5-6
TOPAZ
5.5 WHEELS/TIRES
The wheel, tires and associated components transmit and carry the weight and load between the trailer and
the road surface, a long acceptable operating life for these components requires that they be maintained in
good condition at all times.
Always follow these common sense maintenance items to keep these components in top condition.
1. Tires:
a. Pressure:
Trailer tires normally carry more load than a
standard passenger car tire. Air pressure
allows the tire to carry the required load.
As a result, the tires must always be
inflated to their specified pressure.
Every user should equip their trailer with an
accurate hand-held tire pressure gauge and
check the tire pressure at the start of each
travelling day. Always check the tires
when they are cold to obtain a meaningful
reading and bring them to the specified
pressure molded into the tire sidewall. Tire
pressures can increase significantly as
their temperature rises while travelling and
give erroneous results.
Improperly inflated tires can cause prob-
lems. These problems included but are not
limited to:
i. Under-inflation:
• Poor handling characteristics.
• Increases tire temperature due to
sidewall flexing.
Tires that overheat have a shorter
life.
• Transfer more load to other tires that
can cause them to be overloaded and
increase their temperature.
• Poor tread wear characteristics.
ii. Over-inflation:
• Poor handling characteristics.
• Poor tread wear characteristics.
• Increased tire temperature from
carrying extra load.
b. Tread:
Each trailer is equipped with tires made by
a major tire manufacturer. The tread is
designed to provide long life and good
handling characteristics in all types of
conditions. The tires should provide many
thousands of travelling miles before they
require replacing.
Check the condition of the tire tread at the
start of each travelling day when checking
tire pressure. Uneven tread wear on one or
more tires indicates a problem with the
running gear components such as suspen-
sion, alignment, rims, etc.. Always deter-
mine the cause of the unusual wear pattern.
Take the unit to an authorized service shop
for repairs if required and correct the
problem before continuing.
2. Rims:
Each trailer is equipped with heavy duty rims to
carry the heavier weight and side loads encoun-
tered on a trailer. Tandem axles do not steer.
As a result, they are pulled sideways whenever
the trailer goes around a corner. In tight turns,
they are literally dragged sideways as the
corner is made.
This side load will cause stress to the rim and
mounting bolts. Over time the wheel bolts can
stretch and retorquing is required.
If the wheel bolts continue to come loose, it is
recommended the rim and bolts be replaced.
Loose bolts can be caused by oblong mounting
holes and the only way to correct this condition
is to replace the rim.
3. Wheel Bolts/Lugs:
The tires/rims are secured to the axle with
wheel bolts/lugs. Wheel bolts/lugs must
always be maintained at their specified torque
(See Axle manufacturers instruction in the
Owner's information package). It is
recommended that you carry a torque wrench to
make it convenient to check the wheel bolt/lug
torque.
Be sure to remember these recommended
procedures:
a. Break-In:
When the trailer is new, check and re-
torque the wheel bolts as specified by the
axle manufacturer.
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