Another near miss

[BumbleAbout]

Not wanting to highjack the thread (but my questions are similar) ...

I currently have 5.00x10 tyres on my unbraked (Indespension) trailer, but am toying with the idea of moving to a more substantial tyre/wheel (with some adjustments to the mudguards etc) so:
- is there a recommended diameter (30" in the Falklands apparently ) ?
- can I use any 4 stud 4" steel wheel (no not considering alloys!) and associated heavier duty car tyre ?
- having recently destroyed three sets of bearings and two hubs in one 200 mile journey is it worth junking the Indespension hubs and going for some 4WD hubs which might last longer since they are built for more abuse (this might also have the advantage of not needing to get the larger diameter wheel hubs wet at all in many launch/ recoveries) ?

[Anchorhandler]

Just out of curiosity, is your axle/ suspension unit still correctly aligned with the hitch?

If the axle(s) has shifted causing one wheel to be very slightly further to the rear of the trailer than the other then this will cause a continuous 'scuffing' effect as the trailer is pulled along the road. The scuffing obviously translates to heat which will lead to premature wear/failure.

May be an idea to check the ubolts holding the axle to the trailer to see if they have moved or slipped through becoming loose.

I spent quite some time aligning the axles to the hitch when i built Gwenn's trailer. Also opted for commercially rated 13" van tires to go onto the wheels.....

Simon

Sent from my iPhone using Rib.net

[BumbleAbout]

Thanks Simon - the U bolts have not moved since I adjusted the nose weight, but I will double check the distance from a point on the drawbar to the axle stub this weekend!

[BogMonster]

Originally Posted by BumbleAbout

Not wanting to highjack the thread (but my questions are similar) ...

I currently have 5.00x10 tyres on my unbraked (Indespension) trailer, but am toying with the idea of moving to a more substantial tyre/wheel (with some adjustments to the mudguards etc) so:
- is there a recommended diameter (30" in the Falklands apparently ) ?
- can I use any 4 stud 4" steel wheel (no not considering alloys!) and associated heavier duty car tyre ?
- having recently destroyed three sets of bearings and two hubs in one 200 mile journey is it worth junking the Indespension hubs and going for some 4WD hubs which might last longer since they are built for more abuse (this might also have the advantage of not needing to get the larger diameter wheel hubs wet at all in many launch/ recoveries) ?

My 2p -

Don't copy what I did as it is probably not road legal over there

Wheel fit needs to account for the PCD (radius of a circle joining the studs), the stud diameter (usually done by thread, eg M12 is a 12mm stud) and the size of the hole needed for the centre cap, if there is one. If all those match, it should fit.

If I used three sets of bearings in 200 miles I'd throw it away!!

[BumbleAbout]

Yup - not my best towing journey, but at least we didn't lose a wheel on the motorway!

We launched and recovered very carefully and didn't even get the bearings wet which may be the best defence, but I think that I should add another set of wobble rollers to make the pull onto the trailer a little easier.

The thinking at the time was to get rid of the hubs and upgrade to much heavier duty ones with some Defender tyres - so everything would cope with potholes & higher load ratings, but I'll give the current setup another chance with bearing savers first!

[wavelength]

Parking in the open...cover the tyres to protect from UV light. Otherwise the outside walls crack (and the inside "in shadow" surface is ok). Put it on axle stands if you can and store wheels indoors. Some insurances require a wheel clamp and you have to put a b****y wheel on to comply!
We used to change wheel bearings every year (and we've had trailered boats used in salt water for 40 years plus-old git!) but then we started using Castrol Heavy waterproof grease and never ever replaced another set! Pity its no longer available but there are alternatives Bearing buddies probably help but we have only had those for the past 12 years or so on trailers. The current 6m rib is prob six years old by now. Kept in a big garage so no UV probs - original tyres and original bearings. Roller coaster trailers, wouldn't have anything else. Previous ribs the same even though they travelled a lot further than this one. I dont service the bearings as much as I should these days, prob once a year but the brakes cause me more grief than bearings. So basically I think its all in the grease and a trailer that isnt near its max capacity so there is suspension left to cushion the bearings. Same with tyres...I don't inflate to the max, I don't do it on the car so why the trailer? Max pressure means more shock to the bearings and on a warm day the pressure vis gonna get high. Very few trailer tyres blow on a wet day when they are being water cooled!

[BumbleAbout]

I checked the axle and one wheel was 5mm further back - so that's fixed now - I had previously measured against the rear of the trailer, but now measure from the drawbar as per Simon's comment.

Checking the bearings, one castellated nut was slightly too tight (and that side was running warm) and one slightly too loose (but running cool) - but it did also give me a chance to remove the buckets of grease that had spun onto the inside of the wheels as the bearings had disintegrated. I've been using 1Lucas X-Tra Heavy Duty Grease which I thought was ok - but maybe I need to change to something heavier - if I change to Castrol Pyroplex Blue (some bearing savers are on order from Indespension) do I need to flush out the current grease with petrol first ?

[Poly]

Originally Posted by wavelength

Bearing buddies probably help but we have only had those for the past 12 years or so on trailers.

new technology eh

Very few trailer tyres blow on a wet day when they are being water cooled!

you might be right, but it could also be that fewer people are trailing their boats in poor weather.