Know Your New Trailer Tires Are of Good Quality
When BIAS PLY trailer tires are manufactured overseas, they are shipped to the US on a container. In order to maximize the efficiency of the container the bias ply tires are compressed together, and banded tight.
Because of the unique and durable construction of a bias ply tire, they can be "squished" without any negative effects to the tire.
Because they are bundled with two to three other tires they appear to be misshapen. The sidewalls do not look even. They are commonly mistaken by auto-mechanics and technicians as being bad tires, when in fact they are not. Any Bias Ply tire in the United States that came from overseas has been shipped this way. Some Bias Ply tires can appear to be more deformed than others. Here's the key: once air is added to the tire, the tire will take its shape without issue. The flexible plies inside of a bias tire will hold their compressed shape until that tire is inflated, once it is, the construction of the tire remains true to its manufactured specs and takes its shape.
Steps
- Open them up. Use your feet if you have to, spread the beads of the tire apart from each-other. This will make mounting and inflating the tire much easier.
- Mount the tire. When mounting the bias ply tire, try to keep the beads of the tire open, this will make inflating much easier.
- Once the tire is Mounted, it must be inflated. The easy way to inflate a bias ply tire which has been compressed is to use a Tire Bead Blaster, or a device which shoots a blast of air inside the tire to seat the beads. If this is not available:
- Hook the air line to the valve stem. With air running through the valve stem, Place your foot behind the rim and push the rim into the bead on one side as hard as you can. This will temporarily make a seal which should be tight enough to use your hand to push on the other-side of the rim to bring the other bead of the tire close enough to seat. (while the first bead you seated is still tight to the rim.
Tips
- It is normal for Bias Ply tires to look deformed when they are new and have not been inflated yet
- Once a Bias ply tire that appears to be deformed is inflated, it will take its shape, and you will be good to go!
