Wheel Size???? How important?

[amandastevenisbet]

I have a red trailer with 12 in wheels. The question is, DO they make bigger wheels to fit these trailers? What are the options? I just dont feel safe driving at highway speeds with these little tires. Says on tires Max speed 55mph.

I finished up my teardrop this week and took it on its first trip. Its not as fancy as some of yours, but this was the first thing I have ever built with wood. I'm still very proud of it. I had quite a few people come over and check it out. They were amazed that four people could sleep in it. It was very comfortable for all of us to sleep in. I made a small bunk in the cabin for my two kids. They loved sleeping on it. Good thing we are all small.

Now that I am finished I am going to learn a few more tricks in woodworking. The main thing would be how to cut a straight line.

check out my gallery i posted a few pictures of my first trip to Fisheating Creek in South Florida.

[Endo]

I have 12" wheels on my teardrop. I have towed it thousands of miles. I just returned from a trip (Ohio to Florida) I had the cruise control set at 70MPH the entire trip. I have no complaints with my 12" wheels.

[caseydog]

A lot of folks here have 12-inch wheels and tires.

The downside of small wheels is that they roll at a higher RPM than bigger ones. I've heard some people complain about the bearings wearing out pretty fast, or needing more maintenance on the bearings.

Bigger tires can "skip" over small potholes, too, where the little tires drop into them.

Depending on the bolt pattern on your hubs, bigger wheels may physically fit, but I don't know if your axle/hubs can handle the extra unsprung mass. You'd have to find out about that before taking the plunge.

I think going larger would be worthwhile, if you can do it. Just my opinion.

CD

[angib]

Like it being obvious that a plane can't fly, it's obvious to many people that 12" wheels can't run at highway speeds. To those of us that have spent years driving around at 100mph in cars with 12" wheels, this comes as a surprise - but then it's a shocker about the planes too......

Many trailer tyres are loaded right up to, and in some cases well over, their maximum capacity and are also poorly maintained/inflated. It is this, and not their size, that causes problems. No-one would abuse a car or truck tyre in this way and be surprised if it failed, but they are willing to do it to a trailer tyre.

CD, the argument about the higher spin speed of smaller bearings is a joke - a 12" wheel at 70mph is doing 2000rpm, which is nothing to a roller or ball bearing.

Bigger wheels are needed if you think they look better - technical 'reasons' for needing bigger wheels were invented (usually inaccurately) so that guys didn't have to admit it was just vanity....

Andrew

[caseydog]

Well, I'm glad someone else finally chimed in, I guess.

"Angib" is probably the most capable engineer on the board, but "OUCH," that was quite a spanking.

In fairness, Andrew, I did say "I've heard people complain." And, my pothole argument is valid. Here in the low taxes, low maintenance State of Texas, I would like to have big tires on my TD -- and those 12-inch Mini Cooper tires (or tyres) would find said potholes to be ruinous at 20 MPH, let alone 100-plus.

But, I do agree that the biggest factor is appearance. It is a matter of what you think looks good. A "traditional" TD will have bigger wheels and tires. And, they wouldn't not be "white-spoke" trailer wheels.

I love the way some folks have found old spoke wheels for their TDs, and like the old-style steel rims with "moon" hub caps, too. Especially when the rims are old-school colors. You can't get that look from 12-inchers.

Now, DUBS would be a bit over-the-top, IMHO.

CD

[Miriam C.]

My original wheels were designed for a plane and capable of 3000 pounds. They also have 7 layers each. Now the problem is that the state of MO says I have to run tires that are from 600 to 900 pounds and 2 to 3 layers.

Why you ask? Because the airplane tires are not RATED for HIGHWAY USE.

Well does that mean they won't do the job. NO, it means the manufacturer went to they trouble and expense of having them rated for a small jet.

They are 8 inch oh and the bearings are highway speed rated as is the axle. That is what you really need to watch. Most small tires/wheels will say the speed rating...............

[dwgriff1]

I used the same size wheels as the tow rig, so i only carry one spare.

dave

[brian_bp]

:lol: My original wheels were designed for a plane and capable of 3000 pounds. They also have 7 layers each. Now the problem is that the state of MO says I have to run tires that are from 600 to 900 pounds and 2 to 3 layers.

Why you ask? Because the airplane tires are not RATED for HIGHWAY USE.

Well does that mean they won't do the job. NO, it means the manufacturer went to they trouble and expense of having them rated for a small jet...

Since I have yet to see an aircraft taxi at highway speeds for hours (or even minutes) at a time, I'm not at all convinced that aircraft tires are appropriate for highway use.

I wouldn't use the tires from a top-fuel drag racing car (good for well over 200 MPH, but for a few seconds per run), either... and I wouldn't use even the best 65 MPH trailer tires on an aircraft with a 200 MPH landing speed. There are different horses for different courses.

While the aircraft tires are most probably much better built than a typical junk trailer tire, I have no problem with any tire lacking a highway use rating being banned from highway applications.

... the bearings are highway speed rated as is the axle. That is what you really need to watch. Most small tires/wheels will say the speed rating....

I agree.

[Alphacarina]

Oddly, one of the really NEAT uses for used airliner tires (727's and the like) are on 'Travel Lifts' which are used for lifting large boats out of the water - They don't use their 200 MPH capabilities, but they sure can pick up 50,000 pounds or more on 4 old used, worn out aircraft tires and they last years and years

Don

[HossHoffer]

I think the issue is the weight rating and speed rating of the tire. You would be hard pressed to find a 12" tire with a 2000# weight rating but should be fine for a teardrop. That said I went with bigger tires and rims because I wanted to take mine on dirt/unimproved roads. It makes rolling over the obstacles much easier.

I also have towed a trailer with 12" wheels all over creation. That was probably me in the Cherokee passing you towing a 4x5 trailer with all my camping gear in it.

Hoss

[rtp123]

According to some axle manufacturers, the size of your wheel should match your axle specs. This is the story I am getting from Dexter on the torflex #9 axle I have purchased. According to its specs, I should not have a wheel larger than 13". I want to go with either a 14" or a 15"

Any ideas on this one?

[brian_bp]

According to some axle manufacturers, the size of your wheel should match your axle specs. This is the story I am getting from Dexter on the torflex #9 axle I have purchased. According to its specs, I should not have a wheel larger than 13"...

My guess is that they are trying to avoid excessive bearing stress resulting from side loading. When the trailer turns a corner, the side force exerted by the tires (at the road surface) acts at the end of a lever (the distance from axle centre to tire surface), and a larger overall tire size means more leverage. If the axle is loaded near its rated limit, I can see how this could be a concern.

I have seen small rubber torsion axles clearly labeled "do not use wheel larger than 8" ".

Since it the overall tire size which is important, not wheel size, the wheel size limit is not quite appropriate... but I think they're just assuming typical tire proportions. For most people here considering larger wheels the intent is to get a larger overall tire diameter, so the warning seems at least somewhat applicable.

[Trackstriper]

rtp123,

Basically ditto to what brian_bp said. (Sorry, I was composing while he was posting so there may be some overlap.)

I'm certainly not an expert on the subject, just learning, but here is my thinking. I bought some standard 14" steel trailer wheel assemblies as my first purchase so that the wheels would be a known factor, and had to go through some of the same issues that you are dealing with. The Dexter website has specs showing basic dimensions, ride height, etc. and has a chart for the #9 axle. The largest wheel shown on the chart is 13". Dexter may even have a rule that this is the largest wheel applicable. Three things to consider.

1) The bolt-up, mating face of the 14" and 15" steel trailer wheels has a larger diameter than that of the 13" wheels and requires an axle hub with a larger diameter face than that normally used for 13" wheels and smaller. A thirteen inch wheel will fit on the larger faced hubs (assuming the bolt pattern is the same), but the smaller hubs will not properly support the 14" and larger steel wheels. The larger faced hubs are available from Dexter if the axle is ordered with them. If you have hubs for the 13" wheels, they may be the smaller diameter ones and you might have to buy some new hubs, unless you could swap out the current ones for a set of the larger diameter hubs. The bearings would most likely be the same.

Or, Plan B, you could purchase some aluminum alloy trailer wheels. They are machined flat to mate to the hubs and have a contact area that might fit the smaller hubs. Some dealers may have them with the trailer tires already mounted, or use auto tires as has been discussed on many other threads.

2) Another issue is the overall wheel diameter and whether or not the 14" wheels would be too large for the axle structure. If you were to whack a curb hard or put additional side-force on the wheel there is a force trying to bend the axle spindle. A larger wheel diameter gives a little more leverage to this action. 14" trailer tires are about 2" larger in diameter than 13" tires. The extra diameter should not be a big deal. The basic #9 axle can be rated for up to 2200#, so even if you have a downgraded axle rating, the basic structure of the axles, including torsion arms and spindles should be good for up to 2200#. The downgrading is handled at the rubber end of the mechanism. I would assume that your teardrop won't go near 2200# on the axle, maybe half that, so there should be plenty of strength in the unit.

3) The standard 14" trailer tire is about an inch wider than a standard 13" tire, so you would need to see if there is proper frame/body clearance. The inner edge of a 14" tire would be about a half-inch closer to the frame than a 13" tire, but this depends upon exactly what tire size you are using.

I think you would be in the same situation with 15" wheels. Don't know if this would void any warranty. Hope this gives you some things to ponder.

J.B.

[rtp123]

Brian and Trackstiper: thanks for the information. I will wait until I pick up the axle assembly and measure the hub face before I select a whell size.

[emiller]

My friend Bud and I did a test with his 4x8 trailer and my 5x10 trailer we put on 14 inch wheels and then 15 inch wheels. we got better milage with the 15 inch tire and wheels combination. And as for planes you can't compare them, for one the tires on the jet liner are larger in diameter and are thicker, they canot sustain high speeds. Smaller aircraft don't have the weight of automobile. The milatary and buisness jets that are as heavy as a car have harder tire compounds and are very expensive and same as other aircraft tires can't stay at high speeds long. If you ever get a chance to see a jet liners tires take a good look they have huge cracks in them from landing too high of speeds. I have been working at airports since 1980 and one thing I have noticed airplane tires don't last. At very low speeds they would last along time. I think I remember someone on this or the other board before this one had aircraft tires on her tear that her son that worked at a airport had given to her and she couldn't figure out why the tires where wearing out so fast.