Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

[pecheux]

Wheels on my boat trailer are 480 x 12 (rather small) Have bearing buddies mounted. Is this trailer safe for long trips at highway speed ?
By long I mean 250 kilometers + return. And are all bearings the same or do I need those made for that trailer ?

Thank you all

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

No problem. 12" isn't even the smallest tires.

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

Taken many 100 mile trips with 8" wheels on my jon boat trailer. Just make sure everything as far as bearings and tire pressure is good and hit the road. Have fun.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

Keep it under 150 mph ....

seriously, not even close to being an issue.... You could set the cruise on 70 and go coast to coast

 

[bigdee]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

I have a Harbor Freight trailer with 12" tires that has been to h*!! and back. 5 years and thousands of miles over interstates, ORV trails with no issues.

 

[pecheux]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

Keep it under 150 mph ....

seriously, not even close to being an issue.... You could set the cruise on 70 and go coast to coast

Done 70 mph cruising speed many times with my rig ... but short trips. Already turned down an invitation to Florida 1500 miles from my home ... LOLL Dont think I would want to be stuck on 95 or 81 with a trailer problem. tx for your feedback

 

[pecheux]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

I have a Harbor Freight trailer with 12" tires that has been to h*!! and back. 5 years and thousands of miles over interstates, ORV trails with no issues.

Did not think my small rig (avatar) could be pulled that fast and that far ... Thanks for building my confidence ... Loll

 

[T_Herrod]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

With well maintained bearings, properly inflated tires and not being over loaded you will be fine.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

i have a harbor freight trailer with 12" tires that has been to h*!! And back. 5 years and thousands of miles over interstates.......with no issues.

^^^ x2

 

[lrak]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

IME, 8" tires hold up just fine on 1600km days. Don't think 250km with 12" ones will be a problem.

 

[hungupthespikes]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

No problem. Have taken 2 place snowmobile trailers with 8" and 10" wheels up your way to Saint Michael des Saints (1100+km) one way, for a couple of decades now, with never a problem. nthego:

 

[gm280]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

My only suggestion would be to carry a spare just in case. Not that your setup warrants it, but everybody pulling a trailer, especially any distance, should carry a good spare. Other then that, have a safe trip...

 

[82rude]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

I always carry a spare tire and also a spare hub.had one failure of each in 35 years or so.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

With well maintained bearings............

Every time you launch your boat you submerge your steel bearings. Driving to the launch builds up heat, amount dependent upon friction. As soon as you roll your axles into the water everything shrinks to the cooler dimension. This can cause a vacuum and suck in water.....aka water and steel (not stainless steel) a big no no for expecting reliable bearing performance while running down the highway.

Bearing Buddies were designed to compensate for that change in pressure in that they are spring loaded and any volumetric change in the hub is compensated for by the BB disc movement. They must be maintained as should the bearings and inner seals for the system to function properly. Otherwise you will be stuck on the side of the road with a wheel that won't turn, is on fire, or whatever. Some folks take along a set (inner and outer bearings and races) just incase they loose a bearing.

I used to jack up my trailer prior to a long trip and spin the wheel listening for any kind of grinding or scraping. If I heard such, in went a new set of bearings. I never had a problem on the road.

HTH,
Mark

 

[Brian 26]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

My friend towed my loaded utility trailer 100+ miles with 8" tires up to his cabin at about 80/85. I was cringing, he was not, no issues.

 

[gm280]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

I see a lot of comments concerning trailering to lakes and such and that the bearings and hubs create heat during those trips. And this is true, but what I don't understand is, how do they get to launch their boats into the lake so quickly for that temperature difference to take place? Usually I have to wait...and wait...and wait some more for my turn to dip the boat in. And during that time the bearings and hub cool down to normal temps while I get everything ready to dip the boat and pull the trailer out and park it. Something isn't fair here... :facepalm:

One other issue is, remember, the smaller the wheels, and of course the tires, the faster the bearings spin and that generates a little more heat. Not a serious problem, just a fact...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

No waiting here.... I maybe wait on 4 or 5 people per YEAR

 

[ddwilson]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

My fishing boat trailer has 8" wheels, has never been a problem running 70 or so for several hours, just make sure your bearings, seals and tires are in good shape. I usually repack the bearings and replace seals once a year. My neighbor said he probably has 100k miles on his boat trailer and has yet to lose a bearing.

 

[RustGuy]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

You'll be fine. I tow my 15'-6" Gregor on 4.80 x12 tires between Sacramento, CA and the NW Oregon coast 3-4 times a year at 55-70mph. Every time I stop I check the hub temps and they aren't even warm. The SS Bearing Buddies help since I launch in saltwater about 70% of the time and haven't had a bearing/hub failure yet.

 

[BobGlover]

Re: Highway speed with 12" wheels ??

If I'm not mistaken, bias-ply trailer tires aren't supposed to be towed over 55 mph. Might check with a trailer parts company such as Etrailerparts.com just to be sure. I just got back from a 400 mile round trip with 12" boat tires--no problems.