Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am needing new tires very bad. What are a good tire for the cargo. I think it has tow masters on it. Probavly bottom line tires because they came on the trailer new. What do tires usauly cost for the cargo style trailer. I am thinking about having the axcel flipped as well because the rear end is realy close to the ground behind my truck even with a long drop hitch. Mine is the spring under so i can go with the spring over and bring it up a bit more.

Second point first. Flipping your axle: alot of axles have a bow to them so when the trailer is in the air the tires will be tilted (tops out and bottoms in)so when it has weight on it the axle flexes and the tires take a more vertical stance. If you flip the axle you may have some tire wear problems.

Tires. How much is your finished trailer going to weigh? Trailer tires are built to carry more weight than a passenger tire. Trailer tires also have stiffer sidewalls. They will also ride rougher. If you are under the capacity of a passenger tire, I would go that way. They will be less expensive, easier to get and more options.

Can you go with a taller tire? Do you have the wheelwell clearance? You could have some spring shackles made to lift it. You could have the springs re-arched or replace them, depending on their condition.

If you have shackles made, build them like this. (yours probably doesn't need the bend, just an example) The center spreader bar holds the side plates to keep them from scissoring.

Gerdo wrote:...Flipping your axle: alot of axles have a bow to them so when the trailer is in the air the tires will be tilted (tops out and bottoms in)so when it has weight on it the axle flexes and the tires take a more vertical stance. If you flip the axle you may have some tire wear problems.

I assume that the intent is not to literally "flip" the axle, but to convert from spring-under to spring-over (move the springs, leaving the axle in the same orientation), which is commonly (although perhaps not correctly) called "flipping the axle".

Note the bold part:

ARIZONA GUIDE wrote:...I am thinking about having the axcel flipped as well because the rear end is realy close to the ground behind my truck even with a long drop hitch. Mine is the spring under so i can go with the spring over and bring it up a bit more.

Cargo trailers are deliberately built low for both handling stability and ease of loading. Even if the low floor is not needed in this application, I would be concerned about raising the trailer too much from the standpoint of vehicle dynamics, such as stability. The height increase from the spring-over conversion (probably about 4") is often done so it will probably be fine, but there is a tradeoff.

ARIZONA GUIDE wrote:What are a good tire for the cargo. I think it has tow masters on it.

I think the best tire for the trailer is the same whether it is a cargo type or a conventional travel trailer... it needs the capacity to suit the maximum load which is to be allowed for the trailer.

Special Trailer (ST), Light Truck (LT), passenger (P) and commercial tires are all options. If the original tire size and a required load capacity (the trailer or axle rating) were given, someone might have a specific suggestion for the corresponding size range.

ARIZONA GUIDE wrote:I think it has tow masters on it. Probavly bottom line tires because they came on the trailer new.

I agree... trailers (of all types) generally come on the cheapest things which are round, rubber, inflated, and rated for sufficient load.

If you have Dexter Axles you can order the conversion kit straight from them.
http://dexteraxle.com/over_under_conversion_kits

edcasey wrote:If you have Dexter Axles you can order the conversion kit straight from them.
http://dexteraxle.com/over_under_conversion_kits

Nice find. That looks like the way to go. Looks like it's just a bolt on kit. I would bet that one or the other would work with a non Dexter axle.

Gerdo wrote:

edcasey wrote:If you have Dexter Axles you can order the conversion kit straight from them.
http://dexteraxle.com/over_under_conversion_kits

Nice find. That looks like the way to go. Looks like it's just a bolt on kit. I would bet that one or the other would work with a non Dexter axle.

Yes, if the tube diameter matches, my guess is that it would work fine. It is almost just bolt-on; as I recall (and this is just from memory), they do recommend welding the new spring pad to the tube, as well as securing it with the bolts.