Dumb trailer wheel question

[alanv73]

I ordered the Northern Tool Co. trailer. According to the specifications, the wheels on the trailer are 5.30-12. Needing a spare, I went to Harbor Freight and ordered a 5.30-12 tire/wheel. Now the trailer has arrived, and the trailer wheels are indeed 5.30-12, just like the spare that I ordered, but the spare stands almost an inch taller than the two that came with the trailer. Did I make a mistake in ordering this spare from a different vendor? Can I use this spare? How big of a deal is it if the tires on a trailer are not the same height?

[PaulC]

Hi Alan, how often do you walk around with odd shoes on? Of course it will have an effect on the towability. And not good at that.

Cheers
Paul

[oldtamiyaphile]

A 1" difference in tire dia translates to 0,5" difference in ride height. Not ideal, but nothing to worry about on a two wheel trailer. My spare is going to be my TV spare, which is a full 2" taller.

The only thing to watch might be fender clearance, should you need the spare. Might be a good idea to check offset as well.

As far as the mistake goes, 5.30-12 is the wheel size, not the tyre size.

[Steve_Cox]

From axle center to the road 1/2" isn't much difference for a spare wheel/tire that probably won't ever be mounted.

[alanv73]

5.30-12 is the wheel size, not the tyre size.

What is the Tire Size then? I could find no other markings on either tire.

[Nobody]

5.30-12 is the Tire size. On 12" wheels tire size 4.80-12 is also common, it's just rated for less weight.

The wheel size is the diameter of the wheel in inches where the beads of the tire seat on the wheel. This measurement does not include the rim flange. Other factors in wheel description are bolt pattern/circle, i.e. 4/4.5, 5/4.5, centerbore, offset, & load bearing capacity.

On 12" wheels, overall tire diameter difference is usually small enough as to make very little difference in operation/performance.

[PaulC]

Ummm has anyone here ever heard of axle steer? I have experienced it on a trailer I borrowed. Granted the road was a tad rough but the different size tyres was the major cause of it.

Cheers
Paul

[vrodjason]

0.5 " isn't going to create too much trailer steer to make it not safe to pull in my opinion. As I worked on the farm in my school years, we always had odd ball spares on trailers, wagons and other machinery. For something that will only be used in an emergency I think you'll be okay.

[bve]

0.5 " isn't going to create too much trailer steer to make it not safe to pull in my opinion. As I worked on the farm in my school years, we always had odd ball spares on trailers, wagons and other machinery. For something that will only be used in an emergency I think you'll be okay.

Towing around the farm and on grid roads is not the same as towing on the highway. Why settle for an imperfect situation when correcting it is as simple as returning the wrong size in exchange for the right size? A doughnut spare on your car will get you by in and emergency, but it is neither ideal nor safe - thus the speed limitations placed on them.

In my opinion deal with it now while the tire is new and get a matching sized tire. Why 'settle' for 'almost' when there is no reason to?

[alanv73]

Why settle for an imperfect situation when correcting it is as simple as returning the wrong size in exchange for the right size? [snip]

In my opinion deal with it now while the tire is new and get a matching sized tire.[snip]

The tire I ordered is the right "size", 5.3-12, how can I be sure that if I return it I will get one that isn't just as far off or worse?

[vrodjason]

0.5 " isn't going to create too much trailer steer to make it not safe to pull in my opinion. As I worked on the farm in my school years, we always had odd ball spares on trailers, wagons and other machinery. For something that will only be used in an emergency I think you'll be okay.

Towing around the farm and on grid roads is not the same as towing on the highway. Why settle for an imperfect situation when correcting it is as simple as returning the wrong size in exchange for the right size? A doughnut spare on your car will get you by in and emergency, but it is neither ideal nor safe - thus the speed limitations placed on them.

In my opinion deal with it now while the tire is new and get a matching sized tire. Why 'settle' for 'almost' when there is no reason to?

As you can clearly read I did say "in an emergency." Also our farm machinery was driven on grid roads and we never had a problem at all. All I was thinking was, if he couldn't return it for some reason he could use it as a spare. If I was stuck on the side of a dangerous road, the last thing I would worry about would be 0.5" difference in tire height. i would be more worried about getting my family to a safe place to where the proper fix could be made.

As a person who has towed a wide range of things, from a little 4'x8' trailer to a heavy hauler with 85,000 lbs to extreme wide loads, I think I may be able to give some trailer and towing advice. I know I'm a newbie but I do have the knowledge to back up my comments and don't talk to just hear myself.

[danlott]

Not sure amout the tire size thing. There is 1 inch difference between 4.8 x 12 tires and 5.3 x 12 tires. It sould likes your trailer tires are closer to 4.8 x 12 and the spare is 5.3 x 12. This would account for the one inch difference. You may just need to get a spare with a 4.8 x 12 tire.

Ummm has anyone here ever heard of axle steer?

The difference in circumference of the tires is 3.14 inches. So for each full revolution of the tires the large tire will travel 3.14 inches further than the smaller one. This will cause the "axle steer" mentioned previously. Assuming that your tires are approximatly 60" apart this will cause your trailer to make one full 360 degree turn every 678.2 feet you travel. This amounts to almost 8 full 360 degree turns you will be forced to take every mile that you travel while towing with the two different tire sizes. Not worth it in my opinion..............

Of course that last part was a joke.........maybe???????

[madjack]

...given the same tire size, and there being a diff in height, that diff is PROBABLY caused by different widths in the RIM...a narrower rim will make the tire appear taller than the other, even with the same sized tire...with a pre-mounted tire/rim combo, the only way to match them is to physically match them in side by side comparisons...for an emergency situation, that spare will work just fine to getcha home or a repair shop...BUT be sure and replace the tire with the repaired original as soon as possible as the trailer steer mentioned above will cause premature wear on both tires...........
madjack

[caseydog]

5.30-12 is the wheel size, not the tyre size.

What is the Tire Size then? I could find no other markings on either tire.

Actually, the 5.30 number is the section width of the tire, not the width of the rim. The 12 is the size wheel the tire fits.

What is probably making the difference is the aspect ratio of the tire. On a car tire, that would be the 70, 60, 50, etc. number in the middle of the tire size (ie: 205-70X15). That tells you what the section height is in relation to the section width.

So, it is possible for two 5.30 by 12 tires to be a different height. In reality, the two tires really can be different sizes, even though they have the same size information stamped on them.

I would try to find a 5.30 X 12 that is the same size, which will require standing next to each other, if there is no aspect ratio number on the tire.

CD

[caseydog]

I did some googling, and found this pretty good explanation of trailer tire sizes. But, I could not find any information on aspect ratios (or section height) standards for the "Numeric" sized tires.

http://www.ecustomhitch.com/understandi ... nd-wheels/