Prevention of Tire Dry Rot in Boat Trailers: What Can You Do?

Tire dry rot can be a stubborn and serious problem in boat trailers, especially when the trailer tires are continuously exposed to direct sunlight. This will promote thermo-oxidative deterioration, which occurs frequently in warm climates. Especially if your trailer is parked on a petroleum-based surface like asphalt, which readily absorbs heat and UV rays, your tires will most likely incur damage from rot more rapidly.

Even if you use an effective UV block on these tires every few months, the tires may still develop dry rot and deteriorate. Other causes of dry rot occurrences on trailer tires are low air inflation levels and lack of driving time. Vehicles of various types that are driven infrequently are more susceptible to developing this condition. To avoid the need to replace your boat trailer’s tires regularly, you should take some measures to protect the tires from constant damage from heat and sunlight, low inflation levels and lack of vehicle use.

What You Can Do to Prevent Dry Rot Formation on the Tires of Your Boat Trailer

There are some recommended procedures for helping to prevent or alleviate the formation of dry rot on the tires of your boat trailer, including the following:

• Keep Tires Well Inflated. – By maintaining adequate air levels in your trailer tires, you will help avoid the development and accumulation of dry tire rot on your trailer’s tires. Even if they are exposed on a regular basis to direct sunlight and surfaces that can retain hot summer heat, by keeping the tires well inflated, you can help alleviate or prevent problems resulting from dry rot.

• Replace Tires as Needed. – Vehicle tire manufacturers today recommend replacing your vehicle (or trailer) tires at least every ten years, and many advise tire replacement every six years. For boat trailers that are in regular use, this should keep the tires free of dry tire rot and in safe driving condition whenever you are on the road with your boat and trailer.

• Avoid Trailer Inactivity. – Keep your boat trailer on the road and moving as often as possible throughout the year. This will be a great help to stopping the formation of dry rot on its tires. If you will not be needing to transport your boat during the colder months, try using your trailer to carry other types of sports equipment or items that you may need to have moved to or from your business facilities or your home.

• Apply a UV Block. – By applying a reliable UV block to your trailer tires three or four times during the year, you will help shield the tires from the damaging sun rays and from the heat of petroleum-based pavement material like asphalt. By doing this regularly, you can significantly prolong the life of your tires and avoid frequent tire replacement.

• Use a Wheel Cover. – Covering your tires with vinyl wheel covers will block the rays of sunlight that can cause tire damage from dry rot. If you keep your tires covered whenever your boat trailer is not in use, you will most likely have good use of these tires for at least six or seven years.

By consulting the experts at Sales Trailers located in Mortdale, NSW, Sydney’s premier trailer providers, you will receive excellent advice concerning the prevention of tire dry rot on the tires of your boat trailer. This team of experienced professionals will help you prolong the life and good use of your tires by using tried-and-true methods of dry rot prevention and elimination from your trailer tires.