HELP! My wheels don't fit on my trailer

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brettjconley

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Jul 10, 2013
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Took the tires off my trailer (94 Coleman Utah) so my wife could go get them filled and checked while I fix a couple other things wrong with it.  Well, they came off with a bit of difficulty.  Now I can't get them back on.  What's going on?  The tires are too wide to fit between the axle hub and the well.  I think I only got them off because they were a bit flat.

I bought the trailer last year, so I don't know how many owners it's had.  But I'm guessing at some point along the way someone got the bright idea to swap the originals out for some "better" ones.  They are officially trailer tires (they say "trailer" on them), but they sure seem wide to me.

I have observed that after jacking up the frame of the trailer a ways, jacking it further makes the axle stick down a little bit lower.  But I've jacked it up to the point where that doesn't happen anymore.  The axle is as far away from the frame as it's going to get without taking the whole suspension apart.

I've tried angling it in from the bottom, from the top, from both sides, no luck.  I'm afraid I'm going to have to deflate them to get them back on.  But that leaves me in a bad position--what happens if I actually get a flat on the highway?  I'll have to deflate the spare (full-size) to put it on and then I'll need to inflate it again.  I don't have a portable pump.

I'm all ears to any idea you can give me.  Thanks!
 
Wish I knew where to look it up, but it sounds like maybe someone put tires on it with too high of an aspect ratio.  I'd start by finding out the proper stock tire size for your trailer.
 
I would find out what tires you should have and get them. Or deflate the ones you have and remount them. You really need to have a 12 volt air compressor. It will save you in a pinch. GET ONE! They are cheap and then you can check and adjust your pressure daily like you should.
 
Chances are the tires have been "upgraded" in size.  But, if they worked for you, they should work again.  The trick is getting them back on.  Right now I assume you have the axle blocked or jacked up.  Try dropping the rear stabilizers then cranking the tongue jack up.  This should begin the raise the body of the trailer above the axle, perhaps enough to get the wheels back on.  If stuck on the road with a flat, a similar procedure should get you back together again.
 
Wow.  2 replies the same day I posted.  I'm impressed.

I ended up deflating the first tire that I couldn't get mounted.  It was still a squeeze, but it worked.  The other tire went on without much trouble, and without deflating, so I wonder if there's more going on than just a mis-sized tire.  The spare was a real pain.  Deflated the tire completely but still had to bend the bracket into place to get it attached.

Not sure exactly how tires are sized.  These say 20.5 x 8 - 10.  My measurements say the 20.5 is the # inches diameter of the tire, fully inflated, the 8 is the width of the tire, fully inflated, and I guess the 10 is the wheel size.  My wheels are almost 11", so I guess the 10 is probably the diameter of the inside curve of the tire.  I see comments elsewhere that usually refer to 12" or 13" tires on popups so not sure what that refers to exactly, since it's not really close to any of my tires' dimensions.

I appreciate the suggestions to get a compressor.  I will look for one I can keep in the suburban.
 
How are you jacking the unit up, by the axle or the frame? If you have your jack under the axle, use a 2nd jack to raise the frame until your tires fit in.
 
brettjconley said:
I appreciate the suggestions to get a compressor.  I will look for one I can keep in the suburban.
Click to expand...

I've seen people using really cheap compressors before that plug into 12v accessory outlets, and they seem mostly like noisemakers to me.

I recently picked up one of these and I'm really impressed - fast and quiet in comparison, quality feel, clips direct onto the battery, nice positive screw on chuck - but it is $60 shipped.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ASY23I/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B005ASY23I&link_code=as3&tag=thepracsurv-20
 
20.5 x 8 - 10 seems like a rather hefty tire for a pop-up, but you didn't mention the length or weight of it. You are right - the tread width is 8" and the 20.5 is the tire outside diameter.  10 should be the wheel (rim) diameter. Tires using this measurement scheme have a high sidewall aspect ratio, i.e. sidewall height vs tread width, so it is a "tall" tire.

Somewhere on the sidewall should be a load carrying capacity in pounds, e.g. xxx lbs @ yy PSI. I suspect this number is going to be much higher than the weight the tires actually have to carry. Some extra margin is good, but these may be overkill.Be careful not to tow with under-inflated tires - that is a recipe for an early tire failure. Too much psi is far better than even a slight under-inflation.

Since you already own the tires, investing in a portable compressor is probably your best bet. You can get better matching tires when replacement time comes.
 
The tires say 1105 lbs at 50 psi.  So between the two tires they can handle 2210 lbs., right?  The trailer is one of the larger ones--there's a king and 2 queen beds (converting the dining area to a queen).  The box is 11 ft and if you include the hitch it's 15 ft.  So the rating doesn't seem so bad to me.  Do they make tires that have a similar rating but less width?  The 8" dimension matches what I measure the width of the tire at full pressure, and they do appear to bulge out considerably.  I wonder if I can get tires that are less wide but still fit my wheels (i.e. no bulge)?

@Cant Wait, I have just 1 jack raising the frame, not the axle.  I noticed that the axle begins to drop down a bit as the frame is jacked up, but there's a point at which it stops doing that and just follows the frame as it is raised.  I could not fit a fully inflated tire between the axle and the well with the frame raised well beyond this point.

Thanks again!
 
One of the things I pack in my motor home is a nice bit of Crafstman product. it is an air compressor, 4 gallon tank 150 PSI cut off (Actually pushes the gauge to 160) and it will fill my 22.5's to their full 115 PSI desire.  Might take a couple of refill ccles if they are really low (Had a sensor leak on me, Did not damage the tire due to ... Parked at the time, Jacks down, Little load on that wheel.  But kind of .. Upset me).

I do like 120 volt compressors for big tires. For 50 PSI and lower, 12 volt work fine.
 
The tires say 1105 lbs at 50 psi.  So between the two tires they can handle 2210 lbs., right?
Click to expand...

Right. Is it just a single axle trailer? If so, you probably do need all that capacity. If tandem axle, then you have 4420 total capacity. What does the trailer weigh, empty and fully loaded (GVWR)?

Tires come in different load ratings, usually shown as Load Range A, B, C, etc. Higher letter is more load. You may have limited choices for 10" wheels, though. I think 1100 lbs is equivalent to Load Range C in that size. And I believe 205/65-10 is the equivalent metric size.
 
IF the DOT sticker is still readable, the original tire size and GVWR should be found on it. It should be located on the driver's side side wall at the front.

But if it is anything like mine it was unreadable after less than 5 years. I ended up having to get 2  new ones from the manufacturer and placing one of them in the shade under the overhang on my 5th wheel.
 
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