Trailer Medic are very pleased to announce that we are now able to offer the complete trailer service and maintenance package – including trailer tyre fitting!
Tyre fitting can be carried out at our workshop (at North Tawton) or by taking advantage of our mobile tyre fitting service (at extra cost).
Like your car, trailer tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread depth in order to be road legal. Running your trailer with tread depths below this limit could lead to unsafe towing conditions. It could also incur you a hefty fine of up to £2500 per illegal tyre as well as 3 penalty points on your driving licence.
This means that if all four tyres on your trailer are found to be illegal you could be fined £10,000 (£2,500 per tyre) and 12 penalty points on your driving licence!!
As well as keeping an eye on the tyre tread depth limit, there are other ways that your tyres can be deemed illegal, again leading for you to receive a fine of up to £2,500 and penalty points.
You also need to be aware of any cuts,slices, bulges/eggs or tears within the tyre tread. If the cut in the tyre covers more than 25mm or over 10% of the section width of the wheel, your tyres will be deemed unsafe, illegal and you could be fined. If your tyres are not inflated to the correct PSI as per your trailer’s documentation (or the trailer sidewall), both under and over-inflated tyres can cause your tyres to become defective and unsafe.
Your trailer tyres are subject to the same abusive conditions of heat, cold, wet, dry and then annually, salt. Unfortunately, because your trailers do not cover the same sort of mileage as our cars, the tyres sit (sometimes for extended periods of time) with the weight of the trailer bearing down upon them. This weight, combined with sunlight and weather leads to the rubber breaking down, cracking and perishing.
Trailer Servicing
Part of our trailer servicing regime includes a thorough inspection of the condition of your trailer’s tyres.
- We look at the condition of the tyres generally – are there any visible signs of damage; splits, cracks, bulges or perishing?
- We look at the tread – is the tread depth above legal limit of 1.6mm (and will it last a further 12 months)?
- Again, looking at the tread – is the tyre tread wearing evenly? If not, this is a sign of suspension damage, probably a bent axle or drop-arm.
- Looking at the date stamp on the sidewall – is the tyre over 10 years old? We consider any trailer tyre over 10 years old to be end-of-life.
If we cannot pass all of the above, we will recommend replacing your tyre(s) or looking further into what is causing other problems.
Our tyre stocks
We stock tyres to suit all trailers, in sizes as below (other sizes are available to order – please ask): –
| 8 Inch | 10 Inch | 12 Inch | 13 Inch | 14 Inch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400-8 | 500-10 | 145R12C | 155/80R13 | 185/65R14 |
| 16.5×6.5-8 | 20.5×8-10 | 155/70R12 | 165R13C | 185R14C |
| 145R10 | 185/60R12 | 175R13C | 195R14C | |
| 195/55R10C | 195/60R12C | 185/70R13 | ||
| 195/50R13 |
We will only ever fit correct tyres rated for trailer use. These are very different from those used on your car and should never be mixed -or- car tyres used on trailers.
If you are unsure about the load index or speed rating symbols on your trailer tyres, please see our guides.
If you would like a quotation for tyre fitting, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
