Tandem axle trailer tire rotation

[Misty IV]

I have a tandem axle trailer for the boat and was wondering if anyone does or suggests rotating the tires similar to you would with your car or truck. The trailer sees maybe a total of 800 miles a year. It gets towed 6hrs to the lake in the spring, 6hrs home to PA in the fall, and just the 10 mile trips to the launch during the season. The tires aren't wearing oddly and there is nothing peculiar forcing me to ask the question. Just curious if anyone does this or if it is a recommended practice for tandems. Thanks.

[HPORT]

If you have radial tires I would suggest rotating them front to back on the same side. Its always good to remove the wheels and inspect / lube the studs and hubs every year, so I always look at it as a good time to rotate the tires at the same time.

If you do have a flat on the road, its nice to know it will come off easily....

[jimski2]

I do not recomend "lubing the wheel studs". You do not want lug nuts loosening up and wobbling or losing the wheels.

[Knotlost]

No there is no advantage to rotating tires on a trailer unless you have a particular problem. I have worked the trailer industry for quite a while, and there is nothing to indicate it helps the tire, but it can give YOU a warm fuzzy feeling if you do. Trailer tires are not car tires and they do not behave like car tires, as they do not wear out normal due to use but sitting in the sun and dry rotting. If you have bad wear problems you probably have shackles that need attention, but remember trailer tires will wear out much faster than car tires that's normal (referring to mileage driven on them) .

Keep the air pressure in them and run them till you don't like the looks from checking or wear, then replace as needed. And yes lubing the wheel studs with never seize is a standard practice and will not cause them to loosen up if tightened properly.

[HPORT]

"Lubing the wheel studs"would not be the proper term, as there is no such service. Having 25+ years in the industry, we always make sure the fasteners have some type of lube ( anti-seize / oil) before torquing them down. The lube gives you repeatable torque on each stud and on the up side allows for easy customer removal in the event of a flat on the road.

Lube will not cause the nuts to loosen, improper torque will... If you have rusted fasteners, you will have a likelyhood of over torquing the studs which eventually leads to failure.