What tires are good for a trailer? (Opinion)
I bought a cargo (or utility) trailer and a boat trailer around the same time, about 10 years ago. You probably know that trailers use different tires than cars. You use the trailers only occasionally, and the tires should last for many years. This spring I decided to check the condition of the tires on both trailers.
I found the following damage on both tires of my boat trailer:
I didn't notice any damage to the tires on my cargo trailer - see photos below.
And that's when I started my research. I realized that my boat trailer has Chinese tires - you see the name in the picture below, but it doesn't really matter, you will find them under different names.
And I have a KargoMax ST-4000 from GT RADIAL on my cargo trailer as you could see in the pictures above.
It does not matter where the production is located, it is important who is the real manufacturer. I did a research and realized that the KargoMax ST-4000 is a very popular tire from a reputable company in Europe. This should explain why tires last better than Chinese tires. You won't compromises when you're towing a boat trailer, don't you? So I was determined to install only KargoMax on my boat trailer as I can clearly see that they last better. However, it is no longer possible to buy such tires in Finland. Now the importer imports only Chinese tires, and all stores are full of this stuff. The Chinese version of the 155R13C8 4X100 450kg wheel costs about 65 euros in several stores. Luckily, I was able to find an old stock of KargoMax ST-6000 tires from a retailer.
This tire has a higher load capacity than the ST-4000 and is therefore more expensive. It was 95 euros for the 155R13C8 4X100 600KG M+S wheel option (yes, tire + rim). It makes no sense at all to change tires to existing rims - it will be more expensive to buy tires separately and pay for the changeover service. What a waste of resources! However, I had a purpose for my old wheels.
I wasn't paid to say anything above or below.
Trailer spare wheel holder (Another research)
The old wheel will now be a spare. For 10 years I drove without a spare wheel, but this always bothered me, and finally I decided to come up with a spare wheel mount. I have researched many different options on Amazon, etc. As a mechanical engineer I can see that almost all of them are bad. I found this one from the same retailer and I'm inclined to believe it's made in Finland. This is a very reliable bracket that supports many mounting options. It cost me 65 euros.
Unfortunately, for some reason, I lost all the photos of the installation process, so I can only give a few key tips that you should be aware of. But first, let's check the end result.
So, what you need to pay attention to when installing?
- You should distribute the total weight of your boat trailer closer to the center of the trailer. You MUST watch this video.
- When installing the mount on the port side, keep in mind that you will be on the track if you need to remove this wheel, and not on the side of the road (unless you are in a country with left-hand traffic).
- It will be inconvenient to remove the spare wheel by unscrewing the nuts from the side of the road surface - put the holder with the nuts up.
- Carry out the installation when the boat is on the trailer! Otherwise, it may happen that you cannot remove the wheel without unscrewing the holder. The fact is that the studs are high and there should be a room to remove the wheel from them up.
It so happened that this place on the left side, which you saw in the photographs, turned out to be optimal for me.
Have you already checked out this video? Be sure to watch! So, have you ever thought about these numbers on the tow bar?
This "S" marking indicates the maximum weight on the tow ball is 100 kg. Have you checked it? Actually, it's easy. You just need to beg your wife for the old scales and put the front wheel on them. :) Read the theory and other options in this article by Aaron Schubert.
If the weight is very light, then most likely you have distributed the weight on the back of the trailer, which is bad, very bad. Watch the video. Drive safe!