Flat Tire Dump Trailer

[Woodcutteranon]

Hi everyone...

I ran a small screw into my dump's tire. This is a two axle, 10' dump. Load range E 15" tire.

The screw was right on the edge of the tread but angled in towards the center of the tire. I plugged it and it has held.

Does anyone have experience with this type of repair? Good or bad? I know you aren't supposed to "patch" a tire near the sidewall but I have gotten by with plugging in the past. The fact this trailer hauls firewood I am wondering if this plug is an accident waiting to happen and I should just buy a new tire. This tire has less than 6000 miles on it. The plug can be seen below

Thanks in advance for your replies.

WCA

 

[Deleted member 150358]

If you have a spare I'd swap it out. I've seen fiber plugs even in sidewalls hold for a while. But they don't call it a Chicago patch for nothing. As in get ya from here to Chicago if your lucky.

Umbrella patches and flat patches in that spot will work loose eventually. I'd trust an umbrella patch more than the fiber plug but ya gotta break the tire down. Shops won't touch it.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I use radial patches with no problem in the range of 2-3''. I ran over a large nail almost in the exact spot on the front of my F250. It has 265 E's. While on the trail it averages about 3 to 6 MPH when on the freeway about 50 MPH. I rounded up a new set, but did not want to put them on until what I had was trashed. Plugs can be good, but are prone to small amount of leakage which can be a disaster when you do not know about it. The only safe method is to check pressures often with a gauge. Holes near the edge are the most dangerous because the side flexes much more than the face of the tread. Thanks

 

[olyman]

you may be surprised,,how long that will last. just keep the tire inflated to max pressure,,so less sidewall flex...……..

 

[4seasons]

That is NOT a sidewall puncture. A tire shop may not do it but someone who actually knows something about tires will patch and tube that and never give it another thought. It is after all a trailer tire, not a steer tire. I drove for several trucking companies that had a policy of no patches on the steer axle (may actually be a law for CMV) and some that were no patches on the tractor. But they keep all those tires that needed a patch to run on the trailers. As others have mentioned those plugs tend to slow leak, but I have ran 50k miles on one before. But if you run it heavy, patch and tube and keep it on the trailer until it is dry rotted or bald.

 

[stihl023/5]

I've plugged tires and worn them out without problems.

 

[Del_]

you may be surprised,,how long that will last. just keep the tire inflated to max pressure,,so less sidewall flex...……..

I agree.

I check all four tires each time before I take my dump trailer out on the road.

Being your is twin axle if a tire goes out suddenly you still should have good control.

 

[Tin-knocker]

I’m guessing there is no warranty on the tire? A lot of shops around me offer lifetime warranties for a small fee then you just have to pay the fee when you get a new tire on for another warranty and you’re good to go. If I remember correctly the fee was only around $20 so well worth the money

 

[sb47]

I drove my truck from Texas to Michigan and back with a large nail in the sidewall of the back tire with no issues. The nail went into the sidewall and came back out the sidewall so there were two holes in the tire.
I know but I was young and dumb at the time and I was going to get my girlfriend "at the time" and bring her back down to live with me. As it turned out, I should have just left her in Michigan.

 

[chucker]

had the same problem with my 6 ply tandem tire … put a plug in it and a large bottle of atv/truck tire slime in it last fall and the cap/face is starting to peel! full up on pressure and wear it out!....

 

[svk]

I’d personally run it. Otherwise if you have a “good” repair shop I’d have them put a patch on the inside. When I say good, I mean a place that will actually fix your stuff and isn’t concerned with selling you new stuff first.

That’s my one gripe with E rated tires, it seems those higher pressures are less forgiving for punctures. My suburban maybe has one leaky tire a year. My 3/4 ton truck has issues much more frequently. Granted I’m driving 10 plus miles a day on gravel roads though too.

 

[panolo]

I run a product called multi- seal in all my trailer tires, skid steer tires, and 4 wheeler tires. Insane how well it works. The basic stuff is available on amazon but I run the HD stuff which has a little more kevlar in it. It's always fluid unlike a slime which sticks to the tire. As long as the tire is rotating it will seal.

Don't run it with wheel sensor tires.

https://www.multiseal.us/

 

[svk]

I run a product called multi- seal in all my trailer tires, skid steer tires, and 4 wheeler tires. Insane how well it works. The basic stuff is available on amazon but I run the HD stuff which has a little more kevlar in it. It's always fluid unlike a slime which sticks to the tire. As long as the tire is rotating it will seal.

Don't run it with wheel sensor tires.

https://www.multiseal.us/

Question, does that stuff make a mess at the tire shop or does it kind of sit down in the wheel when you mount/dismount? Also how does it affect balancing? Or is it just for low speed tires?

 

[MontanaTed]

A good shop should be able to patch that, as long as it’s not in the side wall they should be able to patch it and have it hold.

 

[panolo]

Question, does that stuff make a mess at the tire shop or does it kind of sit down in the wheel when you mount/dismount? Also how does it affect balancing? Or is it just for low speed tires?

So I have changed thousands of tires on stuff when I worked in service and hated slime and fix a flat. This stuff sits down and doesn't blow everywhere. It's basically kevlar in glycol. Doesn't go anywhere and you wash it out with a hose. Pretty clean. I found out about it because it gets ran in campers and some motor homes. The only tires I've heard of issues are some continentals because they are super ribbed on the inside and because the product is more liquid than a slime it is slower to rotate with the heavily ribbed tires. I don't notice any issue in my trailers and my skid steer never gets going that fast. ATV rides pretty clean but I have semi aggressive mud tires on it so that has always been a little bumpy. I used to foam my skid tires as I was always blasting the tubes out on something. Foamed tires suck to get off and work with. I'm going on 3 years without an issue. I had one flat on my 4 wheeler and all I had to do was fill the tire and drive it down the driveway and back as when the tire is rotating is when the kevlar stuffs the leak.

 

[svk]

So I have changed thousands of tires on stuff when I worked in service and hated slime and fix a flat. This stuff sits down and doesn't blow everywhere. It's basically kevlar in glycol. Doesn't go anywhere and you wash it out with a hose. Pretty clean. I found out about it because it gets ran in campers and some motor homes. The only tires I've heard of issues are some continentals because they are super ribbed on the inside and because the product is more liquid than a slime it is slower to rotate with the heavily ribbed tires. I don't notice any issue in my trailers and my skid steer never gets going that fast. ATV rides pretty clean but I have semi aggressive mud tires on it so that has always been a little bumpy. I used to foam my skid tires as I was always blasting the tubes out on something. Foamed tires suck to get off and work with. I'm going on 3 years without an issue. I had one flat on my 4 wheeler and all I had to do was fill the tire and drive it down the driveway and back as when the tire is rotating is when the kevlar stuffs the leak.

Impressive!

 

[rancher2]

I do all my own tire work. I don't care for plugs but will plug a tire to get home. I would use a large good radial tire patch in that trailer tire. It will wear or rot out before a good patch will fail.

 

[Mustang71]

Any time I've had a nail or screw in a tire of any kind I just plug it and it has always lasted the life of the tire. In your case if you have a spare I'd swap them and make the plugged one the new spare. Tire shops here in NY used to be able to just plug tires but now they have to plug and patch.

The only reason I'd swap it with the spare is because unlike your daily driver those tires on the trailer have a lot of weight change going on and I'm sure occasionally get a little extra weight than they should.

 

[SamT1]

I’m an avid plugger. A good quality plug will last a max of 10k miles before it starts to leak for me. 10 ply tires hold onto plugs very well. If you have a good ole boy tire shop I’d have a patch put on it at your convenience, chain type stores probably won’t patch that.
I usually shove plugs until I have something that won’t hold a plug. Then have the tire shop patch all the plugged holes if the tires are good enough for 10k more miles. My guy charges like $3 a patch after the first $15 one.

 

[unclemoustache]

Never had any plug probs. In fact, I'm going to go plug a tire on my truck right now, if I can get my lazy butt off the chair.