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Trailer spare question??


2talltim

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As some may know irecently bought a utility trailer to haul the v-twins...this trailer did not come with a spare tire or wheel they are $100 for one at TSC. Here is what i found out the traier hub is 5 bolt 4.5" pattern, the spare on my car is 5 bolt 115mm, it will bolt on and has clearance, and will carry the weight. There is a .7mm difference in these hub patterns. I'd like opinion and thoughts on using this spare as a emergency situation only, im talking 50 miles or less if i had to, i would save me a C note

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it will bolt on and has clearance.

Are you sure about this? Have you tried it on the trailer and spun the wheel. If it bolts on and spins freely then you are good to go but you need to check the offsets to be sure. If it works I would use it to get home no matter how far it is. Single axle trailers don't seem to get as many flats as the dual axle ones, at least for me anyways.

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The only downfall with the "spare" car tires is they are temporary and some don't last long others are really hard and last forever I would think in a pinch it would get you to where you could get it changed out with no problems.

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Are you sure about this? Have you tried it on the trailer and spun the wheel. If it bolts on and spins freely then you are good to go but you need to check the offsets to be sure. If it works I would use it to get home no matter how far it is. Single axle trailers don't seem to get as many flats as the dual axle ones, at least for me anyways.

yes iv tried it...empty...havent tried it with a load yet..thats why i hate to spend $100 on a tire that will dry rot and ill never use it

Edited by 2talltim
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yes iv tried it...empty...havent tried it with a load yet..that why i hate to spend $100 on a tire that will dry rot and ill never use it

I thought the same thing but I did it anyway, I just consider it my "insurance" from screwing up a sweet trip or something as well as saving the hassle

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Here's some experience I have had with car tires on trailers...

Now, we used much bigger trailers and such so, it may not apply, but the idea is that the sidewall on a car tire will not handle the stress a trailer puts on it.

We thought the same thing where we had a car tire on a rim that fit. The side wall blew in no time. I think we got maybe 100 miles before it destroyed itself. I don't think it was that far. We went from Delaware to just east of Zanesville...

Anyways, get a proper trailer tire. Offset isn't as important as the load rating... and ply design.

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Offset isn't as important as the load rating...

Offset is very important if you expect to use it without trying it first then the tire rubs the trailer frame and you are stuck without a backup plan. While the load rating is important if your offset is wrong you won't even get to test the load rating.

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My train of thought is that my first trip is in 4wks...and I'm scraping money up now just for the trip...so i might have to gamble with the donut on this trip and pick up a ful size for the next trip

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Donut? Donut? Never mind my previous posts about driving home with your spare. A spare is not a donut on a tow vehicle.

i see how you could get confused, quess i never thought about it...tow vehicle is a 07 chevy impala..the spare is rated at 1300lbs(might even be 1800lbs its hard to read) the trailer tires are rated at 1100 lbs...thats why i said maybe 50miles tops in an emergency

Edited by 2talltim
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i see how you could get confused, quess i never thought about it...tow vehicle is a 07 chevy impala..the spare is rated at 1300lbs(might even be 1800lbs its hard to read) the trailer tires are rated at 1100 lbs...thats why i said maybe 50miles tops in an emergency

is it a skinny donut and not a full size spare?

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is it a skinny donut and not a full size spare?
'

ive seen smaller but yes it a temp spare only 16x5 i think its about 1/2" taller than the trailer tire

...and my trailer fully loaded is only 1500 lbs tops...hell those little 8" wheels can handle that.....ill do some more measuring when i get home today

Edited by 2talltim
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'

ive seen smaller but yes it a temp spare only 16x5 i think its about 1/2" taller than the trailer tire

...and my trailer fully loaded is only 1500 lbs tops...hell those little 8" wheels can handle that

please please please check with your bike or auto insurance if they cover the bike while being trailered. I have trust issues with tires due to a couple incidents so naturally this is just way too sketchy for me and I just see a bad ending for your poor bike if something were to go wrong with a skinny on there.

Yes I understand its for emergency purpose but I wouldn't trust it for shit. I hope I am very wrong though

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please please please check with your bike or auto insurance if they cover the bike while being trailered. I have trust issues with tires due to a couple incidents so naturally this is just way too sketchy for me and I just see a bad ending for your poor bike if something were to go wrong with a skinny on there.

Yes I understand its for emergency purpose but I wouldn't trust it for shit. I hope I am very wrong though

oh i hear ya...you know im thinking worse case if i have to use it it will be 45 mph top speed with my flashers on, im not just going to stick it on there and zoom down the freeway, HELL NO!!!

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ya know, i read the warnings that say "55 mph top speed" on all my trailer documentation, and I actually worried about it the first couple of times I pulled it - but then I was tired, and wanted to get home from Putnam.

70mph it is. Falling asleep at the wheel is more dangerous than having one of the trailer tires come apart at 70mph, IMHO.

to date, i haven't observed any problems w/ the trailer tires. I always stop after the first 25 miles or so and make sure the hubs aren't getting hot, and the tires have never chunked or anything crazy like that.

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Just an off-hand suggestion...

If you're truly cash-strapped, I'd consider getting the 12" trailer wheel/tire combo to use as an emergency spare if it's that much cheaper than a 13er. With a 1" smaller diameter, the true heigth difference from axle centerline to the road is only 1/2", which shouldn't make a huge difference as long as it's being used as a temporary spare. It'll spin a bit faster than the bigger wheel, but it doesn't make a difference since it's not running thru a differential. Check out the load specs and make sure the bolt pattern and offset are OK and yer good to go.

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ya know, i read the warnings that say "55 mph top speed" on all my trailer documentation, and I actually worried about it the first couple of times I pulled it - but then I was tired, and wanted to get home from Putnam.

70mph it is. Falling asleep at the wheel is more dangerous than having one of the trailer tires come apart at 70mph, IMHO.

to date, i haven't observed any problems w/ the trailer tires. I always stop after the first 25 miles or so and make sure the hubs aren't getting hot, and the tires have never chunked or anything crazy like that.

what size tires are those?

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Offset is very important if you expect to use it without trying it first then the tire rubs the trailer frame and you are stuck without a backup plan. While the load rating is important if your offset is wrong you won't even get to test the load rating.

You are correct in that regard. I was saying it based on most trailer rims are generic in terms of bolt pattern and may have slightly different offsets. Most are within "spec" if you will and will not cause issue. I was referring to those steel wheels you typically see on all trailers...

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