent minor tire diameter differences don't have much impact. Also including the spare made the rotation process easier as we only had to lift one wheel at a time. Using 7 tires instead of six did get us more miles per set of tires but the real reason we rotated the spare into the mix is to exercise it and keep the oils distributed, hopefully reducing rot. Having a spare unused for several years can leave you with one that fails after a very few miles once it is put on and used. We had that happen on our pickup, brand new spare, never touched except to add air and when we needed it after several years it failed along the inside bead, the bead that had been on top of the tire when it was on the spare mount. First rule of computer consulting: Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day. Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 The Goodyear RV Tire Care Guide says: "Tire rotation patterns. Every RV and trailer is unique, so consult your vehicle owner’s manual for rotation recommendations for your vehicle. If the tires on your vehicle show uneven wear, ask your Goodyear Retailer to check for and fix any misalignment, imbalance or other mechanical problems before rotating the tires." The Carlisle Tire Trailer Tires: Tips & Best Practices does not mention rotation. With a single axle trailer, I am not sure that it will accomplish all that much since there is not the scrubbing action incurred on multi-axle trailers. Although exercising the spare may have some benefit. If the wear is uneven, I would be looking at the alignment. They use to say not to rotate radial tires side to side so as not to change the direction of rotation, but I think that has been long discounted. You could try contacting your tire manufacturer for their recommendation. I don't think rotating the tires will change their recommendation to change the ST tires based on age rather than wear or mileage. If you have had your tires balanced on the hub, then rotating the tires will require re-balancing. On my previous trailer, I rotated the tires because there was some uneven wear caused by a change to a larger wider tire according to the alignment shop. Switching back to a tire the same width and diameter as the OEM tires stopped the uneven wear issue. On the current trailer, the wear appears even so I have not rotated the tires and have a little over 23,000 miles on this set of Maxxis 8008s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobi and Dick McKee Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 I rotate ours once a year after our summer travel. I guess it really isn't "rotation" because I just swap from front to rear axle. I all ready have them off so I can check the brake pads and bearings so it seemed like a logical thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 We never rotated the tires on any of our fifth wheels. LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 We have never rotated. Ours will age out before any significant wear happens. 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeBeFulltimers Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 I also see no need to rotate on our fiver. Fulltiming since September 1, 2010 2012 Ford F-350 PSD SRW Lariat Crew Cab 2012 Montana 3585SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjhunter01 Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 I have one tire on our fifth wheel (rt rear) that runs 3-4 psi and 3-4 temp. above the other tires, according to the TMPS. So I rotate the tires to give that tire a break. Haven't investigated the cause yet, this seems to work, otherwise I never bothered to rotate trailer tires in the past. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 I guess it really isn't "rotation" because I just swap from front to rear axle. Difficult for me to do this with a single axle trailer! Guess I should just take them off and put them back where they were! Actually I did talk with the dealer's service manager about it and they say not to bother, that it won't gain anything. Just wondered what owners might think. Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobsallyh Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 Kirk, sent you a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagner4745 Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 Kirk, We have six tires on the road so we don't rotate our tires. We do check the air when we are in a fixed location, always check them before we roll out to a new destination. We did find out the hard way that you need to pay attention to your spare, we had a blow out and decided to test our insurance road service, we were in a metropolitan area and pulled into a Walmart parking lot. We called the service number and waited 3 hrs and a guy shows up in a Ford Ranger with no air compressor, two bottle jacks, and no air gauge, we have a 39' Toyhauler. He gets the RV up and removes the tire then asks me where my spare is, we crank the spare down and it is not fully inflated so we have to take it over to the air machine at the gas station for air which cost a quarter of which he has none so I manage to get enough quarters together to air up the tire and he installs it and we are on our way. Lesson learned; don't depend on the Road Service and always drop your spare and check it's quality and air pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newt Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 I also see no need to rotate on our fiver. Ditto. Very few RV'ers will wear the tires out before they age out. Newt 2012 HitchHiker Discover America 345 LKSB 2009 Dodge/Cummins LIVINGSTON TX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 Instead of dropping your spare you can make, or have made, a remote fill. Just use a male and female Schrader end on a few feet of 1/4 nylon air hose. First rule of computer consulting: Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day. Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TireHobby Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 With a single axle trailer, I am not sure that it will accomplish all that much. Probably the most beneficial accomplishment would be to off-set the effect of "road crown". 38' fiver - Dodge Dually AKA: FastEagle USN Retired - DOD Retired - SSA Retired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mptjelgin Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 Never rotated tires on any of ours. Tire wear hasn't been an issue for us. We replace based on age. Mark & Teri 2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350 Mark & Teri's Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagner4745 Posted June 18, 2016 Report Share Posted June 18, 2016 Instead of dropping your spare you can make, or have made, a remote fill. Just use a male and female Schrader end on a few feet of 1/4 nylon air hose. Good idea Stan but you need to check the integrity and color of the tire as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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