On the Road - continued
Safety First-Basic Tire Maintenance
Properly maintained tires improve the steering, stopping, traction, and load-carrying capability of your trailer.
Under inflated tires and overloaded trailers are a major cause of tire failure. Therefore, as mentioned above, to
avoid flat tires and other types of tire failure, you should maintain proper tire pressure, observe tire and trailer
load limits, avoid road hazards, and regularly inspect your tires.
Finding Your Trailer's Recommended Tire Pressure and Load Limits
Tire information placards and trailer certification labels contain information on tires and load limits. These
labels indicate the trailer manufacturer's information including:
- Recommended tire size
- Recommended tire inflation pressure
- Trailer capacity weight (TCW - the maximum occupant and cargo weight a trailer is designed to carry)
- Front and rear gross axle weight ratings (GAWR - the maximum weight the axle systems are designed to
carry).
Both placards and certification labels are permanently attached to the trailer on the forward half of the left side,
and are easily readable from outside the trailer without moving any part of the trailer.
Understanding Tire Pressure and Load Limits
Tire inflation pressure is the level of air in the tire that provides it with load-carrying capacity and affects the
overall performance of the trailer. The tire inflation pressure number is a number that indicates the amount of
air pressure - measured in pounds per square inch (psi) - a tire requires to be properly inflated. (You will also
find this number on the trailer information placard expressed in kilopascals (kPa), which is the metric measure
used internationally.
Trailer manufacturers determine this number based on the trailer's design load limit, that is, the greatest
a trailer can safely carry and the trailer's tire size. The proper tire pressure for your trailer is referred to as the
amount of weight "recommended cold inflation pressure." (As you will read below, it is difficult to obtain the
recommended tire pressure if your tires are not cold) Because tires are designed to be used on more than one
type of trailer, tire manufacturers list the "maximum permissible inflation pressure" on the tire sidewall. This
number is the greatest amount of air pressure that should ever be put in the tire under normal driving conditions.
Checking Tire Pressure
It is important to check your trailer's tire pressure, including the spare, at least once a month for the following
reasons:
- Most tires may naturally lose air over time
- Tires can lose air suddenly if you drive over a pothole or other object or if you strike the curb when parking
- With radial tires, it is usually not possible to determine under-inflation by visual inspection
For convenience, purchase a tire pressure gauge to keep in your tow vehicle or trailer. Gauges can be
purchased at tire dealerships, auto supply stores, and other retail outlets.
The recommended tire inflation pressure that trailer manufacturers provide reflects the proper psi when a tire is
cold. The term cold does not relate to the outside temperature. Rather, a cold tire is one that has not been
driven on for at least three hours. When you drive, your tires get warmer, causing the air pressure within them
to increase. Therefore, to get an accurate tire pressure reading, you must measure tire pressure when the
tires are cold or compensate for the extra pressure in warm tires.
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Summary of Contents for 2013 Creek Side
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