Trailer wheels worth upsizing?

[BoneDigger]

I have an Alweld 1542 boat on a painted steel boat trailer. It has a Minn Kota foot control motor and a 15HP Mercury outboard. Add in some accessories, but generally it's a relatively light boat (compared to a bass boat). The trailer has basically new 12 inch wheels like you get from Walmart (5 bolt). The fenders have lots of room, and I COULD upgrade to 13 inch wheels. The chst would be about $500 for two wheels and a spare.

My trips are generally less than an hour each way, maybe 1.5 hours max. Road speeds up to say 65 here in Texas.

Is it worth upgrading to 13 inch wheels given this set of conditions? Like I said, the 12s I have are basically new.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I have an Alweld 1542 boat on a painted steel boat trailer. It has a Minn Kota foot control motor and a 15HP Mercury outboard. Add in some accessories, but generally it's a relatively light boat (compared to a bass boat). The trailer has basically new 12 inch wheels like you get from Walmart (5 bolt). The fenders have lots of room, and I COULD upgrade to 13 inch wheels. The chst would be about $500 for two wheels and a spare.

My trips are generally less than an hour each way, maybe 1.5 hours max. Road speeds up to say 65 here in Texas.

Is it worth upgrading to 13 inch wheels given this set of conditions? Like I said, the 12s I have are basically new.

Upgrading tires is good idea. Are you doing radials? Your boat will sit higher you will have to back in deeper at the ramp. Where are you getting your prices?

 

[BoneDigger]

That was the cost for the wheels and tires at Walmart.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

IMO: If the 12’s have sufficient load capacity, wait until they need replacing. Then decide. Keep them inflated to the correct level. I never have worn a trailer tire out, and have some 12C. Sidewall cracking on aged tires, is was usually cause the need for replacing.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Try www.recstuff.com

 

[LDUBS]

Whatever the difference in diameter, half of that number will take away space under the fender. The fender clearance needed will be that number plus what you need for suspension travel.

 

[MrGiggles]

I'd say that $500 is way better spent elsewhere.

 

[LDUBS]

I'd say that $500 is way better spent elsewhere.

While I intrinsically like the idea of going to larger wheels, will the real gains be major enough to justify the expense. Larger may have more weight capacity, but that will also be limited to the existing axle and trailer suspension. More ground clearance? Tow at higher speeds maybe? More common trailer tire size? Like @FuzzyGrub suggests, waiting until the existing ones need to be swapped out might be the way to go.

 

[airshot]

I have 12" wheels and tires in my boat trailer, usually drive 65-75 mph, no issues. Proper maintenance and pressure is a must !! Stay within max load range and go boating....when they wear out or dry rot then consider a tire change, but I would look for a better price. Why fix what isn't broken ?

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I run 12" radials on one of my trailers.

 

[Still Afloat]

An upgrade that might be worth consideration is oil filled wheel bearings. No more worrying about packing bearings.

 

[MrGiggles]

While I intrinsically like the idea of going to larger wheels, will the real gains be major enough to justify the expense. Larger may have more weight capacity, but that will also be limited to the existing axle and trailer suspension. More ground clearance? Tow at higher speeds maybe? More common trailer tire size? Like @FuzzyGrub suggests, waiting until the existing ones need to be swapped out might be the way to go.

Tires with a larger diameter will wear less in a given distance than their smaller counterpart. More wear material, and less revolutions to go the distance.

Same concept with wheel bearings. Less RPM, less wear, less heat.

That said you are only talking about a 10% difference, give or take between a 12" and 13" tire. The trailer would be recycled into a new Hyundai before you ever got your money back out of that upgrade.

 

[GTS225]

I'd say first, find a different supplier. That's insane for three wheels and tires.

Roger

OK.....color me wrong. Just when did dinky 13" trailer tires get some doggone expensive?

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Part of his concern was the overall look of the trailer. The 13-inch tires will look better.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

If it doesn't use flow thru hubs, get some bearing buddys,

 

[thill]

I've faced the same thing, and have gone both ways.

One trailer, it worked well, but the boat weight had it maxxed out according to spec. I went from a 12" to a 13" D-rated tire, and it was a good move.

Another trailer, same thing, but the weight wasn't an issue. Left it alone, and the current owner is still running it with no issue.

$500 sounds steep for that upgrade. Check Walmart.com and see what you come up with. They will deliver it to your home, and they will install for free, if you get rims separately.

 

[beagle]

65mph? Questionable worth.. not worth it to me for a lightly loaded trailer. Like has been said, bigger diameter wheels/tires slow down bearing speeds and increase load capacity, but that's probably still a 2000 pound capacity axle. I used to be worried, but a dozen years with a 12" tired trailer loaded less than a ton have produced no problems at 60-65. I've drug that thing all over Texas and it didn't care. I wouldn't drive 80mph with them, but that's me.

The change in height is noticeable with a bigger diameter wheel, also mentioned earlier but worth repeating. You may need to change your hitch receiver ball setup with the taller trailer height in addition to backing it further down the ramp. I have different rise hitch ball mounts for the different trailer heights in my "fleet" - that makes a huge difference in pulling it, just getting the trailer level.

At 65mph, I don't fear the 75.00 Harbor Freight mounted tire and wheel 12" spares either. Tires full of air and bearings full of grease apply to pretty much any combination.

 

[JL8Jeff]

Going from a 12" wheel/tire to a 13" wheel/tire doesn't always mean it's taller, you have to look at the actual tire size. But a taller tire will reduce rpm's and heat on the wheel bearings and give you some extra ground clearance. The downside is the boat might need to be backed into the water further to get it off the trailer. When my tires started cracking, I went from 4.8 x 12 (20.7" diameter) to 5.3 x 12 (21.9" diameter) so I got taller tires but stayed with the 12" wheel for a minimal cost increase. If your current tires are fine, I would run them and maybe search craigslist or FB marketplace for a good deal on new tires someone might be unloading if you really want to go taller. Also, check Etrailer.com for tire/wheel sizes and pricing, they might offer free shipping as well.

 

[Hoppi84]

My war eagle 542fld on a ez Trac trailer has 13" tires...

 

[BoneDigger]

I appreciate the replies everyone! Very good information for sure. After a bit of research, I found that this would also require new hubs. It's not a huge issue to change those out, but add another $150 to it all. Apparently, the hub outer diameter on a 13 inch wheel is larger than what I have. Currently, I have 4.8 x 12 tires (5 lug) and they have a speed rating of 80 mph. I think the thing to do would be to maybe eventually upgrade to a wider 5.3" tire on the same rim. This would give me a little "more" of everything and be less expensive overall.