Tires: tire and wheel ratings, steel wheels, axle weight

Question
QUESTION: I have a large horse trailer with 16" g rated tires (3500lbs at 94psi) and steel wheels that state (max rating of 80psi at 3750lbs) is this a problem?  The trailer has a axle weight of almost 15-k lbs. and a gross weight of almost 19-k lbs. and we are blowing out tires and needing to upgrade.

ANSWER: Kelley,

Let's see:

4 tires at 3500 # each = 14,000 #.  The axle weights is 15K, so you are 1,000 # short of load carrying capacity. (I'm assuming you have actually weighed the vehicvle in a fully loaded condition and 15K is that value)

Yes, you have a problem, but without more information I won't be able to tell you what you might be able to do.

Let's start with tire size. (and comment on my assumption)


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: YES, the trailer weighs 15-k lbs when hooked to my truck!  I guess what I need to find out is do the tire and wheel ratings need to match?  ie:lbs per unit, psi per unit etc.?  if the tires show 94 psi and the wheels show 80 psi, I was told the wheels would come apart running 94psi in the wheel rated for 80psi.

Answer
Kelley,

The tire and wheel ratings have to EXCEED the weight of the truck - and they currently don't and that's why you are getting failures.

Plus, if the rims say they are rated to 80 psi, then running them at 94 is exceeding that limitation and they will eventually fail as well.

But you didn't answer my question about tire size, so I won't be able to help you any more than I have.

Bottom line:  You need to replace both the tires and rims with some that are rated for MORE than the load you are carrying.

BTW, you said that trailer weighs 19K and there is 15K on the tires.  Does that mean the tongue weigh is 4K?  That sounds too large to me.  Is the truck's payload rated to carry 2 tons?  And I thought that tongue weights are supposed to be between 10% and 15% of the GVW of the trailer.  That would be under 3K.

Overall I think you need to do some serious talking with folks who specialize in trailers and know the right way to size the truck and the trailer for the job.