When a tire is under inated, there is too
much contact with the road by the outer
treads, which wear prematurely. Tire pres-
sure should be checked with a reliable pres-
sure gauge.
Feathering. Feathering is a condition
when the edge of each tread rib develops
a slightly rounded edge on one side and a
sharp edge on the
other. By running
your hand over the
tire, you can usu-
ally feel the sharper
edges before you’ll
be able to see them.
The most common cause of feathering is
incorrect toe-in setting. If this is occurring,
have the toe-in adjusted to a proper setting.
Onesidewear. When an inner or outer
rib wears faster than the rest of the tire,
the need for wheel alignment is indicated.
This occurs when there is excessive cam-
ber in the axle, causing the wheel to lean
too much to the in-
side or outside and
putting too much
load on one side of
the tire. The trailer
may simply need
the wheels aligned, but misalignment could
be due to sagging springs, overloaded
trailer or an unbalanced load on multi-axle
trailers. Because load has a great effect on
alignment, be sure the trailer is loaded to
balance the weight on the axle or axles.
Trailers should be towed levelly. This is
particularly important with independent
suspension trailers using torsion axles.
Cupping. Cups or scalloped dips ap-
pearing around the edge of the tread on one
side or the other almost always indicate
worn (sometimes
bent) suspension
parts. Adjustment
of wheel align-
ment alone will
seldom cure the
problem. Any worn component that con-
nects the wheel to the trailer (wheel bear-
ings, springs, bushings, etc.) can cause this
condition. Worn components should be ad-
justed or replaced with new ones. The worn
tire should be balanced and possibly moved
to a different location on the trailer. Occa-
sionally, wheels that are out of balance will
wear like this, but wheel imbalance usually
shows up as bald spots between the outside
edges and center of the tread.
Second-rib wear. Second-rib wear is
normally found only in radial tires, and ap-
pears where the steel belts end in relation
to the tread. Nor-
mally, it can be kept
to a minimum by
paying careful at-
tention to tire pres-
sure and frequently
rotating the tires. Some tire manufactures
consider a slight amount of wear at the
second rib of a radial tire to be normal, but
excessive amounts of wear indicate that the
tires are too wide for the wheels. Be care-
ful when having oversized tires installed on
narrow wheels.
Braking System
Disc brakes offer several advantages over
drum brakes. Disc brakes have improved
resistance to fade on downhill grades. They
are self-adjusting, so as the pads wear, brak-
ing efciency is not reduced. This type of
brake recovers quickly after being sub-
merged. They also require less maintenance,
are easier to ush out, and are less suscep-
tible to water-induced corrosion.
MasterCraft Trailers • 2014 MasterCraft Owners Manual Page 7-19
M A S T E R C R A F T T R A I L E R S
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
