Classic Finn wrote:Is that true that some of these axle companies if most prefer that you use tires and wheels specifically made for trailers or is that just protective wording or measurement to cover the performance or warranty on their axles?
Dexter makes it clear that they prefer trailer wheels, since trailers often carry very high loads for the size of the wheel and tire (compared to cars), because their hubs are designed for nearly zero offset (and most modern cars have significant offset, wheel centre inboard of the hub face), and because car hubs usually locate the wheel by the centre bore and the trailer hubs usually depend only on the wheel studs.
If the load capacity and offset are right, and the wheel is suitable for non-hub-centreing, then I really don't think it matters.
Classic Finn wrote:Some are against using normal car tires as what I hear..
Has anyone else been told that when purchasing an axle?
This is a capacity issue again: since trailer tires are often heavily loaded for their size, typical car tires may not have enough capacity. If they do, the car tires are clearly available in far more sizes and types, and are obviously capable.
Some people warn of dire consequences if non-trailer tires are used on any trailer, but they generally don't understand
why. I have heard them insist that it is illegal (here in Canada and in the U.S.) to use any tire that does not have a "Special Trailer" designation, but that is clearly nonsense. When asked, they can never point to the actual rule, and all vehicle legislation is openly posted on government web sites here.
In practice, I think that most small teardrops configured with car-sized wheels (i.e. 13" or larger) will likely be plenty light enough to use car tires. Those using smaller wheels, or with teardrops bigger than my car, are more likely to find that they need high-pressure (and thus high-load) trailer or truck tires.
Classic Finn, it seems that there are more high-capacity (or "extra load") car or van type tires available in Europe than here, due to the use of small vans for commercial purposes there. If your wheels are 14" or larger, I think these extra-load tires are a good alternative to trailer tires. I'm looking at a set for my 3000 lb travel trailer, but they are really rare here, carried basically only for VW camper vans.