Trailers - why are the wheels so small?

[Flyguy]

I don't trailer at the moment so have no experience but surely 8" wheels sold on new trailers are pathetically small and will just over heat? Why not put 14" wheels on them?

[kubcat]

Small wheels keep the boat lower and you don't need to go as deep.

As you pointed out, they are not great for highway driving.

[9D280]

8" wheels if you look at the tyre specs wonlt generally take the weight of a rib. Mostly see them on sailing dinghy trailers or tiny camping box type things - No more than a couple of hundred Kg. - and whjen we are talking ribs there's no space to fit brake gear inside an 8" wheel......


Assuming the trailer is correctly built for what it;s carrying, there shoudn't be an issue - My old Laser dinghy sat on 8" wheels - did 1000s of miles and the road base (hich I kept as it is shared with another dinghy - good old Snipe standardisation!) is still on the bearings I got it with 18 odd years ago...... Plenty capable of motorway speeds.

Now, Would I put my rib on 8" wheels? no! Not 'coz of the bearings - but to get 8" tyres rated for just shy of 3/4 ton would almost double the cost of the trailer! (slighty exaggeration, but it gets the point across.)

I did however ask for the new trailer to be built with 10" wheels - makes launching so-o-o-o-o much easier.


So it basically depends what you are trying to hold off the road.

[biffer]

Ermmm!

[biffer]

Should have finished before I pushed the button, to a certain degree you can put bigger wheels on the same PCD, mine are landrover wheels, so someone made hubs to fit them, fior Williams trailers have the same PCD pattern on there 10 and 12 wheels

[cptsideways]

10" wheels are only rated to 750kg max (unless of the low profile type). We have found them to be utterly rubbish especially with added salt water that corrodes them from the inside (of their two piece design) on the centre flanges.

Check for cracks around the hub flange folks!!!

[Flyguy]

Thanks. So I'm thinking that as I am going to trailer 160miles round trip each time I should go for 12" wheels. The height to of the trailer to the water is not a big concern.

[9D280]

Rusting hub - rim joints - won't that be an issue with any size of wheel?


Maybe generically, but during my investigations I found a set of 8" rated at 750Kg.....

They were something like max 50 MPH & you wouldn't want to pay the price for them, but there are oddities out there.

[BogMonster]

I have 235/70R16 all-terrain tyres on 16in Land Rover steel rims on mine. Alko axles are available as a 5x165 M16 stud pattern. Transforms the ride that the boat sees on all surfaces.

[Mcd22]

I run on 235/85 r16 bfg mt tyres on peak axles. It tows like a dream although I do need a little more water to float off but worth it on and especially off road.