Fall Trailer Season: 7 Tire & Wheel Checks for Landscapers, Contractors, and Property Managers

Fall is sneaky. You’re still hauling mowers and blowers, but now you’re adding leaves, debris, firewood, salt, even snow gear to the same trailer. Colder mornings + heavier loads = way more stress on your trailer tires and wheels. Use this quick Antego checklist before your next haul.

Trailer tires should be ST-rated, not passenger (P) or light truck (LT) tires. ST tires are built for vertical load and trailer sway control.

Check the sidewall for “ST…”
Common fall sizes we see: ST175/80R13, ST205/75R14, ST205/75R15
If the markings are worn or wrong, swap to a matched tire & wheel assembly so everything is sized and seated right.

Fall often means heavier, wetter loads (bags of mulch, wet leaves, equipment).

Look for Load Range C, D, or E on the tire.
If you’ve “grown” your load over the year (bigger mowers, more tools on the trailer), move up a load range so you’re not running at the limit.
Rule of thumb: your total trailer tire capacity should exceed your trailer’s actual loaded weight.

Tire pressure drops as temperatures drop: about 1 psi for every 10°F. Running underinflated is one of the fastest ways to ruin a trailer tire.

Check PSI first thing in the morning, before the trailer moves.
Inflate to the PSI on the tire sidewall, not what “feels right.”
Keep a good digital inflator and gauge in the truck so your crew can top off before runs.

Fall is when little issues become big ones.

Look for sidewall cracking, weather checking, or chunks missing from curb hits.
If the tire is old and hard, it won’t flex right in cold weather: replace it.
If the wheel itself is bent or rusty around the bead, it’s smarter to go with a pre-mounted tire & wheel than fight a bad rim.

You’re bouncing over job sites and curbs all fall: hardware loosens.

Torque lug nuts to spec.
Spin the wheel and listen for grinding or rumbling (failing bearing).
If you run multiple trailers, make this a Friday check so the crew doesn’t roll out Monday on a bad hub.

If you’ve ever had a tire go down right before a job, you already know: pre-mounted assemblies are the easy button.

Keep 1–2 spare trailer assemblies in the shop, already sized to your trailer.
Faster swaps in cold weather.
You know the tire and wheel are properly matched: no oddball bolt patterns or wrong offsets.

Some trailers work all winter, some sit.

If it’s sitting, park on a hard surface and move it once a month to avoid flat spots.
Keep tires out of standing water and out of direct sun to slow dry rot.
If you swap to winter-use tires, label sets so the crew grabs the right ones.

Call or message us if:

You’re not sure which ST size you actually need
You want to move from C → D → E load range
You want a ready-to-roll tire + wheel assembly so you’re not mounting in the cold