Raising tires for winter storage

[Mrbaker]

Just curious if anyone actually raised their trailers to remove the majority of the weight off the tires for long term storage. We did this for aircraft in the Air Force and I have read that some people do it for trailers.
Is this an effective action to protect your tires and if so should you lift the tires completely or just remove the majority of the weight? Do you block under the axles or the frame?

Any feedback is appreciated.

[CoChris]

Just curious if anyone actually raised their trailers to remove the majority of the weight off the tires for long term storage. We did this for aircraft in the Air Force and I have read that some people do it for trailers.
Is this an effective action to protect your tires and if so should you lift the tires completely or just remove the majority of the weight? Do you block under the axles or the frame?

Any feedback is appreciated.

I use (6) blocks under the frame on our Solitude to take about 1/2~3/4 of the travel out of the springs when storing for the winter. There is still some weight on all four tires. My thought was to try and prevent flat spotting the tires and minimize flattening the springs during the 6~7 months of winter storage. I also retract all the jacks to protect the shafts. Is it needed? Does it help? I really do not know, but figure it was worth trying.

Chris

[Calbar]

Just curious if anyone actually raised their trailers to remove the majority of the weight off the tires for long term storage. We did this for aircraft in the Air Force and I have read that some people do it for trailers.
Is this an effective action to protect your tires and if so should you lift the tires completely or just remove the majority of the weight? Do you block under the axles or the frame?

Any feedback is appreciated.

I have never done this and as far as I know never had any issues or flat spots. There are some who do this and remove all of the weight but I don't.

Rob

[Canyonlight]

Just curious if anyone actually raised their trailers to remove the majority of the weight off the tires for long term storage. We did this for aircraft in the Air Force and I have read that some people do it for trailers.
Is this an effective action to protect your tires and if so should you lift the tires completely or just remove the majority of the weight? Do you block under the axles or the frame?

Any feedback is appreciated.

This is a topic "raised" a number of times on the forum over the years. I recall many folks sharing that in the old days with bias ply tires this had benefit to prevent tire flat spotting. With radial tires it is a non issue as I recall.

Curious - what were the reasons that the air force did elevate aircraft ?

Dan

[traveldawg]

When we leave for our long travels I put 1/4" plexiglass pad under the tires. That way there is no moisture bearing surface the tires are sitting on. I've read many times that it is important to keep them off wet/damp surfaces. Boards won't work, they retain moisture.

I also slightly overinflated them (just to the max and maybe 5 lbs more). I know new tires aren't suppose to flat spot, but I figure an ounce of prevention doesn't hurt.

If I were to raise them to get most of the weight off them I would still have some type of plastic pad under them but probably wouldn't worry about the pressure.

[Keebler]

Good read on the the topic: https://www.rvtiresafety.net/search/label/Winterize

[Canyonlight]

Good read on the the topic: https://www.rvtiresafety.net/search/label/Winterize

Thanks, for sharing this ! I recall seeing this or something similar years ago. Appreciate you providing the link !

This sentence grabbed my attention:

1. Your actual static load should not exceed 85% of the max load capacity on any individual tire for the inflation you run.

Any ideas on what the rationale here is ?

I think many of us understand the maximum load carried on a tire should not exceed the maximum of the tire given proper inflation.......no mention of an 85% (or other lesser factor.) And this would be a dynamic load going down the road.....not a static load where the rig is just sitting still.

Hmmm ?

Dan

[Mrbaker]

This is a topic "raised" a number of times on the forum over the years. I recall many folks sharing that in the old days with bias ply tires this had benefit to prevent tire flat spotting. With radial tires it is a non issue as I recall.

Curious - what were the reasons that the air force did elevate aircraft ?

Dan

I think it was done to prevent flat spots as it was usually done for alert or cannibalization (used for parts) aircraft that may sit for weeks even inside.

[Mrbaker]

Want to thank everyone for their replies. I have been checking on this around the net and have come to the conclusion that there is no consensus on the issue of raising. But there is a fair amount on the idea of max tire inflation and what the park on (asphalt, dirt bad), (rubber, plastic good). So out of an abundance of better safe than sorry I will be raising my trailer this winter.

[Keebler]

Want to thank everyone for their replies. I have been checking on this around the net and have come to the conclusion that there is no consensus on the issue of raising. But there is a fair amount on the idea of max tire inflation and what the park on (asphalt, dirt bad), (rubber, plastic good). So out of an abundance of better safe than sorry I will be raising my trailer this winter.

I have not seen anything saying it's a bad thing to do. The link I shared said, "Lots of actions can theoretically prevent microscopic problems but if you extend the life of a tire by 1 month if you were to jack it up every time you were planning to park for more than 3 months, would it be worth the effort? Probably not". The point being it is not likely worth the effort; not that doing so is a bad thing.

That said, as you mention, there is consensus that parking surface can be an issue. So, if jacking once at the end of the season is not that big a deal for you, you definitely achieve avoiding the negative effects of parking on the wrong surface. Sounds like a workable solution for you.