17" Wheels for Trailer

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lone_star_dsl

lone_star_dsl

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Posts
828
Location
Monument, CO
I have a grand idea that I think is plausible but would like some input.

I've been considering putting a set of 17" wheels on my trailer and when my truck tires get to the point of tread wear that I replace them, I could swap those tires onto the trailer and run them until the truck tires need replacing again.

I typically wear through a set of truck tires in 2-3 years so age shouldn't be a factor.  Also, this would give me more flexibility if the need ever arose to use a spare tire.

My current trailer tire size is 235/85/16 and my truck is 235/80/17.  The height difference between the two is only a tenth of an inch which means they will fit on the trailer with no problem.

Thoughts?
 
I was told ( but I'm not sure if it true ) truck tires differ from trailer tires in that, trailer tire belts are not as rigid as truck  tires, as trailer wheels don't turn like a truck but I'm going to call BS on that theor, it sounds like a great idea, and they do it on boat trailers all the time. So i don't know why not. Im going to follow this post cause i would like to know
Cheers steve
 
It can be done as long as load rating can handle the weight. I see no problem. I get a lot of grief from guys because I run a radial car tire on the rear of my 800lb. Motorbike. LOL A tire is a tire. I'm sure you will see more opinions for sure.  You may have some or more flex in sidewall?
 
Commercial trucking companies do that all the time.  New tires go on the tractor, as they're rotated off they are recapped if needed and assigned to trailer service until they rot out and literally fall apart on the road.

Ever notice that when you see road gaters on the interstate, the failure almost always comes from a trailer tire?  Rarely will you see a tractor tire that's gone bad unless the company's using recaps on the drive axles.

I've used LT truck tires on my trailer and they work perfectly fine.
 
If there weight rating is close to the same it should work but you have to make sure you get wheels that have a 0 offset and trailer rated or you can damage your bearings or break the wheels.

Denny
 
The only 17 inch "trailer" wheels I've found are 5 lug.  I've looked at some truck wheels and they are all rated at 3,500-3,750 lbs.  More than enough capacity for my trailer with about 6,000 lbs of reserve.

I run LT tires on my gooseneck trailer.  Haven't had an issue yet.
 
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