12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

[gtochris]

Not belonging to any other trailer oriented forums I figured this would be a good place to ask:
I'm shopping for an open utility trailer for home use / moving wood pellets and finding many have 12" wheels, is this suitable for highway speed (65MPH) or just local use? I'm thinking not...

Thanks.

 

[gm280]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

Yes there are tons of them on the highways. But make sure they are properly inflated AND use common sense when trailering. See what the tires actually say for both inflation and speed ,And use that as your guide... Personally I just changed out my 12" rims and tires for 13" wheels and tires because I like the 13" setup better. But 12" wheel and tire trailers are everywhere...

 

[Thalasso]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

65mph? Don't know about that part. But as said yes there ok for highway.

Trailer Tire Recommendation for a Boat Trailer with 5.30 ...
Trailer Tire Recommendation for a Boat Trailer with 5.30-12 Tires and Towing at Highway Speeds | etrailer.com

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

i've towed 8" tires over 1000 miles at a time at 70-80 mph many times without issue...... YES 12" tires are FINE for any legal speed in the us....

 

[mla2ofus]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

If you haul wood pellets pay close attention to tire and axle load ratings.
Mike

 

[JimS123]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

ST trailer tires are rated for a maximum speed of 65 mph, provided that they are inflated to the rated pressure and loaded at or below the weight rating.

 

[bigdee]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

I have a Harbor Freight 4x8 utility trailer with 12" tires. It has been pulled all the state for the past 5 years, sometimes loaded to the max and even overloaded a few times and never had a problem. The tires are now weather cracking from age but they haven't blown out yet.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

I run 10 inch on my pontoon trailer.

 

[gm280]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

Some things to remember about wheel and tire sizes. As the size gets smaller, the RPMs go higher. And that means higher bearing temps also. So as you speed up on the highway the bearings are working harder and generate higher temps. You can do some simple math and figure out the actual RPM of any tire/wheel combination. But using some simple common sense while trailering can keep things in perspective. And one other thing, as those RPMs go higher so does the tire wear. It isn't rocket surgery...

 

[lrak]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

i've towed 8" tires over 1000 miles at a time at 70-80 mph many times without issue...... YES 12" tires are FINE for any legal speed in the us....

x2

As the size gets smaller, the RPMs go higher. And that means higher bearing temps also. So as you speed up on the highway the bearings are working harder and generate higher temps.

You're talking about ~1200rpm with the smallest trailer tires available. That is NO problem for properly lubricated/adjusted tapered roller bearings. The higher temps you speak of are a few degrees. 12" x 5.3 profile tires are quite a bit bigger diameter than 8" x 4.8 profile tires and will have a lower speed than that.

 

[gtochris]

Re: 12" Wheels suitable for highway use?

If you haul wood pellets pay close attention to tire and axle load ratings.
Mike

Yes! A pallet of pellets is 2,000lbs so I'm thinking if I get the one rated for 1,600 for example I'll just put that remaining 400lbs in the back of my 4Runner. (speaking of pellets, EVERYONE in the NJ/ NY/ PA area is sold out due to it being such a cold winter:blue: Back on the oil heat for now!

Thanks for the confirmation on the 12" wheels, I probably won't even see 65MPH however it is good to see others have tried.