Are you running a BassCat? They are the only ones I know that use non-trailer tires.

Looks like a Ranger based on the wheels

2017 Ranger Z21

Dang that�s some bad luck on a new boat.

Guess I should have read/looked at the rim a bit closer.

Toofy,

What pressure do you run in your tires? How often do you check them? Any tire will experience extreme service if run "out of spec". If a tire rated for 50 PSI is run at 30 PSI it is not going to fare well. The tire carcass will be cooked by the heat generated (and the material is pretty crappy in a best case scenario to begin with).

Making sure the tire pressure is at max. pressure is step #1 for avoiding trouble. I check mine weekly when I'm fishing. This is not because I think they leak down when OK, but to insure I haven't picked up a screw or nail, etc. that is causing leak-down. Run very far on a low tire, and it will tear up....in my experience.

I don't check them as often as I should. I need to just make that part of my routine, same as cleaning and setting up the boat every trip.
They are rated for 44psi and the others were around 40-42.
I guess there is no way to know if the tire tore itself apart or if I ran over something that tore it up.

70 MPH rated tires is an old thing or for the smaller utility trailer tires. Like you found toofy most are rated 118 or around that. Since you don't check them that often it could of had a problem with that tire but thanks to tandem trailer you didn't notice. Sometimes excrement happens and you have no control.

Good thing is you can now drive the speed limit on Texas highways and not worry about going too fast.

I really appreciate all the info guys. This was the 3rd flat tire this year. The other 2 were on a trip to Pickwick over the summer. After a 10 hour drive I got a flat just when I was driving down a gravel road on the way to my destination. The 2nd one came a week later at the end of the trip. I drove the boat to the ramp while I asked my wife to drive my truck and trailer to the ramp 2 miles away. When she got there I realized I left the parking brake engaged on the trailer. The left rear tire had a flat spot on the bottom where the pavement just rubbed through the rubber and metal inside the tire. I don't fault my wife because she had no way of knowing. She can barely drive, much less know how a trailer works.

Last week I bought a 2005 Ranger Z22 (59 hours) and it had the original factory tires on the trailer. Drove it home from lake of the Ozarks with no issues. Thought about putting new tires on before I got on the road but decided not too.

It doesn�t help that a lot of the tires that trailer manufacturers are using are now made in China

You are exactly correct. One article about trailer towing that I read indicated there was no longer ANY domestic based trailer tire production. They all came from China at the time of that article, and probably do today. The article discussed that the materials used changed (clearly to cheapen the tire for the sake of profit) and that decision played into the predicament we have now. The change also affected the age-sensitivity of the tires. The fine print now states the tires have a service life based on time regardless of mileage, and many tires seem to be failing via this new development. I don't think any tire company considers this a problem. They sell tires for as much or more than they once did, clear more margin, then get to sell you more tires after their short service life expires and the tires self-destruct.

Goodyear Endurance from now on. It is made in America.
New tire out this year for trailers, its heavy duty, inflate to 65 psi, the horse and cattle haulers have been raving about them, they run around $120 a tire.

Thanks for the link. I just ordered one. Sure beats messing with a jail.

Update:

I went out in my driveway and found another flat tire on my trailer. These were Kinecta tires. After my 4th flat tire in less than a year (new tires) I got fed up and went to a tire shop and started over with 4 new tires of a different brand. I told them just gimme the best there is because I'm tired of this. They recommended Yokohama Avid Ascend. Fine, gimme 4.

Back to the original post, a tire blew out on my tandem trailer and I didn't know it until a guy pulled next to me and waved me down. So to prevent this in the future, I got a tire pressure management system. I researched several and decided on this one:

http://www.tiretraker.com/proddetail.php?prod=TT500-4

I have used it for a month now and love it. It only took about 15 minutes to set up. I love it so far. It's got a solid suction cup thingy to stick it on my windshield when towing but I can remove it the rest of the time. For the tires, all I did was replace the valve caps with the new caps.

I've come to the conclusion that about 4-5 years is all a trailer tire is good for and you really can't tell what they look like without removing them from the trailer for a good inspection.

My tires are rated for 84mph and 50psi. I try to keep it under 70mph but find myself up around 75 sometimes.