Trailer tire pressure?

skyfree

New Member
The tires on my trailer list the weight limit at 60 PSI. When I got the boat the tires were inflated to about 30 PSI and everything seemed fine when trailering. I now run at 40 PSI but I've seen other posts where people mention 50 and 60. Seems like that would make for a rougher ride back there. Does anyone have any idea what the recommendation should be for the proper tire pressure?

By the way, when I got the trailer I noticed it was sitting funny so I took a closer look. Turns out 2 structural bolts were missing. After replacing them I went over the whole trailer and tightened everything up. There were at least 3 other bolts that were about to fall off, which is scary considering there are only a few bolts holding that thing together. Looks like this is going to be an issue so I used locktight on the bolts I had to tighten or replace.
 
You are correct that the higher PSi will make it rougher, however under inflation could lead to tire failure. I would keep them up above 50.
 
If you have the patience, try to find that happy medium. Higher pressures will reduce rolling resistance and run cooler but if you find your tires are wearing faster down the centre they are definitely over-inflated.
Just my 2cts:).
 
Tire Pressure Video

http://www.ehow.com/video_4401520_check-trailer_s-tire-pressure.html
According to this video under or over inflation will wear the tire more than proper inflation. Somewhere else I remember reading that you should always inflate to at least within 10% of the maximum pressure on the tire. The tire pressure listed on the tire takes into account the increase due to normal heating; that is to say it is the "cold" pressure. The thing I wonder about is that I would estimate our tires are rated for carrying much heavier loads than a 14' sailboat with no motor. That makes me think we could get by with less pressure and get a bit more softer ride.
 
Coincidentally, I brought mine all the way up this weekend. It was actually less bouncy and everything seemed to ride better and smoother. As they say, your mileage may vary.
 
I went to 50 lbs and didn't notice a difference in trailer handling, but the contact patch is definitely smaller. The tire is fairly rounded and it's only using about 50% of the width of the tire now.
 
I run my 4.8 x 12 'B' trailer tires (780 lb max load @ 60 psi) at 40 lbs. pressure since the boat + trailer weight is probably only 600 lbs.

On my tent trailer I keep the 4.8 x 12 'C' trailer tires (990 lb max load @ 90 psi) at 90 psi since the loaded trailer is about 1800 lbs.
 

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