mel
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1964 Shasta Airflyte
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Tires
Jun 19, 2017 4:48:41 GMT -8
Post by mel on Jun 19, 2017 4:48:41 GMT -8
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Tires
Jun 19, 2017 9:29:34 GMT -8
Post by nccamper on Jun 19, 2017 9:29:34 GMT -8
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mel
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1964 Shasta Airflyte
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Tires
Jun 19, 2017 10:09:21 GMT -8
Post by mel on Jun 19, 2017 10:09:21 GMT -8
nccamper Good to know your cheap ones arnt lasting long... well not good you need to buy new ones but good for me to know so I dont buy them. Do you know what load rating I need?
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Post by bigbill on Jun 19, 2017 14:50:15 GMT -8
If possible I like to have load rating twice as high as the weight of the trailer loaded completely ready to go camping. Example trailer weighs 1200 lb. water, propane, food clothes and everything else you will load in the trailer weighs another 800 pounds. This makes a load of 2000 pounds, you have two tires so each tire must carry at least 1000 pounds. Take 1000 pounds times 2 equals 2000 pound load rating if tires are kept at maximum air pressure. This will help the tires live through the times that road and environment conditions increase the weight on a given tire. I don't care for blow outs or flats so this is my minimum tire load recommendation. This is backed up by sixty years of towing experience and MANY thousands of miles on all types of trailers. Remember AIR PRESSURE as the load rating decreases rapidly as pressure drops.
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turbodaddy
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17' 1965 Fan "Sunseeker"
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Tires
Jun 19, 2017 18:21:18 GMT -8
Ten likes this
Post by turbodaddy on Jun 19, 2017 18:21:18 GMT -8
Choosing the right tires is cheap insurance. Especially on a trailer with only two wheels. Don't skimp on this. Remember all that work restoring the camper could be for nothing if you choose the cheap LT tires and they fail. Its not about miles, or tread, its about age. Just replace 'em with real trailer tires every 3 years or so and no need to to worry.
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Jun 19, 2017 18:52:53 GMT -8
Post by nccamper on Jun 19, 2017 18:52:53 GMT -8
This is backed up by sixty of towing experience and MANY thousands of miles on all types of trailers. Great advice Bigbill and Turbodaddy. What brand do you think makes the best trailer tire?
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Tires
Jun 19, 2017 20:21:18 GMT -8
Post by bigbill on Jun 19, 2017 20:21:18 GMT -8
Who makes the best cola, Pepsi or Coke? I have seen tire brands debated forever, I love this brand and you love that brand. The most important thing is be sure to buy a fresh (recently manufactured) tire with the load rating as I described above then have them balanced. Next make certain that you keep them inflated to the pressure shown on the tire, but never exceed pressure more than 10%. I have been reading about the safety of towing single, tandem, or tri-axle trailers. The reason for multiple axles to to increase load carrying capacity. one is no safer than the other if properly maintained, You have never lived until you watch a tandem axle rig blow one tire then the second one is instantly over loaded so it fails, causing the trailer to flip over taking the tow vehicle with it. All trailers should have tires with excess load capacity enough to be safe. I don't know if axle skids are still avilable or not but they are a great item that keeps the axle from catching in the pavement in case of a tire failure giving you enough time to slow to a stop out of traffic. Also keep in mind that if you have small diameter tires they are rotating at a much higher rpm than your tow vehicle, when 8 inch rims were popular they were running at the equivalent of three times the speed of the tow vehicles tires and people couldn't understand why they had such a short life, but how long would your car tires last at 150 mph. All of this is just food for thought but please consider what you have just read.
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