Wheel Spacers

[LDUBS]

I was looking at my trailer and thinking it would be nice if the wheel track were a few inches wider. Has anyone used wheel spacers on their boat trailers to widen the track? They use some pretty fat ones on 4WD vehicles like Jeeps, so I wouldn't think they would be a problem on a boat trailer. Though, I suppose finding some with what I assume is a smaller bolt pattern might be an issue.

Even better than a wheel spacer would be some negative offset wheels. But again, I doubt they make them in 13" wheels.

This was one of those "blue sky" moments but I thought why not toss it out here and see what folks have to say.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

The wheel spacers / adapters for 4wd I've seen are fairly expensive. What would a new axle cost?

 

[JL8Jeff]

My Tacoma had 1.5" wheel spacers on it when I got it. It gave the truck a nice aggressive look but I'm not a fan of wheel spacers so I removed them. It seems like another place for something to come loose or go wrong. There are some pretty heated arguments for and against them so you probably won't a good answer. Mine were also causing the tires to rub the fender flares and I had a little vibration around 20 mph. The vibration isn't gone but it seems to be less. If the spacers aren't centered perfectly and then the wheel centered perfectly on the spacer, you could end up with a vibration. My tire rubbing is gone and I don't worry about the spacers coming loose anymore.

 

[Bateman]

I've used them on most of the 7-8 jeeps I've owned. Including the one in my avatar with 40" tires. Daily driven for ~40k miles in one year. Not a single problem with any of them. All I've ever heard bad is people saying "i don't like them", but I've never seen failure. Also, most are going to be hub centric so you don't have to worry about vibrations.

They would be completely fine on your trailer. Summit racing has a number of widths as well as bolt patterns. Should be easily done for <$50.

 

[LDUBS]

I thought of just getting an axle, but my trailer uses a torsion axle. So, instead of just buying a longer axle, which would be relatively inexpensive, I would have to get a whole new set up.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback -- pros and cons.

 

[jethro]

They aren't expensive I just think you'd have a hard time getting the right size.

 

[LDUBS]

I've used them on most of the 7-8 jeeps I've owned. Including the one in my avatar with 40" tires. Daily driven for ~40k miles in one year. Not a single problem with any of them. All I've ever heard bad is people saying "i don't like them", but I've never seen failure. Also, most are going to be hub centric so you don't have to worry about vibrations.

They would be completely fine on your trailer. Summit racing has a number of widths as well as bolt patterns. Should be easily done for <$50.

Like Jethro says, I thought I would have a hard time finding the right size. Summit Racing was a real good lead. I can get two 1.5" wheel spacers to fit my 5 x 4.5" bolt pattern for just under $100 including shipping/handling, just like you say.

Well, I guess I'll add another thing to the list.

Thanks again.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Will you need to move the fenders out?

 

[Bateman]

I've used them on most of the 7-8 jeeps I've owned. Including the one in my avatar with 40" tires. Daily driven for ~40k miles in one year. Not a single problem with any of them. All I've ever heard bad is people saying "i don't like them", but I've never seen failure. Also, most are going to be hub centric so you don't have to worry about vibrations.

They would be completely fine on your trailer. Summit racing has a number of widths as well as bolt patterns. Should be easily done for <$50.

Like Jethro says, I thought I would have a hard time finding the right size. Summit Racing was a real good lead. I can get two 1.5" wheel spacers to fit my 5 x 4.5" bolt pattern for just under $100 including shipping/handling, just like you say.

Well, I guess I'll add another thing to the list.

Thanks again.

Good to hear! Summit racing has way more than the name implies. We even use them here at work to source items for the local companies that maintain and build military aircraft.

 

[LDUBS]

I wanted to circle back around on this thread. I ended up getting 1 1/4" spacers. Got them installed and everything seems to work well. Happily, they fit like a glove. No vibrations that I can notice. Everything seems true and the trailer tracks well. I'll re-torque them after I've put on a few miles.

Anyway, Summit Racing was a good recommendation. They helped me select wheel spacers that would fit my hub/wheel config. Even better, I paid for standard shipping and amazingly received them the following day.

 

[Stumpalump]

They work great. Not so much on a front steer axle because they add scrub but Ive got the cheap thin slide on ones on my canoe trailer, a 98 Cherokee with a Ford Explorer 8.8 rear axle got the good Spydertrax brand. The Blazer I have came from the factory with a narrow rear end and is a death trap so it got the cheap ebay ones. The 4x4 E350 van needed them on the rear because it used an F350 front Dana 60 that is wider than the rear. It got solid billet steel spacers made for one ton trucks with hubcentric rims. You just need to make sure the fitment allows the spacer to be flush with the hub face and the rim mounts flush with the spacer. Hubcentric hubs with a non hubcentric spacers have caused the problems that scare people away. Make sure everthing pulls up tight and flush and your golden.

 

[LDUBS]

Naturally, I don't have "hubcentricity" on the trailer, though it sure seems like a good thing from a load bearing standpoint. I suppose that hub centric hubs would be uncommon consumer type trailers.

I didn't mention in my earlier post, but did have to move the fenders out. I just made some simple extension brackets out of 1/8" x 2" bar stock. Pretty easy.

One of the side benefits to installing the spacers is I got some experience jacking up the torsion axle boat trailer. It was straight-forward and the torsion swing arm didn't cause any issues. So now I at least have practice if I ever need to swap out a flat.