Trailer Tires

I'm going to be replacing my tiny trailer tires tomorrow with something more road worthy. Ever since Jerry said something about them at the camping trip, and how he wouldn't run them over 55, I've been totally paranoid about them. He's right...They aren't designed to run at the speeds I like to run at (70+)

So, I'll be going up to a larger tire. I'm considering a 13" tire, and I wanted to see what y'all thought. I dont know that I can swing the price on the 14" tires.

Anyone have any experience or opinions they'd like to share?

Is this for a light trailer that only carries a kayak or two and some gear or a heavy hauler. I recently upgraded my boat trailer wheels and tires. Went to discount tire and got two 15" spoked trailer wheels for I think around $60 each. I couldn't find them on the web site but the store had them. I got heavy duty trailer tires which are more expensive than normal tires. You could go with lighter car/truck tires if the weight is less than they are rated for.

Unless you are regularly carrying a heavier load, there is a good chance that you could be creating a safety issue. The larger diameter tires, coupled with your current springs, could cause your trailer to start bouncing all over the road. My new trailer has 13" tires and came with heavier load springs than my previous trailer (with 8" wheels) and it really gives my kayaks a beating. Unless it is a short trip over to WRL, I have to add dead weight to the trailer to keep it on the ground. I also had to remove my Thule saddles and replace them with springy Malone Sea Wings to help absorb the road shock.

Maybe you could borrow some tires from a friend for a personal test before you buy. All may be just fine or it could save you some money.

My point was that the tires you have are not rated for highway speeds.
If you can buy highway rated tires in that size that is what I would recommend.
Otherwise, you may have to up size to get a tire rated for highway speeds.

I run the 12s on my trailer with a pa 14 on it and sometime john or Duc put their kayak up there too! Went on several 3+ hour trips and I run hammer down. No problems yet!!!

I built the Harbor Freight trailer that I purchased after a discount for $318. It has 8" wheels and I normally try to stay 60 or under. But, the load on such a trailer is so incredibly light, what, less than 100 lbs.?, that it really isn't much of an issue.

It would be, I think, if one was hauling full capacity for that trailer and I think that is 600 lbs.

Still, many who use this cheap trailer move up to 12" tires and that is what I plan to do I think. The fenders will support 12" tires and need no alterations as they are placed high above the top edge of the tires.

An 8" wheel is certainly spinning fast but under very little load.

Brad

I ran a Harborfreight trailer with 8" tires for a full season carrying one or 2 kayaks and would consistently run 60-75 MPH for up to 2 hours....no problem. Tires/bearings never got hot even on 100 degree days. I removed one leaf from springs and ran 30-40 psi which definitely helped with the bounce. The tires will handle higher speeds but I replaced the axle bearings with better ones and would repack them often. There is virtually no load on the tires or trailer and the 55 mph rating comes from a fully loaded trailer.

This^^^
Just replace the cheap tires for high speed rated tires and you are good to go.

All I'm doing is making a recommendation based on observations over the last 40 years of folks on the side of the highway with blown out tires and overheated bearings. I would never tell someone who asks my opinion to do something that I felt might cause them a problem somewhere down the road.

I tow my trailer approximately 10,000 miles a year and don't need any issues if I can avoid them.

Only thing on tires I have to add is get radials if you are towing a lot of highway miles they wear and track better than the bias ply. One suggestion, if you can find the manufacturer and part number for the hub you can look up speed ratings for the hub and be sure it will give you continued service.

Or let a little air out of the tires to soften the ride. Heat shouldn't be an issue if the load is that light.

I think there's a good chance your springs will be OK since most trailers with small tires are not rated to haul a lot of weight. I'd suggest going to see the guys at Southwest Wheel, John Carpenter FWY in Dallas. They have white spoke wheels in 13'- 15' for aprox $25 each. If they have a wheel that will fit your hub (depending on if you have 4 or 5 bolt and the type spacing) and if a bigger tire will fit under your fenders. That would take care of the wheel portion.
You might need to change your hubs to go bigger, if so they should have everything you need at a fair price.
For tires I bought four 15' radials from NTB for $90. They had been brought back by a customer after putting 100 miles on them. Now I have two good tires on the trailer and two spares for long road trips.
Keep in mind that some 15" tires can actually be shorter than 14' or even some 13' tires, that's wheel size and nothing to do with height / circumference.
There's a lot to consider when picking tire and wheel set ups for your trailer, but if you have time to plan and shop around it can be done without spending a lot of $.
I would also recommend quality wheel bearings if you plan to do any long trips and always have one extra set with you and the tools to replace them on the road.

Thanks for all the input. I'm definitely going to have to go back and re-read everything. I'm probably a little more confused now than I was before. LOL

Here's a little more info on my trailer and my driving habits for you.

Its a '94 jet ski trailer
The wheels are 9" across, and the tires are 15" across.
I trailer one kayak, in the future probably a 2nd one.
The Hubs are brand new.(Right around a year)
Bearings are brand new. (same)
I use the trailer about twice a month....2 hour trip on average.
The leaf springs are light...two "leafs" in them.
I am taking it to Nashville in the near future, as well as Corpus.

So, here's what I'm thinking/wondering
The small tires...I worry about the rotational g-force ripping those small tires apart. The load isn't really an issue.
Will larger tires cause a problem with stability.

I'm going to go back and re-read everything, but that's where I'm at right now.

I think the biggest problem with the small tires is heat build up in the tires and possibly the wheel bearings.
If you decide to go with the small tires, The quality of tire and keeping the correct air pressure will be critical. Checking your wheel bearings and repacking them when needed on a regular schedule. At least once a year. IMO

Every time I hit the road with a trailer, I run 8-10 miles and then I pull over and check the tires and wheels with my hands. If either are hot, I go back to the house and fix the problem. I've never had a catastrophic failure on a wheel or hub on any trailer I've owned, and I've owned a pile, from single axle flatbeds and jon boat trailers to triple axle goosenecks, and lots in between. Common sense and the patience to stop and check will get you there and back with few problems.

I would say put 12 inch tires on it. I have a set you can try and see if you like them.

That's a good idea. I always check mine at every stop. I figure if they were cool when I got home from the last trip they should be ok to the first stop on the next trip out. Knock on wood I've never had a problem but I think I'll add that 10 mile stop into my routine.

I don't check them before every trip and whenever we stop for a breaks.

I bought a very small Jon boat with trailer and while taking it home the hub came apart and the wheel hit an on coming truck. Nobody hurt and insurance paid it all but the funny part was it hit my neighbors truck while he was going to the store. The Jon boat was so small I couldn't even see it behind my Suburban. This was before cell phones so he couldn't stop me and I drove two miles at 60 MPH before I realized it came apart. Followed the grove in the road to where it came off and found my neighbor. $1400 in damage way back then and not a scratch to be found on my tire. It rolled under his truck and came out the back. Bought a new hub and used it for a couple years then sold it. We till get a good laugh about it. Can only imagine the sparks flying off that thing and it took years before they fixed the road.

Good idea about checking the tires at each stop and early in the trip. I also like the idea of taking spare parts just incase. I'll start doing that.

I just got home with a pair of 13" tires. I'm really looking forward to putting them on. Might have to modify the homemade deck to get them to fit.

Todd,
That's hilarious! Sounds like my wife back when we were dating. She got a bad flat and didn't realize it. I saw it when she backed out of the driveway..couldn't catch her attention to get her to stop. By the time I could get my keys and get in my car, she was gone. I chased her over 5 miles before I finally caught her. She was thumping down the road and didn't even notice. She said, "I thought I heard an odd sound."

i try n check tires & double check hitch b4 pulling out. I too put my hand on the hub when i pull over and check for grease uderneath/behind the tires. when i roll off without an extra tire when flat, i run the risk of having to go back for something later. multi ply trailer tires will run for
a long time under less than ideal conditions. when they finaly go they blow. ive damaged several trailer finders and one rim beyond repair because i couldnt get off road safely in time.