What in the World????

[Reel Lady]

Ok, this is the weirdest thing...One of our tires on our trailer looks really bad. We have no idea what or how this happened....Any clues? This is a brand new boat/trailer! It almost seems like the tread melted on the outer edge of the tire. It is like this all the way around. Any ideas???? I am clueless :confused:

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/data/500/1795Trailer_Tires_002-med.jpg

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/data/500/1795Trailer_Tires_001-med.jpg
Thanks for your input :)
Marcia

[TritonBill]

I'd say your tire is out of alignment or you bent your axle (by hitting something). Take the tire off and get it to the shop and have them check to make sure its balanced. If they say it's balanced then you could have more serious issues with your axle or rim.

[truck]

My guess badly out of balance,looks like new tire time :( Also as Bill said have it checked for bent axel.Bummer!!!!!!!!!!! daryl

[captnroger]

certainly looks like the tire is riding on the outside edge - I'm having a hard time believing that this much wear would be caused in one season of fishing. I suspect you've got a trailer problem - take that new tracker back to the dealer! In any event, you don't want to wander far from home, as you can see the steel in those radials is about to come through.

[Reel Lady]

How could we have a bent axle or rim? Wouldnt we have had to go through a huge hole or bump or something??? Trust me when I tell you that we are very cautious when trailering the boat. After all, we have not reached the comfort level while trailering that many of you have because this is all still very new to us.
One thing that happened, that was the only thing that was ever different was when Rob was backing into the water to load the boat in Presque Isle, I heard a loud squeaking. Not sure if it was from the van, or trailer, but I am leaning toward the trailer. Being that the rubber of the tire almost seems to be "melted", do you think there is a possibility that the brakes on the trailer froze up??? I've not heard that noise again since that one and only time I heard it a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks so much for your responses!
Marcia

[truck]

Just rechecked our chart on tire wear,loose wheel bearings can cause that also.

[Hook N Book]

My first thought was that your wheel bearing may be sticking. It appears there are several flat spots on the outer thread pattern. If you don't have "Bearing Buddies" (brand name and there are others) you may want to consider adding them. Pop the grease caps off of the axles and check to see if there's a sufficient amount of grease inside the cup. They should be packed full. If not have the dealer to check both bearings for any damage and replace if neccessary. If this is a new boat it should have had the bearings packed when you took delivery, so this may not be the problem. Another thought is that your brakes are sticking. Have the dealer check for excessive wear on the shoes (or pads). Also, if you have surge brakes check the oil level in the reservoir and make sure it's not overfilled.

[fish 4 bass]

Check all your lug nuts make sure there tight. also check the bolts that hold your alxe to the trailer they could be lose or missing.

[captnroger]

just take it back to the dealer, it's still covered under warranty I'm sure.

[misfit]

follow roger's advise and take it to the dealer.being as new as it is you shouldn't have a problem like that if you haven't hit something hard eneough to bend a wheel or axle.could be one any of the things mentioned,or loose lugs,bearings,etc,but in any case it needs attention before you have a more serious problem on the road.it's not fun losing a trailer tire or worse yet,wheel, at 60 mph+ on the highway.

[Reel Lady]

Well, we called Tracker Marine tonight and actually talked with an intelligent guy! I sent him the pictures of the tire, and he said in 20 years he has never seen anything like this! He said that if the trouble was with the axle, that the insides of the tires would be worn away (because sometimes the axles will sag, causing the tires to lean in), so he ruled that out. He doesn't seem to think that the surge breaks have anything to do with it either. Through his mental deduction, he came up with the theory that this was just simply a "Defective Tire", and informed it that yes, it is under warranty and we should return it to Buckeye Sports.
What a bummer... this whole tire thing put a crimp in our fishing plans as we were planning on heading out tonight before the cold icky rain sets in.
Thanks for all of your suggestions. It's so nice to have a support network just a few keystrokes away :)
Marcia

[captnroger]

shoot I wouldn't let that spoil a night of fishing, unless it was a serious tow away from home!!!!

[Lewis]

Put the spare tire on and go fishing.
If you do not have a spare,I would highly reccomend that you get one! :D