Do Trailer Tires Need To Be Balanced? (Helpful Guide)
If it wobbles. That seems to be the rule of thumb when it comes to any tire. If it wobbles, then you should balance it, including trailer tires. Not everyone will agree on this as they will say trailer tires do not need balancing. It is your call whether you do it or not.
Yes, trailer tires should be balanced. Those tires will affect your handling as well as your mpg efficiency. You should have them balanced for safer towing and to get more miles per gallon on every tank full of fuel. The only reason they shouldn’t be balanced is if they do not move very often.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to know about before you put those new tires on your trailer. It is possible that your old trailer tires will wear out before you see any ill effects from unbalanced tires.
Do Trailer Tires Need To Be Balanced?
There may be many tire dealers who will say no to this question. They feel that balancing trailer tires is a waste of time and money. However, if they practice the idea that ‘the customer is always right’ and the customer is paying for the balancing, then they should balance them for you.
In some owners’ minds, you do not need to balance your trailer tires, if it is not going to be on the road very often. They feel that the tires will rot away first before you see any negative effects from unbalanced tires.
If that is your situation, then you might want to save some money and not balance them. But if you take your trailer out on the road quite often, then it is better to balance them than not.
You have enough problems with sway and other towing issues and you do not need to add unbalanced tires to that long list of issues you have to deal with. Then the type of trailer you own will dictate if you need to balance your tires or not.
A utility trailer that is used for minor hauling of trash or landscaping materials, etc., should not need its tires balanced. You may not drive fast enough to worry about it.
Finally, this may be a moot point as it has been reported that newer trailers do come with pre-balanced tires.
Do Single-Axle Trailer Tires Need To Be Balanced?
Yes and no. One expert pointed out that if you are using galvanized wheels on your trailer, then the zinc coating is the problem. The zinc coating does not distribute evenly and puts more weight on one part of the wheel than on another.
This situation requires that your trailer have balanced tires or wheels for it to work right. Sometimes, trailer tires and wheel makers line up the light spot on the tire with the heavy spot on the wheel.
This balances your tires to some degree but it may not be perfect or done all the time. The problem is, that many tire centers are not set up to balance trailer tires. That is why they say you do not need it done.
Trailer tires are usually lug-centric while regular tires are hub centric. This difference makes it very hard for some tire centers to balance trailer tires. If they are willing to do it, expect to pay for that additional work to get the equipment ready.
Do Boat Trailer Tires Need To Be Balanced?
You may get differing opinions on this as well. The main reason why you would balance your boat trailer tires is to keep the ride smooth and to protect your tire from uneven wear.
When they get the latter, they can wear out faster and you will be buying new tires sooner than you want to. There will be people who say differently. Their reasoning is that the weight of the boat keeps the trailer level and there is no need to add more weight to the tires.
If you do see your boat trailer tires wearing unevenly, then check your tire pressure. If they are not the same, then you will get extra wear and tear on the rubber.
Make sure to not under-inflate those tires either. Nor should you over-inflate them. Stick to the psi rating on the side of the tire to make sure they last longer and provide you with a trouble-free ride.
Why Are Trailer Tires Not Balanced?
The most common reason is that most tire centers think you do not need to balance them. These tires are just hauling weight and have no steering or other duties so there is less of a need to make sure they are balanced.
However, you should ignore that advice and balance your trailer tires. The reasons you should do so are that unbalanced tires can cause unnecessary vibration, premature wear, and damage to your axle bearings, as well as create too much heat that will cause the tire to blow.
But if you do not tow your trailer that often, it is up to you to balance them or not. Most people do not do this as their trailers sit for a long period of time and are only on the road sparingly.
You will find proponents of both sides of this debate no matter who you talk to. Crawl under your new trailer to see if they have been balanced by the manufacturer.
Some Final Words
Balancing your trailer tires seems to be a good idea. It helps you have a safer journey, and protects against vibration and other possible issues, and towing should be a lot easier if you do it.
But as we said, it is not mandatory for you to do this. If you do not have the budget for balancing your tires or do not want to spend the money, then you can opt out of this option.
We just recommend you do it to be safer.
