12" Radial Trailer Tires

[Toytaco2]

Like many of the HF frame builders, I'm forever concerned about the 12 inch tires that come with the kits. I don't know how I've missed it in the past, but recently, I discovered there are 12" radial trailer tires available, but, at prices that are higher than the "Walmart specials" or HF replacements. Here are a couple of different ones: http://www.trailer-wheels.com/ST145R12- ... p_539.html and here http://recstuff.com/trailer-tires/12-in ... fgodIcALAQ. And yes, I did see the one bad review on the first link, but on-line reviews always fly all over the place. I'd much prefer input from our group.

Does anyone here have any experience with the radials, how would you compare them to the standard stuff, and do they have any kind of a "speed rating"? I'd' be interested in any thoughts anyone has. I'm thinking of picking up some new aluminum rims and, if they offer a significant improvement, some of the radial tires as well. Seems like a pretty small expense if performance and durability are greatly improved.

Thanks,
Mike

[Roly Nelson]

I have the standard, HF tires on all 3 of my teardrops, have over 30,000 miles of travel with no problems at all. However, I have noticed that the second and forth sections of the 5 sectioned tread, wear out quicker than the other 3. Don't know why, and don't care as long as they stay full of air and don't blow out while I am doing 65 mph. For all long trips, I replace them with new ones, just in case.
Roly, the li'l ol' So Calif woody TD guy

[Nobody]

I built my TD in 2006, on the HF 1800# trailer, with the standard 12" HF tires. Ran those tires in excess of 12K miles & replaced them with the Wal Mart 'specials' that camr already mounted on white spoke wheels. Only replaced them because as Roly said, tread ribs # 2 & 4 began to wear excessively (IMO). I blame that on inflation. With more'n 25K miles on the TD, I'm now on my second set of Wal Mart tires/wheels. 1st set of the Wal Mart tires were wearing well & giving good service (expected more'n 20K miles from them) 'til one of the spring/axle 'U' bolts slipped a little & caused mis-alignment of the wheels/tires/axle to the direction of tow, resulting in very excessive wear on outside tread ribs of one tire, & inside tread ribs of the other. I corrected the mis-alignment, put on the new tires/wheels, & after another 4K miles they show no discernible wear.

I've built & used several utility type trailers using 12" wheels/tires, & towed them all over the USA (& Canada) with varying loads from a few hundred # to near a ton, at highway speeds, with NEVER a problem attributable to size of the tires/wheels. Once on the TD we experienced very heavy rain in SE New Mexico (Hobbs, Artesia, area) & drove through streets & intersections with water so deep I actually thought the TD was gonna float . The bearings were of course warm (hot?) from driving 65-70mph before immersion & we actually had water enter the hubs. Through my own negligence/carelessness I drove back home after the immersion without draining/re-packing the bearings, & the TD sat for several weeks afterwards so when I finally thought of it, the hubs were a mess. I replaced the bearings/seals & repacked everything with no problems. Have towed it probably 10K miles since. I inspect/re-pack the bearings before every major trip, or every 5K miles, & carry new/re-packed bearings/seals in zip-lok bags in my tongue box. Had all that with us when we drove through the water in NM. Can't believe I didn't clean/replace the bearings immediately after it happened .

I constantly hear folks 'bad-mouthing' smaller wheels. In my lifetime (76yrs) I've towed (& seen towed) literally hundreds if not thousands of small wheeled trailers, from small pop-up campers to boat trailers, with 8" to 12" wheels/tires, at general highway speeds all over the USA. I've seen (& stopped to assist) a few that were 'broken down' due to axle/hub/bearing problems. Through careful questioning, almost all of them resulted from careless or zero maintenance of the wheel bearings. I've seen lots more 'on the side of the road' from flat/blown tires, usually caused from improper (over/under) inflation, or just plain lack of attention. Sometimes 'road hazards' were the cause but not as often.

I too, think the larger 14/15" tires & wheels look better but on vehicles the size of our TDs, 12/13" wheels/tires are perfectly adequate with normal maintenance/preventive maintenance, for the great majority of use.

I'd not spend the extra for 12" radial tires but of course, I'm kinda 'a little old lady' preparation wise, & am usually prepared for 'road troubles' even tho I don't always respond to 'em correctly...

[Toytaco2]

Hello Harvey, thank you for all the details on your experience with the smaller trailer tires. I had an old pop up camper we towed for many trouble free miles with 12 inch tires, so, I think I'll simply stop worrying so much and just have fun and do the routine maintenance as you suggest.

BTW, I copied your method of extending the HF trailer tongue and I love the results!

Thanks again,
Mike

[dmdc411]

I built my TD in 2006, on the HF 1800# trailer, with the standard 12" HF tires. Ran those tires in excess of 12K miles & replaced them with the Wal Mart 'specials' that camr already mounted on white spoke wheels. Only replaced them because as Roly said, tread ribs # 2 & 4 began to wear excessively (IMO). I blame that on inflation. With more'n 25K miles on the TD, I'm now on my second set of Wal Mart tires/wheels. 1st set of the Wal Mart tires were wearing well & giving good service (expected more'n 20K miles from them) 'til one of the spring/axle 'U' bolts slipped a little & caused mis-alignment of the wheels/tires/axle to the direction of tow, resulting in very excessive wear on outside tread ribs of one tire, & inside tread ribs of the other. I corrected the mis-alignment, put on the new tires/wheels, & after another 4K miles they show no discernible wear.

I've built & used several utility type trailers using 12" wheels/tires, & towed them all over the USA (& Canada) with varying loads from a few hundred # to near a ton, at highway speeds, with NEVER a problem attributable to size of the tires/wheels. Once on the TD we experienced very heavy rain in SE New Mexico (Hobbs, Artesia, area) & drove through streets & intersections with water so deep I actually thought the TD was gonna float . The bearings were of course warm (hot?) from driving 65-70mph before immersion & we actually had water enter the hubs. Through my own negligence/carelessness I drove back home after the immersion without draining/re-packing the bearings, & the TD sat for several weeks afterwards so when I finally thought of it, the hubs were a mess. I replaced the bearings/seals & repacked everything with no problems. Have towed it probably 10K miles since. I inspect/re-pack the bearings before every major trip, or every 5K miles, & carry new/re-packed bearings/seals in zip-lok bags in my tongue box. Had all that with us when we drove through the water in NM. Can't believe I didn't clean/replace the bearings immediately after it happened .

I constantly hear folks 'bad-mouthing' smaller wheels. In my lifetime (76yrs) I've towed (& seen towed) literally hundreds if not thousands of small wheeled trailers, from small pop-up campers to boat trailers, with 8" to 12" wheels/tires, at general highway speeds all over the USA. I've seen (& stopped to assist) a few that were 'broken down' due to axle/hub/bearing problems. Through careful questioning, almost all of them resulted from careless or zero maintenance of the wheel bearings. I've seen lots more 'on the side of the road' from flat/blown tires, usually caused from improper (over/under) inflation, or just plain lack of attention. Sometimes 'road hazards' were the cause but not as often.

I too, think the larger 14/15" tires & wheels look better but on vehicles the size of our TDs, 12/13" wheels/tires are perfectly adequate with normal maintenance/preventive maintenance, for the great majority of use.

I'd not spend the extra for 12" radial tires but of course, I'm kinda 'a little old lady' preparation wise, & am usually prepared for 'road troubles' even tho I don't always respond to 'em correctly...

Use marine grade wheel bearing grease. From experience, even with water in the hub, there was no corrosion or bearing damage. And my old boat trailer chewed up seals quite regularly! So it was always caught after the failure and water had been there a while!

[Mr. Lahey]

I happen to be a tire salesperson. Until I retire, it's what keeps me from working on my teardrop full time!
My company had a rep from a major trailer tire manufacture put on a training seminar for us. Here is some of what they had to say.

The number one cause of trailer tire failure is heat build up in the tire. The main cause of heat build up is under inflation of the tire. Followed by weight over load and finally rate of tire speed.

The 2 main types of trailer tires are radial and bias ply constructions. A proper inflated radial tire vs. bias tire will build less heat from rolling. This is of little concern until the amount of weight being carried is factored in. Either tire is safe to use properly inflated and within the load it's rated for. Load ratings and capacity are molded right in the side of the tire.

A radial tire has a slight advantage in that it also can dissipate heat better than a bias ply tire. Again not much benefit if the tire is being used as it's designed and rated for.

We were told that their company also recommends their tires be run at the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall of their tires. They do so because they would rather the tire wear uneven from maximum inflation than build heat from under inflation. Under inflation was their #1 concern.

Basically it is just common sense. Don't run your tires low on pressure. Don't over load your trailer. Happy travels are yours.

As a side note quality of materials the tire is made from is also very important. Supposedly major brand producers do have stricter checks and controls on materials used in their products. They claim that is why they are priced higher than imported/off shore trailer tires. It's the age old thing of you get what you pay for.

That may be true. My trailer has a major brand bias tire on it. I purchased a budget brand tire/wheel assembly to use only as a spare.
There sure appears to be visible quality difference with a big advantage to the higher priced name brand tires.

Hope that helps

[Nobody]

Use marine grade wheel bearing grease. From experience, even with water in the hub, there was no corrosion or bearing damage. And my old boat trailer chewed up seals quite regularly! So it was always caught after the failure and water had been there a while!

I have, for years, used nothing but good quality NAPA Marine grease for packing wheel bearings. Number 2 son has a NAPA store & keeps me supplied with needed parts & supplies. The hubs mentioned above weren't in bad shape except the water was still in there (no rust, thank goodness) & after probably 2K miles of running had 'churned' the mixture up thoroughly. It was just a mess cleaning everything up to re-pack. I put in the new bearings & seals just 'cause I felt better doing it. I inspected & cleaned the old ones thoroughly & repacked them; they're the ones in the tongue box in ZipLok bags

[Nobody]

Mr Lahey - Pretty sure everything you wrote is correct. My philosophy has always been, 'use the best you can get for the purpose, without going to excess.' My TD weighs between 1150-1200# loaded for travel, & the 530-12 tires, rated 855# @ 55psi have proved completely adequate to handle that load under our driving circumstances. We seldom drive more'n 60mph on paved highways but I wouldn't feel 'under-tired' at 65-70. We do quite a lot of 'back country' driving on gravel/dirt roads & slow our speed commensurately. We're 76 & 80 yrs of age, have camped/traveled most all of our 55yrs of marriage, in everything from passenger cars to heavy duty trucks with large campers, &/or towing up to 32' 5th wheel trailers, all with little or no problems 'on the road'. I attribute most of that to pre planning, having the right equipment for the job, & being prepared for untoward events... Oh yeah, & being lucky