13" upgrade to 14"

[Neal and Bev]

Our 2001 2201TL has the original tire size on it, ST175/80R13 Goodyear Marathon.

I spoke to Tom in the factory Hi-Lo service department and he told me the new Hi-Lo's were using an ST205/75/R15.

I did some calculations on the tire diameter and checked the clearance on my trailer and there is no way that the 15" tires will fit. But.. I would like to put some larger tires on my trailer if possible.

I checked with Dexter axle and they say that the minimum clearance between the two tires is one inch. Playing with some other sizes I have calculated that the largest tire that I can put on the trailer is a 205/75/R14. However I still need to figure out the minimum clearance I need for vertical travel for when the trailer goes over a bump etc.

Has anyone else upgraded from a 13" wheel and if so what size worked for you?

Neal

 

[nrephil]

They told me no!

I also own a 2001 22' Tow-lite. In two trips to Florida from sw Va. I have blown 4 tires. Inflation wasn't an issue as I check them regularly. When I called the factory,I was told that clearance was an issue and I could not go to a bigger tire.I think the main problem was Carlyle 2-ply that were several years old.Was fortunate that every time I had a blowout I was near a Bass-Pro store that had a heavier rated 4 ply with a 6 ply rating,that seem to be holding up much better. Have not traveled in a couple years due to family health issues, so really don't know how they will perform on the long haul.They changed to 15" for a reason. I'm guessing I'm not the only one that had this problem.

 

[Sam Shields]

larger tires

It is best to leave well enough alone. The trailer has been designed to have 13" tires if you go with biger tires, all it will do is cause more problems. the axels are set to a proper width and the clearance is not enough to suport biger tires.

 

[Neal and Bev]

yep, I looked at the wheel well clearence at the top today. If I go any bigger its going to be an issue when I hit bumps and pot holes.

You guys are right, best leave well enough alone and stay with the 13. Thanks for the advise.

Neal

 

[Neal and Bev]

Yesterday I put some new shoes (Tires) on our Hi-Lo and I can tell everyone with absolute certainty that you can not, "N" "O" way put bigger tires on a 2201TL Hi-Lo. Further I'm going to hazard a guess that you can't upgrade any Hi-Lo equipped with 13" tires to a larger size.

I took the wheels off and carried them to a nearby tire shop to have the new tires mounted and balanced. When I took the old ones off I had to 'wiggle' them just a bit to get them to slide out between the bottom of the camper and the hub, they had zero clearance in that respect and what looked like a minimum of clearance between the tire and the wheel well.

The new tires were the exact same size and brand, 175/80R13 Goodyear Marathons, which was the factory tire size and brand. BUT, the new ones now have "Scuff Guard" which is a small raised rubber ridge that runs around the outside of both sidewalls. Its a small ridge thats about 1/8" thick... that added bit of rubber made it a pip to wiggle and jiggle the new tires back on to our baby, I struggled a bit to get them on.

So, the moral of the story is I know for a fact that unless you plan on modifying your Hi-Lo, it's just as the more experienced folks in this thread already said, "You can't go to a larger tire size".

Now having said that, there is nothing wrong with the tire size to begin with. The max GVRW of my camper is 4500Lbs and the factory tire size exceeds that. They are 1360Lbs each for a total of 5440Lbs, so they're fine as is. It's just a guy thing, "If a little is good then more has to be better!"

Thanks for the good advise guys, I would have been in a pickle if I had gone to a bigger size.

Neal

 

[kf6gzh]

Tire size discrepency

I just recently bought a 2009 1509T. The sticker on the side says it has ST205 75 R15c BUT the tires say ST 175 80 R13 on them. I think someone switched mine out before I got it! I sure wish I had the bigger tires.

 

[RichR]

The brochure spec sheet for the 1509T shows 13" tires.

http://www.hilotrailer.com/Downloads/2009_HILO_Brochure.pdf

K3EXU here.

73
Rich

 

[Holset]

tire size

I need to replace the tires that came with our 18' TL, and was wondering if going to a radial vs the bias was recomended. Both have the same load rating. Price between the two is like $20 per tire.

 

[RichR]

I think it would be wise to go for the radials.

 

[czilko]

go with bias ply tires for all trailers

Replace with bias ply tires from now on for every trailer application. They dissipate heat better than radial tires. Inflate the bias tire to max pressure rating. After an old guy that owns a tire shop in Arizona told me this, I have been using bias trailer tires and have had no failures.
Chris

 

[PopRichie77]

Our 95 had, 175/80R13 Goodyear Marathon radials and I had many tire failures, I kept replacing with the goodyears, the only good thing I can say about them is none blew out. Originals were 4 ply rating 35 psi max and only one broke before they wore out, replacements were 6 ply rating. The steel belts always broke, I always checked the psi and kept them at the 50 psi max. They held air very well and never needed more than a couple lbs to bring back up to 50 psi. The last failure, the tread rubber came off the tire (just over 2 years old and the 3 failure out of 4 tire set) and took off all the valves and piping in the rear of the trailer. Was only 10 miles from home, leaving on a trip, so the tire never had a chance to get hot. No, the trailer was not over loaded. Much to my dismay the new 2209 has Marathons on it also, first failure I get and I am going to another brand and Bias ply tires. I did see that the 205-75R-15s have a nylon belt in them along with the steel belts, maybe they will be better.

 

[JackandJanet]

Several other forums have had good things to say about Maxxis tires. I replaced my 205/75-15 Marathon tires when they both failed due to cord separation at about 5,000 miles with Maxxis Load range D tires. Too soon to tell if they are better, but so far, they're fine.

- Jack

 

[PopRichie77]

What bugs me about ST trailer tires is the 65 max speed rating, which can be increased to 75 by over inflating by 10 psi. that is if your rims can go past 50 psi. This is the bug part, then they say ST tires are made with special sidewalls to prevent sway but are not for engine torque or braking. Duh---- Most trailers have brakes.

 

[karisk12]

13" to 14" and Goodyear testimony

I bought a 2302 this summer and thought my tires and wheels were switched by a previous owner because the frame sticker showed 15" but it had 13" mounted. The owner's manual states clearly the trailer uses 13" tires. It came with 2 Goodyear Marathon and 2 Carlisle tires. None showed any sign of sidewall cracking and they had plenty of tread. Towing from Omaha to Lake Erie, the first Carlisle came apart in downtown Des Moines and the second one popped 30 miles west of Joliet. They were all inflated to 50 pounds and I kept speed to 65 mph. Luckily I had brought an extra spare with me just in case. The Goodyears made it all the way home to Alabama and I bought Goodyears for replacements. I am looking at going to 14" tires for it since I have a nice set of Mastercraft Aluminum rims. In looking at it there appears to be plenty of room. How much clearance is needed between the tire and trailer box?

 

[PopRichie77]

Sorry, I kind of wrote things backwards and mixed up, saw it later but didn't edit. The first part was just informative information, The part that bugs me is they say ST tires are not made for braking. (this information is on manufacture web sites, was in the past anyway) No, I don't tow at 75 mph. Usually just under 65 mph. However in states with a 70 mph speed limit and traffic going 75 and tractor trailers coming up behind you and blowing their horns because you are going under 65 does get annoying. Maybe this hasn't happen to others but it has happen to us many times and southern GA was the worst in past years . The last time thru (last winter) there was no horn blowing. I guess we got at these places at the wrong time of day and the drivers got up on the wrong side of their bed. On a whole truck drivers have been very courteous and I try to be also.

 

[PopRichie77]

karisk12--Others in this forum have looked into this and decided it wouldn't work. Best thing I can say is if you have or can get hold a tire and rim or 2 tires and rims try it and if it will go on, make sure the tire has plenty of clearance at the top for when it goes up when going over a bump. I think others found out that the distance between the tires wasn't enough or the top clearance. Just remember as far as I know the Hi-Lo trailer rims have zero off set. Just for information a friend bought a new Hi-Lo in 2004 and after getting it, I forget the reason but he went to remove a tire and he couldn't get it out from under the trailer. The fix was that Hi-Lo sent 4 new thinner tires and rims to the dealer for his trailer. Explanation was that they used a batch of axles that were longer than they should have been. I also read in this forum that one fellow had to flatten his tire in order to remove and install. Point is you may be able to install 14" wheels but most likely not.

 

[Neal and Bev]

Our 2201 TL came with ST175/80R13, and I wanted to go larger too. There was no way to go any bigger than this size, at least on our model.

Getting the tire on and off is a chore. There is barely enough clearance between the axle and the body to 'wiggle'.. and you do have to literally wiggle and work the tire to squeeze it off.

The new tires, same brand, same size, now have an extra little rib of rubber on the outside of the sidewall... ugh.. it may make the tire stronger, and thats a good thing.. but to get the tires onto the trailer I have to use a board and 'pry' them past the skirt of the body. I can see why someone would have deflated them to do so on a simular model, but i was determined to not.

The next place that there is little clearance is between the top of the tire and the inner fender. I can't remeber exactly how much, 2 inches maybe.. but remember that you are going to need room for the tire to move upwards when the trailer hits a bump.

The only place that clearance wasnt a problem was the gap between the two tires. I called the axle manufacturer and they told me that the minimum was an inch, and I have, best i remember, around 2.75 inches, so I had some room there.

The moral of our story, at least on our model, was that we couldnt go any bigger at all on ours.

You need to check the clearance in three places.
Top of the tire
Distance between the tires.
And during removal of the tire, clearance between the sidewall and the skirt of the body.. you gotta be able to get them on and off.

Hopefully, you'll have enough room on your model to do what you want. I think a trial fit is a great idea.

Good luck,

Neal

 

[Neal and Bev]

I jack it up under the frame. The problem with this model is that the sides of the trailer come down over the wheel, and there is very little clearance between them, and even when you jack it up, the axle doesn’t drop enough to rectify the problem.

Neal

 

[PopRichie77]

Our 2209 also has no clearance problem, 15" wheels but some trailers don't have enough clearance between the trailer and the brake drum, as I said before HI-LO used some axles that were a little longer causing a tire clearance problem and older trailers in the 21 to 22 ft range came with 13" wheels construction is different, wheel wells are smaller. I presently also have a 95-21' Tow-Lite and the 13" wheel just comes off of it. So trying a bigger tire and wheel to see if it will fit is about the only sure way. I often thought about putting bigger wheels on the 95 but never tried as it just looked like it wouldn't fit. I have talked to many people with all kinds of trailers and tire failure is a common thing all sizes. Our friend has a 3 axle Air Stream and one of the Goodyear 15" tires blew out, cost for Air Stream to fix the trailer was almost 900.00, tires were properly inflated. I guess the point I am trying to say is that going to a larger wheel and tire may not solve anything. But I do understand the desire to go bigger as I also had it. Just my two cents worth.

 

[jwswans]

I found 7 50 14 at Tire Kingdom ,nice

Reversed shackles getting 1972 way up 12 inches above ground in air cost 125.00 Holbrook AZ Alleys of I 40 AZ