Hauling your locomotive

[rkcarguy]

Another cheap option is to pick yourself up an older Station Wagon. A friend of mine towed his race car with a old Ford Wagon and loved it. He got it from a dealer super cheap, had low miles one owner as an elderly couple had traded it in on a new Expedition. It's lower profile got better mileage, was much less prone to swaying from side winds, could still sleep in the back if he wanted, and it had plenty of power.
I'm not a surge brake fan, they are only for boat trailers where you obviously don't want to dip electric brakes in the water all the time. Electric brakes, torsion axles would be my pick.

[rkcarguy]

...
Also don't some people use rated truck tires on trailers instead of "trailer tires"?

The sources I've checked say that trailer tires are constructed differently from truck tires and you should not use one for the other. The forces on a trailer tire are different from those on a vehicle tire. One site says, "The trailer tire often features strengthened sidewalls that are used in preventing the tire from rolling beneath the rims in case of turns and during the time when it is cornering." The source also says the trailer tire is designed for a higher vertical load than the equivalent truck tire.

While this doesn't mean you can't use truck tires, tires rated for trailer use are what are recommended for trailers.

I used to import auto parts/tires and discovered some concerning info about trailer tires vs. car and truck tires. My friends and I have ALL had issues with trailer tires over the years across many brands. Stuff that shouldn't happen, like delams, sidewall bubbles, and outright blowouts when hauling well below rated maximums or even when empty on tires that are only a few years old. What it comes down to is the testing requirement for DOT approval and it's application. A car or light truck tire is tested under 100* F temperature, loaded DOUBLE it's max weight rating, with a simulated brake drag for 4 HOURS. The tire cannot delaminate or blowout or it fails the DOT test and cannot be imported or sold in the US. Trailer tires are not required to be tested under this standard, and merely require them to be labeled for their weight capacity. As a result, most are made overseas cheaply and most are COMPLETE JUNK. I'm convinced the tire places push these only because they make a far larger profit on them. I've put load range D or E, "Light Truck" tires on my last couple of trailers and you can forget about them until they wear out or just flat out rot. I've discovered that Yokohama's seem the most resistant to cracking and rubber rot as they get old (Still have a 12 year old set on my current flatbed) but your "mileage may vary".
Even if you have 14" rims, there is a tire made for the smaller cube vans and Toyota Dolphin mini-motorhomes that is a far better choice than a trailer tire. FYI you can't just toss any tire on there or you will have sidewall issues with them rolling under and so on, you need to pick a weight range or load range suitable for the weight you are hauling.

[Harold_V]

I'm not a surge brake fan, they are only for boat trailers where you obviously don't want to dip electric brakes in the water all the time.

I have a utility trailer with a surge brake. I also live on a bit of a hill, with a relatively steep driveway. It is impossible to back the trailer up the driveway. The one time when it was necessary, I had to use a large clamp to stop the brake from activating.

H

[Greg_Lewis]

Very interesting, RKcarguy. I have had a trailer tire tread split along the groove (see photo) and it wasn't out of date. And they do seem to rot much faster than truck tires. But I've also had at least four premature failures on brand-name tires on my F250; more than I've ever had on my cars. And that F250 runs light most of the time. I've had car tires that have run until bald. Back in the '60s and '70s I never heard anyone say anything about a tire "aging out." I wonder if all of this is a result of lower quality today, DOT testing notwithstanding. Thanks for the post.

[rkcarguy]

Greg, yes I've seen that before too. Poor quality Chinese rubber. It's really soft rubber too. The tires typically have a "fair" temperature rating, and leave black marks all over a parking lot when you turn.
I'm not one to "plug" a particular manufacturer, but have had good luck with the Japanese made (Check them to make sure of "made in Japan") load range E Yokohama's on my trailer and F350. Both sit a lot and when they do roll they are put to work. They are old now as I bought the tires new in 2009. I picked up a whole 28x36 buildings worth of framing lumber, roofing, tarpaper, insulation, nails, glue lam beams, whole cube of plywood, and Tyvek rolls on the trailer, and then got 3000#'s of 5/8" clear gravel in the back of the truck on the way home
I also have a 20' enclosed cargo hauler with the crappy tires on it that came with it. It's got less than 1000 miles on it, but I'm probably going to be in for a rude surprise here soon the next few times I go to use it because its about 6 years old now. Tires look just like the ones in your picture (not split yet lol).
BFG's and Goodyears amongst many others tend to crack when they get old. I don't put a lot of miles on my truck and trailer so if the tires get old and crack quickly it starts to get really expensive for the miles covered.

[rkcarguy]

Greg, there is another possibility.
I don't see balancing linkage between the two axles. If you were running the trailer nose or rear high, could have overloaded the front or back pair of tires. Still though, to split in the tread like that =crappy tires.

[Steggy]

I'm not a surge brake fan, they are only for boat trailers where you obviously don't want to dip electric brakes in the water all the time.

I have a utility trailer with a surge brake. I also live on a bit of a hill, with a relatively steep driveway. It is impossible to back the trailer up the driveway. The one time when it was necessary, I had to use a large clamp to stop the brake from activating.

H

Many surge brake assemblies have a set of holes through which a pin can be inserted to prevent the tongue from sliding back when reversing and applying the brakes. You just have to remember to pull the pin when you hit the road.

[Steggy]

Greg, there is another possibility.
I don't see balancing linkage between the two axles. If you were running the trailer nose or rear high, could have overloaded the front or back pair of tires. Still though, to split in the tread like that =crappy tires.

The trailer appears to have torsion axles, so no equalizing links would be present. Trailers with torsion axles should always be level when hitched to the tow vehicle, since as you note, running at an angle will accelerate tread wear. In particular, a high tongue will make the trailer more sway-prone in crosswinds.

[Harold_V]

Many surge brake assemblies have a set of holes through which a pin can be inserted to prevent the tongue from sliding back when reversing and applying the brakes. You just have to remember to pull the pin when you hit the road.

Hmmmm! Makes me wonder if, maybe, mine is so equipped. It could very well be and I just didn't notice, so I'll have to take a look tomorrow. Thanks for the tip.

H

[Greg_Lewis]

Greg, there is another possibility.
I don't see balancing linkage between the two axles. If you were running the trailer nose or rear high, could have overloaded the front or back pair of tires. Still though, to split in the tread like that =crappy tires.

The trailer appears to have torsion axles, so no equalizing links would be present. Trailers with torsion axles should always be level when hitched to the tow vehicle, since as you note, running at an angle will accelerate tread wear. In particular, a high tongue will make the trailer more sway-prone in crosswinds.

I'm afraid we're hijacking Hoppercar's thread here so I'll just make one last comment. Yes they are torsion axles and I hook it to a receiver hitch with drop insert so it runs level. After taking delivery of the trailer I wasn't impressed with the overall workmanship and I'm not surprised that the original tires were the cheapest available to the manufacturer.

So getting back to Hoppercar's question, as I just mentioned I found things with this trailer I didn't like. If you go that route, only buy if you can inspect the unit you will get. I ordered mine and just hooked it up and drove away when it arrived at the dealer. When you are looking, take a pair of coveralls with you and crawl underneath and check out the frame and cross members. Did they bother to paint the underside (mine was not). Note the design — the size and number of the cross members and the quality of the welds. Check the floorboards. How thick and how are they attached to the frame. Check the thickness of the interior wood sidewalls and side bracing. Again, how thick and how arranged. How do all these elements factor into how you will set up your track and hold-down system? The weakest link theory applies here; bolting a welded steel rack for a locomotive to a plywood floor that is only screwed to thin floor joists with sheet metal screws may not survive an extraordinary incident. Finally, add a pair of those flow-through vents to cut down on condensation.

[pat1027]

Greg brings up a good point. I read a number of posts on different forums on trailer quality. I looked at trailer in stock at a dealer before ordering mine. I'd liked to have had more stingers that I got but for riding cars it's adequate. They were formed angles wide enough I could drill and bolt through them.

[Berkman]

There are so many cargo trailer brands.

Diamond cargo, Wells Cargo, Haulmark, Pace, Ameican Hauler, Featherlite. Probably won't go wrong with any of them.

Some offer aluminum trailers but those will start to get pricey.

Has anyone converted their trailer to hydraulic disc brakes?