Aftermarket wheels for H.F. trailer???

[Sawyer]

I have the 1740lb capacity Harbor Freight trailer with the 5-lug 12" wheels. I want to swap out the wheels and tires before I start my build, but I'm not sure how to measure the bolt pattern to find new wheels... Anyone swapped out these rims/tires before? If so, what fits? I'm ditching the stock fenders, so clearance won't be an issue. Any info about what size these are, or info on how to measure this bolt pattern would be greatly appreciated!

[looped]

bolt pattern is measured with the number of lugs and the diameter of the circle they make.

5 lugs making a circle 4.5inches in diameter would be 5x4 1/2

that is likely the size you have there.

when shopping for wheels you want to fit the lug pattern and have at least the same size hole in the center.

Another thing to consider is the offset, not enough and the wheel wont go on due to it being too wide on the inside..

you can get spacers that will make up for it but the verdict is still out on those since the bearings might have a hard time coping with the load.

[satch]

Hf has a very narrow wheel, I tried with mine and the tire rubbed against the spring bolt. You would need a rim with an offset of about 2", I think, but like Looped said, it may be too much for the bearings, it all depends on how heavy the trailer is.

[toypusher]

Tractor Supply sells axles. For a hundred bucks or so, you could replace the entire axle/hubs and get something that is designed for larger wheel/tire combo. Just a thought!

[Sawyer]

It's amazing how fast you can get good information around here! I wasn't even thinking about how the bearings would hold up, but that's obviously a very valid point... Maybe what I'll do is just continue with my build for now, and just be careful to allow for more clearance when I cut my doors and build fenders. Thanks everybody!

[Alphacarina]

The HF wheels and tires are pretty narrow and the axle really isn't long enough to allow adequate clearance for a 'normal' wheel and tire . . . . they rub the frame

I've got 13 inch alloy wheels with 175/8013 tires on my HF 1740 but I had to use 1 1/4 spacers to keep them off the side of the trailer

The wheels are 5 by 4.5 BTW - I bought the spacer/adapters on eBay. There are other, recent threads on this topic if you look around

Don