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warsw

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I have a small 17' TT that I use for hunting and camping off road. Even though the tires that are on the trailer have good tread they are starting to show signs of weather checking. Right now it is parked for the winter but before I start using it again next summer I will be replacing the tires.

The trailer is a 17' tandem axle trailer. It weighs, going down the road, between 3600 and 3800 lbs depending on how much water I am carrying. Minus the tongue weight the weight on the tires is 3250 when full of water.

The tires that are on it now are ST 205/70R14. They are rated for 1430# @35 PSI ea. I have lots of room on this trailer to go up in tire size.

I see that most like to go to a LT tire over a ST tire on the larger rigs. I was wondering, for these smaller size trailer tires, if going to a "P" tire over a ST would be a better way to go. If I go to a size larger "P" tire I can equal or even better the load rating and I can move up to a tire with a higher speed rating. What do you think? Good Idea or not?
 
Stick with the ST or go to the LT.  Avoid the P series -- their sidewalls are too flexible for twisting that trailer turns will put on them.

The tires that are on it now are ST 205/70R14. They are rated for 1430# @35 PSI ea. I have lots of room on this trailer to go up in tire size.
Click to expand...

1430 lbs x 4 tires = 5720 lbs.  Why do you need more capacity than that?
 
Carl L said:
1430 lbs x 4 tires = 5720 lbs.  Why do you need more capacity than that?
Click to expand...
Oh.....I really don't. I was just saying if I go up one size in a "P" rated tire I can equal or even better the load rating. If I stay with the same size I will loose some.

I was hoping that if I went to a "P" rated tire I could gain a little on my speed rating. I like to travel between 60 and 65 mph and I just don't like to sit right at the top of the rating.

Thanks for your input. It sounds like, for these little guys, ST is the way to go.
 
It's not just the weight rating.  The P-series tires are NOT recommended for trailers because they have very soft, flexible sidewalls. ST and LT tires are much firmer in the sidewall and handle the lean & sway of a trailer.

You aren't going to find any LT tires in a 14 wheel size either, so ST is the only ay to go in your size. You might be able to get a ST rated higher than 65 mph - try the Maxxis brand to see if they have anything close to that size in an ST. They are usually rated for 75 mph.
 
Sounds like you may have the old ST that came in a  32-35 psi rating. These tires were actually B load range with a ST designation. I don't think the industry uses or makes them any more.
Many of our smaller trailers ( including RVs) come with P tires (XL) with a 44 psi rating. Some of our P tires have a 32 psi max rating which aren't the best idea for a tandam axle trailer as the tire can pop a bead (bead unseating) as it side scrubs around a corner.  I use P XL (extra load)  at 44 psi tires on single  and liteweight tandam axle trailers. Their not speed restricted and last forver at any speed.

Many trailer owners are using the commercial grade Maxxis Lt205/80-14 D load range at 65 psi at 2270 lb. Check your wheels for 65 psi ratings. Maxxis shows several 14" Lt sizes in this line.

The Kumho all position 205R/14C load range D at 65 psi and 2270 lbs is another popular 14" trailer tire with RV folks. Again, wheels need to be 65 psi pressure rated.

 
longhaul said:
Sounds like you may have the old ST that came in a  32-35 psi rating. These tires were actually B load range with a ST designation. I don't think the industry uses or makes them any more.
Many of our smaller trailers ( including RVs) come with P tires (XL) with a 44 psi rating. Some of our P tires have a 32 psi max rating which aren't the best idea for a tandam axle trailer as the tire can pop a bead (bead unseating) as it side scrubs around a corner.  I use P XL (extra load)  at 44 psi tires on single  and liteweight tandam axle trailers. Their not speed restricted and last forver at any speed.

Many trailer owners are using the commercial grade Maxxis Lt205/80-14 D load range at 65 psi at 2270 lb. Check your wheels for 65 psi ratings. Maxxis shows several 14" Lt sizes in this line.

The Kumho all position 205R/14C load range D at 65 psi and 2270 lbs is another popular 14" trailer tire with RV folks. Again, wheels need to be 65 psi pressure rated.
Click to expand...
Interesting stuff. Thanks. How do I tell what the PSI rating of a wheel is?
 
Some wheels carry a psi placard on the back or front. Some wheels psi ratings are stamped somewhere on the wheel and that includes inside.  Yeah.... thats means the tire has to be removed.  :)

 
longhaul said:
Some wheels carry a psi placard on the back or front. Some wheels psi ratings are stamped somewhere on the wheel and that includes inside.  Yeah.... thats means the tire has to be removed.  :)
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LOL....Great.....I won't know if the wheels will handle the tires until I have already bought the new tires and pull the old tires off. I can see this might get expensive LOL.

I will look around on the wheel and see if I can find anything. The wheels that are on the trailer now are steel wheels, nothing special. I think they are the OEM wheels, not sure.

Maybe it is time to go to an aluminum wheel and add some character to the little guy.

I really like the idea of a D rated tire with a load rating of 2270#. I know it is way over what I need but this trailer does spend some time off road and I just really like "over-kill".
 
If they are five bolt hubs you may be able to go to 15 inch wheels where there is more to chose from.
 
[quote author=Gary RV Roamer]I was wrong[/quote]

That's three times in 20 years  and more than 34,000 helpful posts  :eek:
 
Anyone have any experience with Trailertiresandwheels.com?  Not to get off topic, but my neighbor just bought rims and tires from them for his snowmobile trailer.  He's one to do the research before buying.  He ordered and they arrived the next day.  They arrived mounted and ready to install.  I am also looking for tires for my sister's camper, hence the reason he mentioned the site to me.

Maybe a good resource?
 
hankook makes 14'' commercial tires. i have a set of rao8 195r14c. the missing aspect ratio is not a mistake, it's generally accepted as an 80 or so. mine are on a '77 vw bus. it's the tire size reccommended by vw. rated at 2094 pounds @65 psi. 8 ply rated. common delivery van/work truck tire in other parts of the world. you can get them anywhere that sells hankooks, you might have to make them work for it. if the tire sales clerk insists you need the middle number go to a different clerk. they're relatively inexpensive too, should be $100 or less apiece. a popular tire with the vintage vw bus crowd.
 
Thanks guys.  This is all great info and will help a lot. I really appreciate it. I have tucked the web sites away in my favorites for reference.

I will be getting new tires for the little trailer as soon as we get back from AZ sometime in March. I really like the options that are now available, thanks to you all, that I didn?t know I had.

Gerry R brought up the idea of going to 15" if I end up needing new wheels. This is a great thought. It opens up a whole new set of options. I love having option. Thanks again "everyone".
 
[quote author=eliallen]Any thought about retiring? [/quote]

Gary, retire? I sure hope not any time soon.
 
I see open roads forum is looking for a 5th wheel mod.  IMO Gary needs a raise .... or maybe more perks.  ;D
 
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