Trailer advice please

[buzzin hornet]

I have a Humber 5.2 meter rib plus merc 60 hp that is transported on a snipe breakback trailer with 8 inch wheels. At the weekend we had a bearing failure. We sorted it so that in itself was not a problem.

I have always been very worried about the physical size of the wheels.
What I mean by this is in sand they dig in, over a rocky beach they struggle. I think this will contribute to bearing damage.

The trailer is in good nick and apart from this bearing issue it has never been a problem.

Would it be worth retro-fitting the trailer with 10" or 13" wheels or am I better selling it as it is and buying something that has bigger wheels.

Any advice would be welcome.

Regards

Buzzin

[Downhilldai]

Check your mudguards & mounting brackets, to see if 10" wheels will fit into the existing set-up. In all likelihood, they won't, so there'll be more to it than simply getting a new pair of wheels & tyres.

[Trailer Guy]

hi Buzzin

Depends on your budget and your penchant for shiny things!

If the rig works for you and you know it's history then just keep it and change the wheels.

I'd imagine you've got a 4" (101.6mm) PCD on your 8" wheels, which is common, ergo easy to match and therefore cheaper to upgrade. Measure it to make sure.

As Downhilldai has correctly stated, you'll need to check your mudguard clearance. You may get away with moving them 'up' to gain some extra space, but in all likelyhood you'll need to change them and relocate / renew the brackets too.

5.00x10 or 145R10 wheels are circa £50 each (you may need a decent ply rating, depending on the weight of your RIB)

el Cheapo plastic 10" mudguards roughly £6 or £7 each

mudguard brackets circa £3 or £4 each, something like that.

So budget around £120 vs another trailer at £....?

[Peter_C]

Trailer Guy knows more than I do, but size of bearings plays a part in it too. Getting the speed down which creates less heat all around by changing to a larger tyre will help, but looking at new spindles, hubs, and bearings might be worth it too. This of course could require a new axle. Springs may also be involved. Still waaaay cheaper than a new trailer.

Got a few photos of your current setup?

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by buzzin hornet

I have always been very worried about the physical size of the wheels.
What I mean by this is in sand they dig in, over a rocky beach they struggle. I think this will contribute to bearing damage.

Can't see either of those contributing largely to bearing wear, assuming everything is adjusted correctly. Might torque the hell of the axle or frame; the bearings just spin. The tread circumference and bearing rotation speed, now that will be a factor.

jky

[davej]

I have a 5mtr Tornado and have it on an unbraked snipe trailer on 10inch wheels. It runs fine and occasional replace the bearings when I think there is the first sign of a rumble.

I wouldn't like to run on 8inc wheels as even the 10s seem small and clearly go round alot more than the car tyres at any given speed and I know they get hot, as I feel them whenever I stop.

See if you can borrow someones spare 10inch and try it on. It can't be much of a job to either install new mudguards or space them higher.

cheers
dave