Trailer house tires question

[FarmboyBill]

I bought 2 old style trailer house wheels Sat with the tires on them for $26. Got home and found out they ran around 60lb as it didnt tell on them. They just said they were trailer house tires, and 6 ply and had the number 15 on them in 3 places each. These are BIG tires, maybe 18in. Anyway after putting the air in them they showed up checked as heck. There tubeless. What im wondering, is at 6 ply. are they safe to put on an old popup trailer frame to haul 1000lbs loads or not. I could put a tube in them. There hairline cracks, but there all over, even between the tread.

[fantasymaker]

Sounds like dry rot.
The 6 ply isnt the problem with them working the dryrot will be

[taylorlambert]

We used to landfill for a large trailer plant company. I got to know the man tat mounted the tires for the local 3 big trailer plants. They run 90 PSI in them folks flinch at it but its a stronger tire than a car tire. If they are run below 90 like 35 or 40 the plys will seperate. Dad had a backhoe trailer before m time that he pulled on 700 mile trips. He madethe first trip part way loosing 4 tires in 150 miles. At a station the attendant told him run 90 psi kept those tire 3 years.

[rambler]

If they say 'for mobile home use only' or some such, you are really, really drawing the attention of any county, city, or state law enforcement to run them on a trailer.....

Not allowed, you'd need to buy the for-highway-use tires that fit those rims.

Legally, anyhow.

--->Paul

[RosewoodfarmVA]

We have 3 homemade all-steel farm trailers with MH axles and tires, used regularly off the farm as well, often 60 miles or more to deliver hay. Never had a policeman stop me once in 10 years, not even to get a look. No tags or lights either. I think if it's legitimate farm usage they won't bother you, but don't use it for commercial or contractor work or they'll get you, so they say. The MH tires typically run 80-100 psi, it varies a little. Good long lasting tires, though the ones that say 'for mobile home use only' are made out of a shorter lasting rubber so they don't last as long as they are only intended for short term use, ie getting the MH to its destination.

Dry rotted tires are risking a blowout, especially if it hasn't been used in awhile. A tube will not help, tubes help a leaking tire hold air, but the strength of the tire is what keeps it from blowing. Dry rot essentially means that the rubber has failed and you are relying on the cording to hold it together. IF the tire has sat for any length of time the cording is rotten too. If you had a 2 axle (4 tires) I would use them for light loads as the weight is distributed and if one blows the other doesn't so you still have control of the trailer. One axle, if the tire blows you'll have a hard time controlling it at higher speeds.

Around here you can get 10-12 ply mh wheel/tire combos for $25 each, the tires are almost new, used for one delivery then taken off the mh. No dry rot or other issues. I wouldn't even consider buying a tire that didn't have the correct pressure in it as found in the pile, as you know that it has leaking issues, bad seal, or dry rot.