Trailer tire air pressure

Dwight Harley

Well-known member
My boat trailer has 12" tires which say max inflation 90lbs. Trailer sticker says run at 60psi cold with 800lbs on each axle. My new boat fully loaded weighs no more than 300lbs. Wondering how much pressure I should keep in the tires?
 
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I had the same ? when my 12 in. tires went low . The side wall said 90# PSI ,I thought this to be high,so I filled them up to 40lbs.The tires went low again the next day ,after checking them out I found that they were old 2002 yr .and dry rotting. I bought 2 new tires and gavanized rims,I checked the tire pressure and it was 90#psi.I haul a 16 ft. tracker {grizzly boat}.Kind of funny when my 16in.truck tires recomend only 40Lb psi.
 
I quit using the high pressure, trailer specific tires. I run 12" radials that use 45 psi as a suggested pressure. That gives you a lot softer ride and it doesn't beat your boat and motor up with a stiff ride. With that setup, I have run 200 miles in 90 degree heat in July, and in December when it's 20 degrees, without any issues.

Gibby
 
I run my trailer tires around 40#. Look at the suspension on your trailer versus your truck, then compare the tire sizes. If the trailer tires are rock hard then all that impact is transferred to your trailer and boat.

Similar to the reason why mountain bike tires aren't inflated as high as road bike tires. The tires help absorb impact.
 
Some mfgs have tables on their website indicating different loads for different inflation rates for certain tires they offer, implying that those particular tires can be run at a lower pressure if the load permits. I understand that all others should be run at or very near the mfgs rated max.

I run mine at or near the manufacturer's recommended maximum pressure. This tends to eliminate improper wear or excessive accumulation of heat. If the trailer rides too hard for the rig, then I suspect the springs/trailer may be mismatched to the load. I was guilty of this once when I thought I would get more wear out of an overly heavy trailer. I did, but at the expense of beating the boat, motor, decoys, gear, etc. nearly to pieces. For the second boat and trailer, I selected a trailer with a more suitable load rating AND a torsion axle. The thing goes down the road like a baby carriage. Stacked decoys won't even topple over.
 
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