Cobra Trailer Fenders

Had a similar experience with the last ship I bought. Trailer tires looked great, almost new I thought! Found out later they were the original tires on the Cobra, some 15 years ago! I got about 300 miles on those tires when the right one threw a 12� hunk of tread with one end still attached...............bam, bam, bam, it sounded like a helicopter! Removed the fender as though it was never there! The ship had seldom left the gliderport and tire pressure was down when I got the bird. I figured that 15 long cold winters with tires partially deflated, had weakened the flat spot area. Always seems to happen when a ship is sold and the trailer sees the road for the first time in many years. Tire guy told me those were 2 ply auto tires, he recommended 6 ply trailer tires............no more tire problems!
Cheers,
JJ

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/...of-your-tires#

You might want the seller to send you a photo of the tire sidewall and plan accordingly.

Then there's bearings and brake shoes.

Sometimes the local DOT runs a roadside check on trailers. Do all the lights work?

On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 10:55:45 AM UTC-8, wrote:
Had a similar experience with the last ship I bought. Trailer tires looked great, almost new I thought! Found out later they were the original tires on the Cobra, some 15 years ago! I got about 300 miles on those tires when the right one threw a 12� hunk of tread with one end still attached..............bam, bam, bam, it sounded like a helicopter! Removed the fender as though it was never there! The ship had seldom left the gliderport and tire pressure was down when I got the bird. I figured that 15 long cold winters with tires partially deflated, had weakened the flat spot area. Always seems to happen when a ship is sold and the trailer sees the road for the first time in many years. Tire guy told me those were 2 ply auto tires, he recommended 6 ply trailer tires............no more tire problems!
Cheers,
JJ

When I bought my 8 year old ASH26e the first stop I made was at a tire store. No way I was going to use 8 year old tires while trailering across the empty expanses of Nevada. I also had to fix the butchered trailer wiring in a motel parking lot. Fortunately, I came prepared.

Tires deteriorate from the inside out from the compressed air (oxygen is an oxidizer). Much better results if you use nitrogen, but not many tire shops have it.
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging

Tom

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 2:00:28 AM UTC-6, 2G wrote:
On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 10:55:45 AM UTC-8, wrote:
Had a similar experience with the last ship I bought. Trailer tires looked great, almost new I thought! Found out later they were the original tires on the Cobra, some 15 years ago! I got about 300 miles on those tires when the right one threw a 12� hunk of tread with one end still attached..............bam, bam, bam, it sounded like a helicopter! Removed the fender as though it was never there! The ship had seldom left the gliderport and tire pressure was down when I got the bird. I figured that 15 long cold winters with tires partially deflated, had weakened the flat spot area. Always seems to happen when a ship is sold and the trailer sees the road for the first time in many years. Tire guy told me those were 2 ply auto tires, he recommended 6 ply trailer tires............no more tire problems!
Cheers,
JJ

When I bought my 8 year old ASH26e the first stop I made was at a tire store. No way I was going to use 8 year old tires while trailering across the empty expanses of Nevada. I also had to fix the butchered trailer wiring in a motel parking lot. Fortunately, I came prepared.

Tires deteriorate from the inside out from the compressed air (oxygen is an oxidizer). Much better results if you use nitrogen, but not many tire shops have it.
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging

Tom

Considering that sun exposure is such an important negative factor, I can't explain why so few trailers in our gliderports have wheel covers on. I have a second set now and they seem to work very well. The cost is about $20-30/pair.

Contractor garbage bags work very well as tire (with wheel chocks) and hitch covers (you don't want to have to replace the rubber bellows) for a very good price.

Go to a RV trailer supply buy a pair of steel fenders about $35 each have them power coated attach them the same way. I did it to a 1989 Cobra trailer worked great.

2G wrote on 11/24/2019 12:00 AM:
On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 10:55:45 AM UTC-8, wrote:
Had a similar experience with the last ship I bought. Trailer tires looked great, almost new I thought! Found out later they were the original tires on the Cobra, some 15 years ago! I got about 300 miles on those tires when the right one threw a 12� hunk of tread with one end still attached..............bam, bam, bam, it sounded like a helicopter! Removed the fender as though it was never there! The ship had seldom left the gliderport and tire pressure was down when I got the bird. I figured that 15 long cold winters with tires partially deflated, had weakened the flat spot area. Always seems to happen when a ship is sold and the trailer sees the road for the first time in many years. Tire guy told me those were 2 ply auto tires, he recommended 6 ply trailer tires............no more tire problems!
Cheers,
JJ

When I bought my 8 year old ASH26e the first stop I made was at a tire store. No way I was going to use 8 year old tires while trailering across the empty expanses of Nevada. I also had to fix the butchered trailer wiring in a motel parking lot. Fortunately, I came prepared.

Tires deteriorate from the inside out from the compressed air (oxygen is an oxidizer). Much better results if you use nitrogen, but not many tire shops have it.
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging

The case for nitrogen is very weak, but it causes no harm. I suggest glider pilots
put their money and effort into following the recommendations in the link Tom
provides.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1