I am going to keep my boat on a cement drive way during the winter off season. Do I need jack up the wheels to get them of the ground or put wood blocks under the tires. I have had some people tell me that I need to do this and I just was wondering what every one else did that leaves there boat/ trailer sit out side.

Being retired, I have the extra 5 minutes it takes to place blocks under the axle to raise the tires off the ground/floor. I have no idea whether it makes any difference or not. I do know that 2 of the 3 tires are 7 years old and still function, so maybe it helps. Probably does not hurt.

Bill Krejca

Have owned many boats in the last 27 years. Have never done anything of the sort if storing on a driveway or on concrete in a garage. Never an issue.
Only thing I ever did was periodically roll it a few inches so it was not always
sitting on the same spot on the tire. If I had no room to roll it,halfway through the winter I would jack it rotate the wheel 90 degrees,then drop it.

Anytime I stored in on grass or dirt in my backyard, I jacked it up so I could place boards under the tires so they are not in contact with the ground. Keeps it from sinking in, and supposedly, long term sitting on dirt can accelerate dry rot of the tires. Would also rotate the wheels once during the winter. Not really sure if any of it was necessary. Either way,never had any issues with springs.

I believe with today's radial tires you don't need to have them of the concrete floor for storage,
but with the motorized jack it takes me 5 minutes to raise the axle and place a couple of stands under it, it just makes me feel better and I like that.

I would make sure you repack your wheel bearings in the fall before layup rather than worrying about this

Think about this:
How many millions of things - autos, trucks, implements, tractors, etc. etc. etc. are stored for years (literally) with the tires on dirt, concrete, wood, etc. etc. etc. and are never jacked up, moved etc. etc. etc.

So, doing things like jacking up, rolling etc. seem like a total waste of time.

Just make sure that you have the proper air in the tires, and make sure that you have no moisture in the hubs. If you have no moisture in the hubs, there is no need to replace the wheels. If you are not sure about moisture presence - repack the wheels to be sure.

A trailer is designed to hold a boat for long periords. Leave it alone and let it do its job .

Take care
REW

Bill,
You make mention of having tires that are 7 years old.
You should have serious thoughts about replacing your tires.
There is lots of literature out there which talks about the loss of reliability in tires, once the 6 year time frame has passed.

I have had personal experience about blowing out heavily loaded tires that are over 6 years old. As a result, I make a point of insuring that any tires that I own are 6 years in age or less. It doesn't make any difference on the amount of tread left on the tires, or whether there is any side checking or not, but the magic thing to look for is the 6 years in age - from the date of manufacture.

Take care and be safe
REW

REW,

Yeah, I know, and I'm probably not playing as safe as I should re: the old tires (tire). I have had them go on me on other trailers, and it isn't a pretty sight, usually takes p/o the fender, too. I have always wondered, however, if sometimes the tire hasn't picked up a nail, etc, which causes it to go. I'll plan on a new one for next year. I'm gonna continue to jack up the tires over the winter, tho, as it is easy to do. Thanks for the reminder on the age (the tires, not me) factor, it is appreciated.

Bill Krejca