Should I Balance My Trailer Tires?

The short answer is "yes"! 

Why? After all, you don't ride in your trailer when traveling, and you don't feel it shake or vibrate (unless it's shaking so bad it travels through the hitch to the tow vehicle!). 

True, but balancing your trailer tires isn't about ride comfort. 

There are three primary reasons we advocate for balancing trailer tires. 

One, a tire that is out of balance will not wear evenly over time and will therefore shorten the tread life of the tire. One of the reasons trailer tires can "cup" and "chop" across the tread is from imbalance. Once uneven wear starts, there is no reliable way to keep it progressing, and your tire will wear out sooner. 

Two, an out-of-balance tire will vibrate and bounce around on the axle. This puts undue stress on all the axle components and the entire structure of the trailer. This can lead to worn bearings, broken welds, and additional damaged components. 

Remember that if the prematurely worn bearings, or another component, is caused by an out-of-balance tire, just balancing your tire won't fix the problem. A perfectly balanced tire on a hub with worn-out bearings can also cause the tire to "cup" and "chop," just like an out-of-balance tire. 

And third, an out-of-balance tire creates more rolling resistance. Increased rolling resistance leads to higher fuel costs when towing. A well-balanced tire will provide the least rolling resistance and potential fuel savings. 

For these three reasons, 1) premature tread wear, 2) premature trailer component wear, and 3) increased rolling resistance, we strongly encourage all trailer owners to balance their trailer tires. 

At Boar, we balance internally using balancing beads. For a 225/70R19.5 we use 6 oz. in each tire, and for a 245/70R19.5 we use 8 oz. Thousands of uniquely designed beads shape to the tire by centrifugal force as the tire travels down the road. They balance the tire internally as the beads disperse evenly throughout it, creating a consistent balance. Beads are static-free and roll freely to keep tires balanced as the tire naturally matures. And because trailer tires are seldom rebalanced and rotated, balancing beads are a great option to maintain balance for the life of the tread. 

Did we mention that balancing is included in our wheel & tire assembly packages? That's right. It's that important. We want you to have the best tire life possible from your Boar Wheel purchase! 

Are there any applications we would not balance the wheels and tire for? Possibly. Dump trailers only used locally and not used on the highway. Small utility trailers that get used less or don't travel far. 

In short, we recommend balancing any trailer tire used on the highway or traveling longer distances.