But, having experienced a tire delaminating on a 55mph road with my horse in the trailer, I don't want to go through that again, so taking care of my tires is important to me. And hopefully you guys get something out of this too.
With some Christmas money, I bought the Classic Accessories 4-pack RV Wheel Covers off of Amazon for $54.90. They protect the tires from rain, snow and UV rays. Basically, they help keep your tires from deteriorating in place.
I didn't measure the tires, but instead googled my tire size and got the width from the manufacturer. You need to get these sized correctly. Mine were 1/2" shy of being at the upper end of the size I bought, and the fit is perfect - snug enough to not move, but loose enough to go on fairly easily.
The white part is a heavy vinyl, and the back is a felt-like material. They have grommets on both ends and include ropes so you can tie the backs of them (to prevent the wind getting underneath them and blowing them off.) They also came with a nice drawstring storage bag made of the same material as the covers.
At the end of the day, a new set of tires is around $500 and these covers were $55. I still plan to replace my tires every 5 years, but hopefully these covers (and making sure they are properly inflated before every trip!) are the difference between my tires making it 5 years and dying an early death by the side of the road.
I actually love this boring blog post. I've been meaning to pick up something to protect my tires lately, and for just $55, now apparently I have no excuse!
ReplyDeleteGlad it was useful!
DeleteUgh, we haul so much I have to replace my tires every 2 years, so tire covers aren't something I'd ever need. Still, they're a great idea if you're not doing a lot of hauling, and those look really sturdy!
ReplyDeleteYeah, they are definitely not for everyone. They do take some time to put on and off, so it'll probably only be a winter thing for me, and if you're hauling a lot/replacing tires often it's probably not worth it either. I haul a few times a month 6 months a year, and not for very long, so mine need replaced due to dry rot concerns long before mileage concerns.
DeleteAdded to my Amazon shopping list. We are currently in the "trailer needs new tires" vortex and it makes sense to try to protect them since I'm not hauling nearly as much as I used to 🙂
ReplyDeleteTrailer needs tires vortex, lol. I was there! It sucks. I hope these help you put that off!
DeleteThe unglamorousness of being an adult lol :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, right? The alternate title for this post was going to be something about adulting.
DeleteAdded to the list! I cheaped out and bought a crappy one for my spare last year and it was destroyed within a few months.
ReplyDeleteI need one for my spare too, good call. I haven't had these long so I can't personally speak to longevity but the Amazon reviews are good.
DeleteI was just thinking yesterday that more stuff you have, the more maintenance issues... Tire covers are key if you're not hauling all that often. UV damage happens fast. Another thing that helps is to park your rig on a couple of pieces of plywood rather than asphalt, concrete or even bare ground.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, and I think trailers are the worst of it. There's so much that goes into maintaining one, even if it's not a LQ. Definitely agree on the plywood, although I'm not on plywood where I am, but on gravel.
DeleteSome days I wish I had a trailer and some days I'm so glad I don't. ;-)
ReplyDelete