EZ Loader Trailers having excessive tire wear

[1kickerfish]

There have been several posts for excessive tire wear on the outside edge of the right side tire on EZ Loader Trailers. In previous posts people have suggested balancing the tires, checking trailer camber, replacing the axle. I measured wheel to wheel at several points and the axle is square. The bearings run true, and I replaced the tire and wheel with the spare and it still wears the outside edge. There is no damage to the trailer and the tire pressure is correct.

I called EZ Loader today and spoke with Larry about this problem. He said that he has seen this type of issue a lot with the EZ Loader brand of bass boat trailers and of course it is not covered under the factory warranty. He said that he recommends all these type problems to local auto body frame shops to see if they can fix it - at the owners expense. Apparently, bent axles is a common issue with the EZ Loader Trailer right from the factory, and everyone has come to both expect and accept it as the norm. Poor quality supported by poor service. Skeeter could do far better than EZ Loader for both quality and service. .

[Neilslure]

I had a similar tire wear issue on a Stratos trailer and my buddy has on his Ranger trailer.

[stevieraybla]

I have 2004 TZX 190 with a single axle trailer and it has been wearing the right side tire on the outer edge since it was new. I have friend with a 2005 same setup as mine and his does the same thing. I just rotate the tires about 4 times a year and try to even out the wear. IT does get expensive buying tires tho.

[K.D.]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Neilslure &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I had a similar tire wear issue on a Stratos trailer and my buddy has on his Ranger trailer.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Kind of makes me wonder if it's a tire issue. I wonder if they all used the same type of tires.

If the trailer is square and the axle and bearings check out, I'd have a hard time blaming it on the trailer.

[TZX190]

Mine does the same thing. 2005 TZX 190 single axle trailer right side outer edge wears fast. I keep rotating the tires around with the spare and I have had to replace 2 tires in 3 years.

[jfdawson]

Some advise...

Always keep the tire pressure at 50 psi.

Once the tires begin to wear they will continue to wear. The only real way to prevent it, is to always check the tire pressure and keep it at 50.

You might have a bent axle, or another problem, but I'm willing to bet the issue has more to do with tire pressure than anything.

=JD

[mikejohnson22]

Mine used to wear on the outside too. Then I noticed the sticker on the trailer that said 50 psi! I had been running 40 lbs, which wore out the outside edges. I bought 4 ply tires and haven't had a pproblem yet.

[tennbass]

Have a 2007 ZX225 My tires were wearing the same way, didn`t hardly last a year. Have run boats and worked on them for years and always kept proper tire pressure. Had the rims checked, and the tires. Then took to an alignment shop where they informed me of the problem. The axles were out of line causing premature wear. I informed my dealer who in turn contacted EZ Loader and after some extensive phone calls and paperwork. They agreed to have my axles aligned as the trailer had only average miles, was only a year old, and showed no signs of damage. The UFP factory rep said; the axles are true when they ship to EZ Loader, but they have no control over what happens to them during shipping or at the EZ Loader factory. But you think EZ Loader quality control would check each trailer as it was built to verify the trailer was properly aligned, or maybe they don`t have it. Sounds like some folks need to suggest this to EZ Loader and start complaing to Skeeter more to correct the problem or use another trailer manufacturer.




Modified by tennbass at 1:23 PM 12/2/2008

[kmsnowman12]

2004 single axle , tires are still perfect . I've never even rotated them .

[slickstick]

For all that use Goodyear Marathon tires, check to make sure your psi/tire width to rim and load rating are correct. Most are going to be 50psi.


http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodyeartireselector/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Marathon&mrktarea=Light+ Truck&treadwidth=&aspectratio=&rimdiameter=&sidewa ll=

[K.D.]

I think JD is on to something.

I saw something interesting tonight on a thread on another forum. It made me think of this one....

kicker-fish, can you tell me what highway speeds you tow at? Do you often tow at over 65? This is a shot in the dark, but something I knew nothing about. Evidently if you're towing at over 65, you have to increase the cold air pressure by 10psi. If you frequently tow at over 65 it's possible you'd have excessive wear on the outside of the tire due to underinflation. Again, a shot in the dark, but here is a copy/paste of the info:

"Goodyear Marathon tires are widely used in a variety of towable trailer applications and are designed and branded
as “ST” (Special Trailer) tires.
This information is designed to help you obtain the best performance from tires with the ST (Special Trailer)
designation. Please review the following important points with your Goodyear Marathon customers.
• Industry standards dictate that tires with the ST designation are speed restricted to 65 MPH under normal
inflation and load conditions unless a different speed restriction is indicated on the sidewall of the tire.
•Based on industry standards, if tires with the ST designation are used at speeds between 66 and 75 mph, it is necessary to increase the cold inflation pressures by 10 psi above the recommended pressure for the load.
o Do not exceed the maximum pressure for the wheel.
o If the maximum pressure for the wheel prohibits the increase of air pressure, then the
maximum speed must be restricted to 65 mph.
o The cold inflation pressure must not exceed 10 psi beyond the inflation specified for the
maximum load of the tire.
•Drivers should always obey posted speed limits and reduce speeds when necessary based on vehicle, road,
weather or traffic conditions."

[fishin couillon]

I have an '04 tandem axle with no problem, but then i probably don't travel half as much as yall do.....

[gotmy5]

i think ez loader trailers are junk i have a brand new 21i bought in sept. and my fenders are the plastic ones and the paints peeling off and the trailer its self has rust forming under the paint all ready. and i think its a joke that skeeter has nothing to do with it when you call i didnt spend 50,000 to deal with some trailer company i spent it to deal with skeeter when i owned my stratos no questions asked it was fixed with skeeter they give you another number to call and the guys at ez loader dont believe you when you call so im just going to let the dealer go back and forth with them my only problem is it takes me a little bit to get to my dealer

[K.D.]

Here is the link from Goodyear. The ST tires on the boats I have in stock say cold air pressure should be set at 50 PSI. Goodyear says to go 10 over that if you tow at over 65mph. I never knew this.

http://www.goodyear.com/rv/pdf...6.pdf

[1kickerfish]

I read that link, thanks. But if that were the issue I would have seen the wear on both sides.

I spent a full day taking my trailer around to different Auto Body Frame shops for an estimate. All agreed that the axle on the drivers side is bent down causing the one tire to ride on its outside edge. Down, which means that it was not bent from hitting a pot hole or a curb. This damage is not visible to the naked eye, but the Frame Shops said an 1/8" off plumb would be all it takes to make the tire wear on one side. My trailer had to be out of alignment right from the factory, but EZ Loader takes no interest in resolving the problem. The trailer has no alignment adjustments so the shop has to physically bend the axle to correct the problem. My lowest estimate was $275, and no one guaranteed that it would completely correct the issue. One shop suggested that I simply replace the axle myself with a $150 after market axle. In his words, the after-market axles are far better quality than the cheap ones used by EZ Loader Trailers, and every trailer he has seen with this type issue is an EZ Loader Trailer. You would think that Skeeter would select a better trailer for their boats. EZ Loader must have been the lowest bid.

[Skeeter Jay]

You guys are onto part of the problem in my opinion. I didnt know this +10psi rule, I always cruise on the interstate at 70-75mph while towing and I always keep 50psi in my tires, but yet since June of '05 (when I bought my boat new) I have replaced 3 Marathons, and I have a single axle trailer. My first one that I replaced was on the passenger side and it was down to the steel belts on the outside edge. But the next two I replaced were pretty bad worn on the outside edge but I replaced them because they both started seperating. Personally I am done with Marathons, I think both the tires that I am running now are Carlisles or something like that. I've been running both of these tires for some time now with no problems (knock on wood) I have noticed a little bit of funky wear on the passenger side but I think that had to do with running low pressure a while back, it had been some time since I had checked them on that one had dropped down around 40psi. But still the wear wasnt on the outside edge like I had been getting with the Marathons, it was pretty even across the treads. I may try and bump my pressure over 50 psi and see if that helps with tread wear. I have just about convinced myself that my next set of tires on the trailer will just be passenger tires. Ran them for years on boat trailers with no problems and Bass Cat sells their boats with passenger tires mounted on the trailers and I never hear any of those guys complain. Its crazy how much the ST tires cost, even the el-cheapo's arent cheap!

[tennbass]

Guys when I finally got them to fix my axles. After 2 alignment shops put it in writing that both axles were out of line, and had to come from the factory that way. I only had the right front tire really showing bad excessvie wear. This was on a 1 year old trailer. Re-aligning the axle is no big issue, except for the cost of about $150 to $300 depending on the set ups it takes. Yeah they bend it slightly. But it`s no big deal, unless your axle is really way out of line. You can`t really even tell they did it. I have run Marathons for years on different trailers and at speeds well above and below 65MPH at 50 PSI, and have never had this problem before. Most of the time it is just the usual wear you see on a tandem axle trailer. Still think everybody should get on the phone and load Skeeter and EZ- Loader up with complaints to try and get this situation resolved. Possibly before some Skeeter owners change boats because of the hassles with their trailers.

[Neilslure]

My tires were just 40 PSI when I got my boat.

[1kickerfish]

Lyn Dyer from UFC contacted me about my problem. I was told by my boat dealer that my problem was a tire issue. I was told by the trailer manufacturer that my problem was not covered by the warranty. Lyn put this aside and took full ownership of the issue. He worked with me personally to ensure the problem was correctly identified and resolved. If you have a problem with your EZ Loader Trailer then Lyn is the very first person you need to contact.

I have to take responsibility for not bringing this issue to the trailer manufacturer's attention when it first happened. I showed the strange tire wear to my boat dealer the first year and I believed his false diagnosis that it was a tire issue. Only after destroying the second tire did I become concerned enough to contact EZ Loader. I was past my 2 year warranty at that point.

If you have any questions or concerns about any component on your EZ Loader trailer then give Lyn a call.

Lyn O. Dyer
UFP/Trailer Buddy Warranty Supervisor
800-854-1905
ldyer@ufpnet.com

[fishin couillon]

Guys, Lyn hangs out on the "Trailer & Towing" page and he can be IM'd. People like him make this place great. Where can you go and get help directly from a owner/supervisor with a touch of a few buttons. Thanks Lyn.