New tires not balanced?

[scott-pati]

Hi everyone, we just picked up our 2014 3402rl two weeks ago, and I was going over the tires and rims and noticed that there was no weights on any of the tires. I find it hard to believe that these tires and rims are perfectly balanced without weights. Should I have them balanced?

Thanks Scott

[DQDick]

Probably equally or more important is what type of tires are on the rig. If it's G614's I would definitely have them balanced. If it's chinese tires you may want to replace soon then it would be a toss up for me.

[scott-pati]

They are the Chinese Marathons. Been really thinking about the G614's because the 3402 is heavy at 13k dry. I also noticed that the rims are rated at 3750lbs and 110 psi, so I shouldn't need new rims to go with the G614's. Correct?

[8.1al]

That is correct, you won't need new rims. Most rv manufacturers figure the tires don't need to be balanced since you can't feel the shake. I prefer to have mine balanced, these things get enough shaking going down the road, no sense making it worse

[Irlpguy]

When I recently had G614's installed on my 3402RL I asked to have them balanced, the dealer said "oh we don't normally balance trailer tires".
I insisted and while watching the process saw that one wheel took 11 oz of weight to balance it. That is a lot of out of balance and certainly would have made a difference likely to the life of the tire.

I would recommend getting them balanced no matter what the tire is.

[Tithy242]

You should be okay with your rims. I say that not knowing your exact model but the specs sound the same as mine and I got confirmation from the manufacturer on the higher pressure.

I think the tire balance question is still interesting though and would like to hear more. When I had one of my Marathons blow this past weekend I asked the shop to balance the new tire and they said "We don't normally do that on trailer tires but okay?" Maybe this was ignorant on my part.

So, the question is still open regarding balancing trailer tires or maybe the distinction is LT vs. ST tires?

Thanks

TC

[Tithy242]

I was creating my post at the same time the two above my last one hit the wire. I think the question is answered. Thanks.

[Carl n Susan]

Be aware that you don't balance a trailer wheel in the same way you do a standard auto wheel. There are two balancing methods: hub centric and lug centric. Most shops will do a hub centric balance by default as that is satisfactory for most autos. Auto wheels have a hub which is directly centered in the wheel. RV wheels should be balanced "lug centric" as the center hole is much larger (to clear the axle hub) and not precisely centered. RV wheels balanced with a hub centric system will often take unusual amounts of weight to balance on the machine but will be out of balance once mounted on the RV.

http://www.atlasautoequipment.com/wh...centric-wheels

[Irlpguy]

Well now! you learn something new every day. I just phoned Tredit Tire and the aluminum wheels on our Montana's are Lug Centered, if balanced in the normal fashion on a Hub centered balance machine they will be out of balance when installed on the rims.

So that might explain why 11 oz of weight was needed to balance one of my wheels and I will now have to either get them rebalanced or take the weights off.

No wonder the tire shops don't want to balance trailer tires. Now it's off to the tire shop and see if they have the proper machine and what they want to do about this.

Thanks for the information Carl.

[scott-pati]

Great info! I too didn't know about lug balance. It still begs the question that how out balance are these tires. I mean if they are truly out of whack, that may help explain some of the blow outs, cause the tires are dribbling basketballs running down the street. Mild enough to add extra stress on an already stressed out tire.

[scott-pati]

He's a video that I found while I was looking up the topic on Google, showing the hub vs lug balancing. Thanks again to Carl for the heads up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocWAZqNGhM4

[DQDick]

Thanks again for the info, I would bet that most of us have hub balanced tires on our trailers.

[bncinwv]

I guess the real question is whether Keystone has Tredit balance the tires that are provided on the new rigs, guess I will have to see if there are weights attached anywhere?
Bingo

[Art-n-Marge]

Now I'll have to find a tire store for my new upcoming trailer tires that has an eight lug adapter to balance my lug-centric wheels on a hub centric balancer. It's always something. You learn something everyday, then the solution takes more work than others want to do. Wish me luck, but this is good to know.

[CORattler]

I had seen this info before but it's good info to share. Thanks!

[chieflawdawg]

My tire guy explained the same thing to me when I asked about balancing my new tires. I trust him so I said "ok". Well what was I supposed to say? Lol

[psomers]

Research Dyna Beads or KTB balancing fluid. If it's good enough for motor homes and big trucks, it's good enough for 5ers. I have the dyna beads in my 5er and son has the beads in his 40' diesel pusher and rides smooth as silk. I can't promise the 5er is smooth as I haven't rode in it.
Don't know why rvs are not hub centric. The answer to my question at the rally from Tredit didn't really answer it either.

[ols1932]

I know of no trailer that is delivered with the tires balanced. That's something the buyer has to have done.

Orv

[Jay Bird]

This topic was raised at the Fall Rally. Keystone indicated that could be something they would address as a future enhancement. However, how soon or if this becomes a reality is to be seen.

[Tom S.]

As George said, the issue was raised with Tredit at the fall rally. Their stance on beads or liquids was don't do it. Their concern was increased heat and friction wear.

About 100 years ago when I was young, some places balanced tires and wheels on the vehicle. This offered the additional benefit of also balancing out the axle and hub assembly, at least until you rotated your tires. I don't know if places still offer this type of balancing or not.

EDIT: I just checked Clydes Wheel and Frame shop in Pontiac, MI - an outfit I've dealt with since my dad started going there in the 50's, and they still offer the service. If they do, I'm sure other places do too.