Found my trailer frame

[Melle.17]

OK... first step complete. Found a trailer frame that is solid and affordable. I am cleaning it up, sanding it down, and will repaint it, etc. It currently has 13 inch wheels. I am considering replacing the hubs once I get down to them and see how they are. Is there any benefit to putting bigger hubs on? The current ones are 4 lug so that is limiting my wheel size. That brings me to another question... Does bigger wheels actually help me at all? I am considering possibly taking this offroad. Nothing extreme (dont want to test my build that much!) but dirt roads, etc. What else do I need to look for on this thing and be aware of? Thanks all!

[tony.latham]

The current ones are 4 lug so that is limiting my wheel size. That brings me to another question... Does bigger wheels actually help me at all? I am considering possibly taking this offroad.

The bigger the tire, the slower the hub spins on the bearings. Which is a good thing of course. And envision a tiny tire dropping into a bigger chuck hole --because of that, larger tires run smoother on rough roads. (Radial tires will ride much smoother than bias trailer tires.)

But the bigger the rim/tire, the more mass. Dexter says it's okay to put 15-inchers on their 2,000-pound axles. But some others don't.



I've run 15" six-ply radial LT tires since 2013. No flats.

Tony

[swoody126]

the larger the diameter of the TIRE (not wheel diameter) the easier they roll and the slower the bearings turn thus reducing drag and friction/heat frequently by a noticable/measurable amount

w/o changing your 13" wheel diameter it may be possible to increase the diameter of the actual tire itself which would help

check the interweb to find tire dimension specs for tires available in your area

for larger diameter wheels you will likely have to change to a 5-hole hub and my suggestion if you do is to get 5-hole on a 4 1/2" bolt center hubs

if you have problems on the road most stores like Tractor Supply and even WallyWorld carry trailer wheel/tire combinations w/ the 5 on 4 1/2 pattern in regular stock

i've even seen them @ Lowes

have fun w/ your build

sw

[MickinOz]

In the hope that it may be of some use, I just went out to the shed and conducted a little survey.

Teardrop Trailer 13 x 4.5 rim, with 155R13C light truck 8 Ply Radial tyre, about 22.8" diameter
Mitsubishi Lancer 14 x 5.5 rim, 18565R14 radial car tyre, about 23.6' diameter
Triton ute 14 x 6 rim, 185R14C 8 ply radial light truck tyre, about 25.2" diameter

So you've got plenty of choices, by the look of it.

Assuming your opportunities in your neck of the woods match ours, you could:

-Fit 13 inch light truck tyres to your 13" wheels assuming they are bigger diameter than you have now.
-A lot of cars, like my wife's 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer, run 4 stud 14 inch mag wheels.
At least here in South Oz, it would be a simple and cheap exercise to find a couple of 4 stud 14" wheels and throw on 14 inch light truck tyres. (They are always significantly cheaper than car tyres).
That would be quite a tall tyre. The circumference would be of the order of 79.2 inches, compared to 71.6 inches for the smallest of the three I looked at.
i.e. not allowing for "rolling radius", the smaller tyre has to spin about 10% faster for the same road speed.
-change to 5 stud hubs and then the choices are endless.

I would probably recommend the 5 stud hub and a 14 or 15" wheel if you were here in South Oz. They were such common combos here in Oz for many years on many cars. So it is quite often the cheapest option, and as mentioned above it doesn't hurt to go with something that is widely available.

[hankaye]

Melle.17, Howdy; (Also posted in Cargo Trailer Conversions)

Can not give you any experience related advise but here's a link to the as is said, the Horse's mouth.

https://www.dexteraxle.com/home

Lots of tech. stuff there also a good amount of how to as well. Try it, ... you'll like it.

hank