Opinions please....trailer with 13 inch wheels

[J Dee]

Hi all,
I need to buy a trailer to tow behind my 1998 RT 190. Looking at a light weight aluminum trailer that's the size I want. It has a rubber torsion axle rated at 2200# with 13 inch wheels. Trailer weighs 450#. I would be hauling a load of about 1200# or less, normally, and traveling cross country. I've heard that trailers with 13 in. wheels and a lower weight rating have smaller wheel bearings and sometimes they're TOO small for long days on the road and may not hold up at higher RPMs. This trailer is manufactured by ALUMA.
Also, how common are 13 in trailer tires along the interstates? I haven't purchased a 13 in. tire since about 1968. Opinions/experiences , please.
Thanks

[@Michael]

I towed a travel trailer with 13" wheels and a running load of about 900lbs per tire for about 20,000 miles. Had one tire failure (cheap Chinese OEM tires). I repacked/replaced the bearings once as a precaution.

The only problem I see is that it's getting harder to find a good quality 13" tire. If I were to tow that travel trailer another 20k miles, I'd switch to 14" rims with American made Goodyear trailer tires - only because it's hard to find 13" tires from a major tire manufacturer.

The spindles, bearings and bolt patterns are the same on all the smaller trailers, so you can swap rims anytime you want.

Good bearings, good tires & you should be OK.

[Doneworking]

J Dee, I would second what @Michael posted above. I don't know if your RT is a Chevy or Dodge chassis. The Chevys in those years had really high towing capacity and I don't recall about the Dodges, but I bet somebody on this forum knows.

When all the discussion started on this forum about RT and it going out of business, I went to the roadtrek.com website and downloaded the complete brochure with all the stats for my 2007 210P and I am glad I did. If you have a manual, it may give you the towing stats as well. I understand from the forum that roadtrek.com was no longer on line a few days ago but it is right now.

Anyone with a Roadtrek might want to see if they could download the appropriate manual because who knows how long it will be online.

That being said, I think I would want 14 inch tires in any event. I recently bought replacement tires for my little utility trailer I haul stuff with occasionally and i had a tough time finding smaller tires that the quality was within my comfort zone.

[BillsPaseo]

I have an Aluma 12 ft. flatbed trailer that we bought around 2012. It's on its second set of tires, but other than that it's been a great trailer. Still looks brand new when cleaned up. Ours has 14" rims. Probably over 30k miles on it now. Highly recommend the brand. Can't really speak to the tire size part of your question though...

[J Dee]

OK, thanks you guys for all the helpful information. Much appreciated.

[Jon in AZ]

Our Scamp 13' travel trailer has 13" wheels. The tires are load range C, maximum axle load around 2600# when inflated to the maximum 50 psi (our trailer weighs about 1700# fully loaded). They run cool all day long, even in triple digit Phoenix heat. I pack the bearings every 2 years or 10K miles, whichever comes first.

I have not had any trouble getting 13" tires, though there are more choices when you step up to 14" or 15" wheels, including higher load ratings. As far as I know, the Goodyear Endurance is the only US-made ST trailer tire, available in 14" and larger sizes. Personally I would not hesitate to use a well-regarded import such as Carlisle or Maxxis. I'm currently running Carlisles.

You're also more likely to find a replacement tire in stock in 14" and 15" sizes, but if you're carrying a spare that's less of an issue. My small-town Discount Tire outlet was able to get the 13" Carlisles overnight from their Phoenix warehouse.

Bottom line, 14" or 15" is better, but I wouldn't make 13" a deal-breaker for a small utility trailer up to around 2000# GVWR.

[J Dee]

In searching around on the web, I see a lot of people approve of Carlisle and Maxxis, as you say.
I also read up on the Goodyear Endurance. The Goodyear Marathon (China) had some bad revues, however. I have no problem cleaning and lubing the bearings. Thanks for your reply.

[Jon in AZ]

The Endurance is a new model unrelated to the failure-prone Marathons. So far hearing mostly good things about the Endurance. Seems like overkill for a 1200# cargo trailer, though. They aren't cheap.

[J Dee]

Yep, I saw the Endurance tires were pretty pricey.
Thanks

[Jon in AZ]

Late thought... many ST trailer tires are only rated to 65 mph. I've been towing a travel trailer for a while, and I'm used to the slower pace. But I read posts here about people cruising at 70 or even 80 mph in their Class B's, so I thought it deserves a mention. Towing a trailer means slowing down, tire rating or no. I've been passed by a few Class B's on the interstate while towing our little Scamp!

[@Michael]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Late thought... many ST trailer tires are only rated to 65 mph. I've been towing a travel trailer for a while, and I'm used to the slower pace. But I read posts here about people cruising at 70 or even 80 mph in their Class B's, so I thought it deserves a mention. Towing a trailer means slowing down, tire rating or no. I've been passed by a few Class B's on the interstate while towing our little Scamp!

IIRC, the new goodyear endurance trailer tires are rated higher. 80+ mph....

The old marathons could run at 75mph if the load and inflation were within certain bounds.

[J Dee]

All good, important info...thanks

[adriandieleman]

I have a custom-built Roadtrek trailer. I'll try to attach a picture

[EnduroRdr]

I towed a 3 rail motorcycle trailer (hauled motorcycles on it - not pulled by moto).
It had 8” tires. 3 bikes plus’s trailer maybe 900-1000 lbs. went all around the country often 12hours at a time. Never had bearing issues, never even a flat on it.
8” wheels spin pretty fast at 65-70mph!

[Joe]

Tires on our trailer are Sure Trail ST 4.80-8 Load Range B. Have made 3 trips to Florida and back from Maryland. Bearings might get warm but never overly so. Do carry a spare and tool to remove.

[J Dee]

Adrian, always like to see custom trailers.

EnduroRdr and Joe, thanks for your experiences. Wow, I never would have thought that.

[MobileCabin]

I need to make a couple trips across country over the next year or two and would like to bring some boxes of stuff. I do not want a big utility trailer (we have some on the farm), just something light that can haul up to 500# and not bounce when empty on the return trip. Has anyone had experience with the SylvanSport Go Easy (https://www.sylvansport.com/go-easy/)? Any other suggestions for an Agile?


Thanks,
Pat

[Joe]

Originally Posted by MobileCabin

I need to make a couple trips across country over the next year or two and would like to bring some boxes of stuff. I do not want a big utility trailer (we have some on the farm), just something light that can haul up to 500# and not bounce when empty on the return trip. Has anyone had experience with the SylvanSport Go Easy (https://www.sylvansport.com/go-easy/)? Any other suggestions for an Agile?


Thanks,
Pat

We have a small motor cycle type trailer. Have filled it and used completely empty and drove 70 miles an hour plus. This has been on several trips from Maryland to Florida and back. No worries!

[<<B-Guy>>]

Think it depends n how you load the trailer

In anther life, I bought a "knock down' 'Bolt it together'c traier kit from Harbor Freight for less that $200. It had just 8" rims as recall. They were rated dor 55mh max!

I cut the frame down, narrowed it, welded it, extended the tongue, and added an automotive car top cargo box so as to use it as a motorcycle luggage trailer.

I think it was rated for about 700# but I carried only maybe100-200lbs max including the box.

I did remve one of the two leaf springs as it was too stiff for the reduced loading.

I used it over many thousands of miles at speeds typically 65-70mph with no issues at all.

Brian.

[J Dee]

Thanks for all the comments.