Looking for some thougts and ideas for this trailer

[Musky88]

Last year coming down the mountain I heard a crash ......a tire had blown out. Shredded. What happened was the one step had worked its way into the tire and cut it apart.
I bought this trailer used and after looking deeper into this matter it seems one of two things..the fenders used were too small for the tires used. 13" tires. This either had smaller tires on it and the fenders were never changed or someone bought the wrong fenders and hacked them up making them fit as you can still see one of them in tact.
My questions are this...I need to address the open wheel but I DO NOT like how close those steps are to the tires. Do I get another fender to try and match the other side..../??? My gut feeling says I need to get two new fenders of the proper size...but will this move the steps outward away from the tire? I believe it should in fact do that but just making sure all the ducks are in a row.
Also any great sources to get said fenders. I am located near Altoona, PA
Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[smokeonthewater]

Eh... I'd say you prolly need 12" tires n wheels

 

[cannonman]

It certainly looks as if someone has installed wheels and tires that are too large for the setup. I can't tell from the photos if the steps are movable or have to stay where they are. If they can be moved, you are free to proceed any way you want. If they are permanently mounted, then 12" wheels and tires are the better answer. Good luck.

 

[kjsAZ]

To me it looks more that they used fenders which are to small. By guessing the size of the boat from the pictures the load rating of 12" tires (which also make for a worse ride) won't cut it. These plastic fenders are also terribly narrow to start with even if you buy the "correct size". I would get new fenders better over than undersized and mount them with good brackets and not only one U-bolt. Make sure that the new fenders are centered in both directions.

 

[Musky88]

No Title

Here are some more pics from underneath.It looks like it could be moved providing how the leaf spring is mounted. If that bracket is welded then it could be moved ( the u bots) if it is not welded then it could be a problem. I am sure it is welded.
The trailer is a shorelander adn the boat is a 16ft Sea Nymph fish machine.

 

[kjsAZ]

From these pictures it looks like the fenders were original size and the tires were smaller. They often have smaller boats on trailers with stroller wheels..... I'd get a new set of fenders for 13" wheels or better 14". Your boat is far enough away which means the 14's will fit too. Then attach them with their own U-bolts.They will be further out so they won't interfere with the rest of the hardware and you are fine. You naturally have to remove the old fender brackets but may be able to use them for the new ones.
If you tow longer distances the larger tires have a big advantage. They have to rotate less than the smaller ones thus less wear on the bearings and tires.

EDIT: look at your 4th picture! Your spring mount has a serious crack. I would highly recommend to fix that too as you don't want to lose the axle while you tow on a highway. Boat may be significantly redesigned after it settles in the ditch.

 

[Captain Ollie West]

From these pictures it looks like the fenders were original size and the tires were smaller. They often have smaller boats on trailers with stroller wheels..... I'd get a new set of fenders for 13" wheels or better 14". Your boat is far enough away which means the 14's will fit too. Then attach them with their own U-bolts.They will be further out so they won't interfere with the rest of the hardware and you are fine. You naturally have to remove the old fender brackets but may be able to use them for the new ones.
If you tow longer distances the larger tires have a big advantage. They have to rotate less than the smaller ones thus less wear on the bearings and tires.

EDIT: look at your 4th picture! Your spring mount has a serious crack. I would highly recommend to fix that too as you don't want to lose the axle while you tow on a highway. Boat may be significantly redesigned after it settles in the ditch.

Nice catch on the damaged spring mount! I vote for larger fenders. I wouldnt downsize the tires. Bigger is better in my opinion.

 

[kjsAZ]

Nice catch on the damaged spring mount! I vote for larger fenders. I wouldnt downsize the tires. Bigger is better in my opinion.

I always install the largest wheels I can fit onto the trailer. And always go for the highest available sidewall ratio too (xxx/85 or xxx/75 and not the xxx/60 or even less). There are huge benefits in terms of bearing/tire lifetime/stability and also how the tires actually can act as additional suspension. Larger tires have a higher load rating which you don't need. If you buy tires from a manufacturer who knows what they sell you are able to get the required pressure for the actual load you carry and only inflate them to that point. Makes them far less kangaroo........ I increased the tire size on my trailer and got the PSI rating for my load (36PSI instead of the max 45PSI) and the trailer got a lot better to tow on highways and bumpy roads. One of the cases where bigger definitely is better...... If it wouldn't have been a real major surgery I would have gone to even larger wheels.....

 

[bruceb58]

I increased the tire size on my trailer and got the PSI rating for my load (36PSI instead of the max 45PSI) and the trailer got a lot better to tow on highways and bumpy roads

That doesn't sound like a trailer tire to me. ST rated trailer tires need to be inflated to the PSI stated on the sidewall.

 

[kjsAZ]

That's one of these "physical constants" you always find on the internet and because it is repeated over and over again it must be true. NO, it IS an ST tire and the manufacturer gave me the pressure vs load rating curve. Unfortunately for most of these Chinese made and US branded tires the importers don't know squad and just go to the safe side and tell you to blow them up.....

When I inquired I got these curves from Greemax and Goodyear, the rest didn't provide them. Typical response there was: the tire can carry a load of xxxx# at 45PSI or whatever was the max rating. That was not what I asked for.....
Your car tires also show a max inflation on their sidewall like the trailer tires yet you inflate them like the manufacturer tells you for the load ratings required for the car.....

 

[Mel Taylor]

....look at your 4th picture! Your spring mount has a serious crack. I would highly recommend to fix that too as you don't want to lose the axle while you tow on a highway. Boat may be significantly redesigned after it settles in the ditch.

Nice Catch! I looked at the pictures several times and missed it each time.

 

[kjsAZ]

When I saw the shape of the bracket I instinctively knew what to look for. In a "previous life" I had to design trailers and that area has very high stress under load. You don't cut that out as they did as it will crack over time. Even if you would weld it there and temperature treat it it will crack again in no time.

 

[Musky88]

From these pictures it looks like the fenders were original size and the tires were smaller. They often have smaller boats on trailers with stroller wheels..... I'd get a new set of fenders for 13" wheels or better 14". Your boat is far enough away which means the 14's will fit too. Then attach them with their own U-bolts.They will be further out so they won't interfere with the rest of the hardware and you are fine. You naturally have to remove the old fender brackets but may be able to use them for the new ones. If you tow longer distances the larger tires have a big advantage. They have to rotate less than the smaller ones thus less wear on the bearings and tires. EDIT: look at your 4th picture! Your spring mount has a serious crack. I would highly recommend to fix that too as you don't want to lose the axle while you tow on a highway. Boat may be significantly redesigned after it settles in the ditch.

So what would you suggest there? Every corner of both springs have that. Where the fender mounts. Each one there is a small crack outside inward. I assume it happened from tightening thise fenders down tok much.

 

[kjsAZ]

No, it's the stress load from the springs as the cut out is done wrong and/or the mounting is at the wrong location. With the fender mounts you wouldn't be able to generate these cracks.... Best bet is to get new spring hangers for both sides. These are generic parts and not really trailer specific.

I would try it at a local trailer place first as you then can see how they really are and not have to ship some back and forth.

You can also use something like this:

One on each side of the spring.

 

[NYBo]

Another vote for those being the original fenders with oversized tires installed by a previous owner.

Is there a specification plate on the trailer that lists the tire size and load rating? The rim size may be fine with a smaller tire with a higher load rating than you currently have.

 

[bruceb58]

That's one of these "physical constants" you always find on the internet and because it is repeated over and over again it must be true. NO, it IS an ST tire and the manufacturer gave me the pressure vs load rating curve. Unfortunately for most of these Chinese made and US branded tires the importers don't know squad and just go to the safe side and tell you to blow them up.....

When I inquired I got these curves from Greemax and Goodyear, the rest didn't provide them. Typical response there was: the tire can carry a load of xxxx# at 45PSI or whatever was the max rating. That was not what I asked for.....
Your car tires also show a max inflation on their sidewall like the trailer tires yet you inflate them like the manufacturer tells you for the load ratings required for the car.....

yes, you are indeed correct. I think what threw me though was the 45 since I have never seen a trailer tire rated below 50 before. I just found this table which supports you:
http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf


Sorry for side tracking the original topic but I always went by "fill to max PSI" because I did read it so many times. Even Tire Rack says to on their website.

 

[kjsAZ]

Yep, tons of false info becomes "the truth" simply because so many people copy and paste from suspect places. Then there are so many "sources" and it's verified information. The sad thing is that even some commercial places (in this case tire rack) just repeat the nonsense which makes it even harder to fight it.

I hope the OP doesn't mind as he may also benefit from it with larger tire installed. Due to my background I am a bit picky when it comes to trailers.
When you have a choice between two otherwise equally rated tires which only differ in the PSI's for the load take the one with the lower PSI rating. It has the better sidewalls. If you have tires which are rated for i.e. 2600# but you only have a 3000# trailer they only carry a nominal 1500# load and don't flex as much as they should. Lowering the pressure as per spec to the correct value will make the ride for your boat (or whatever is on the tariler) a lot nicer/gentle and the trailer will be less bumpy (what I call kangaroo).

It is nice that Goodyear finally publishes the specs including the ones for LT tires!

 

[Musky88]

No, it's the stress load from the springs as the cut out is done wrong and/or the mounting is at the wrong location. With the fender mounts you wouldn't be able to generate these cracks.... Best bet is to get new spring hangers for both sides. These are generic parts and not really trailer specific.

I would try it at a local trailer place first as you then can see how they really are and not have to ship some back and forth.

You can also use something like this:

One on each side of the spring.

Is that picture something like a spring shackle on a vehicle. If so then what would keep the whole spring from moving fore and aft.

I got looking at this spring mount that runs the length of the spring. It looks like the u bolts that were holding those fender steps/mounts on are also holding the whole spring assembly. This sucks because i need to get on the water this weekend. Is there anything you could recomend I could put on there to at the very least band aid this thing for a week outside of just running it and crossing my fingers

 

[kjsAZ]

what holds the thing I showed are through bolts through the 4 holes at the side (you only need 2 diagonal ones).
Yes, the entire enchilada you have is held by just these 2 U-bolts which isn't the best design to start with but heck, it works for some time. It makes it a lot easier to move the axle back and forth. You could use two U-bolts coming from the bottom over the U-profile (on the inner side) with a mounting plate on the top but that's a lot of work and cost for a temporary fix. I have a bit of a difficulty to describe it accurate.....


Edit: If you look at your picture #4 the makeshift fix would be a U-bolt at the left corner of the picture installed in the opposite direction of the one which is shown. You will need a bracket/cross-member at the top to hold it.