Well, this sucks...

Thinking back on it, I think I understand what happened. Because of the balancing weights, corrosion started to work along the bead of the tire. Eventually, it managed to work it's way around the bead enough so that the tire wouldn't hold air.

This is something I should have thought about as I launch in salt water a lot. Even though I rinse the trailer very throughly after every immersion, you can't get to all of it.

So if you have aluminum rims on your trailer tires and launch in salt water, give your rims a very detailed inspection. If you see corrorion around the rim at any point, chances are you are starting down the same path I did and need to take care of it.

At the moment, I'm considering galvanized rims (which will really ruin the looks of the trailer), but I don't see that I have a choice if I continue to launch in salt water.

Grrrrr....

~~ cross posted to http://boatingforum.proboards91.com/index.cgi ~~

Independant suspension on leaf springs - why the hell are they balanced? I didn't do it - I assume they came from the factory that way.

Damn...

With the dynamic dampning effect of the leaf springs and dual independant suspension, any out of balance condition would be eliminated. As long as they are round and track properly, balancing wouldn't be needed.

Now that I think about it, the only reason you would balance a tire on a car with rear leaf springs would be due to tire rotation - not because the rear tires needed it.

"Gene Kearns" <gene.boating@myworkshop.idleplay.net> wrote in message news:2f6264dbnhqnqi89f7kok5b5kll9edb59f@4ax.com... > On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:46:39 -0400, Eisboch penned the following well > considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats: > >> >>"Short Wave Sportfishing" <email@swsportsremove.org> wrote in message >>news:3im064tai7jci06uhplbv8k0gecha3o4dn@4ax.com... >> >>> Discovered this afternoon that I have a serious corrosion problem with >>> my aluminum rims on the trailer. >>> >> >>Here's a question that will raise some controversy .... >> >>If your trailer has leaf springs .... why did you balance the trailer >>tires? >> >>Think about it. >> >>Eisboch >> > > The same reason you balance the tires on your car.... the two subjects > are virtually unrelated. Out of balance is out of balance.... > Many old timers never balanced the rear wheels on cars with leaf springs. In fact, it wasn't until coils and independent rear suspensions became more commonplace that balancing the rears became standard practice. An out of balance rear wheel on a conventional leaf spring suspension isn't even noticeable unless the unbalance is gross.

I've never seen that done. I've always balanced all four wheels.... in fact you just about have to if you intend to rotate the tires. I can imagine one really hot shock absorber on that unbalanced rear leaf...

The manufacturer of my aluminum trailer offers aluminum rims, as do many other trailer makers. I went with good old galvanized steel.

How about some Full Moons over the new galvanized rims? Or...Baby Moons?

Just the touch needed to class up that designer Ranger!

Spinners baby, spinners...

Spinners? You play rap on your boat radio?

Now I have a problem because I have Cool Hubs (oil filled bearings) and need to find a rim that will fit around the oil reservoir.

If you put Spinners on that trailer, make sure you drive around the Dairy Queen a number of times to impress the ladies.

;)

JR North wrote:

If your trailer has leaf springs .... why did you balance the trailer tires?

Think about it.

Eisboch

The same reason you balance the tires on your car.... the two subjects are virtually unrelated. Out of balance is out of balance....

An out of balance rear wheel on a conventional leaf spring suspension isn't even noticeable unless the unbalance is gross.

Eisboch