Can A Smaller Tire Be Put On My Trailer To Lower It

Question

Question:

I have an Aluma 8810 trailer with 13 in tires. Im wondering if a smaller sized tire can be put on the trailer to lower it a few inches.

asked by: Richard R

0

Expert Reply:

Yes, you are able to put a smaller tire on the trailer to lower it, however there are a few things that you want to consider when choosing a smaller tire.

According to my research the standard tires that are on your trailer are ST175/80R 13LRC tires with a 1360 pound capacity. It also has a 2200 pound rubber torsion axle with no brakes. This type of setup has either wheels with a 4 on 4 Inch # AM3S120 or a 5 on 4-1/2 Inch bolt pattern # AM31994. This is something to consider when choosing tires and wheels.

The problem with going from a larger wheel size down to a smaller one is primarily that you lose a lot of weight capacity when you do this and also the tire sizes for each wheel size don't both give you the same overall tire diameter. By going down 1 inch in wheel size, you'll lower your ground clearance by 1/2 an inch. Which isn't going to lower your trailer very much.

For 12 inch tires, I recommend the Kenda Karrier S-Trail ST145/80/R12 Radial Tire with wheel # AM31202 which as a 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern. The Kenda Karrier S-Trail ST145/R12 Radial Tire with wheel # AM35351DX is recommended if you have a 4 on 4 bolt pattern. Both tires have a maximum load capacity is 1,220 lbs at 65 psi the maximum speed capacity is 65 mph. I am only recommending 12 inch tires because that is a safe decrease in tire size from 13 inches. If you can let me know how much weight you plan on carrying on the trailer, I can make tailored recommendations.

If the leaf springs of your trailer are installed so they're sitting on top of the axles, you can use an over/under kit to put the springs under the axle. This will drop the trailer by the diameter of the axle plus the leave stack and lower your trailer with your existing tires. An over/under conversion kit such as # K71-385-00 is designed to fit 3 inch diameter round axles. If your axle is 2-3/8 inches in diameter you would need kit # K71-384-00. I attached a chart that has all of the tire sizes we carry. You can see the overall diameters in the right column and the capacities in the column just to the left. Make sure you have enough clearance for the tires with the trailer lowered. If it lowers too much the tires will hit the fenders.

expert reply by: Timothy G

0

Stutz

3/20/2024

I have a 20' trailer with 16" tires 235/80 10 ply and a torsion axel. I unfortunately need to lower it by 4". Please let me know what tire rim combo is best to go down to. Thanks

Reply

Jenny N.

3/29/2024

@Stutz I can take a look for you. I just need to know what bolt pattern you have 8 on 6.5 or 6 on 5.5> Also what load range are they?

Reply

Paul

3/30/2024

@JennyN 8 bolts 16" rim P.

Reply

Jenny N.

4/8/2024

@Paul I did take a look at the tires that we have that would fit with with 8 bolt hubs however we do not have one that would be smaller then the tire you have currently. The only other possible option would be to change the axle to an axle less suspension system like part # TASR7KS02 which has a 4 inch drop however it would mean changing out the hubs possibly spending on which hub you have now.

Reply

Jonathan

7/5/2024

How do you calculate the weight capacity of trailer wheels ? I have bike trailer 20x3.0 wheels and planning to charge 16x3.0 is OK for ? Because 20inch to high and bumpy

Reply

Robin H.

7/7/2024

@Jonathan the wheel capacity is something you would have to get from the manufacturer. In this case I would try asking the bike trailer manufacturer.

Reply

Answer 1

Wheel bolt patterns are defined by two numbers: the first being the number of lug nuts and the second being the diameter of the circle the lug nuts are arranged in. So a 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern is 5 lugs arranged in a circle that is 4-1/2 inches in…

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Answer 2

The Trailer Idler Hub Assembly part #AKIHUB-545-2-LFEZ-1K is 4-1/2" deep. The issue you are running into is pretty common on older boat trailers because they use a much shorter spindle than most trailers today and unfortunately, theses hubs are…

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Answer 3

If you want to go to the next size up from a 5.30-12 tire you will need to look at 13 inch wheels and tires ST175/80-13. For a wheel and tire combo with 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern and radial tire use #AM31985. This tire will be 7 inches wide and 24.1…

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Answer 4

Check the sidewall of the tires on the trailer and you should find a speed rating. For this size 4.80-8 like the part #AM10002 the common speed rating is 65 mph which as long as you kept the speed under that you'd be fine.

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Answer 5

You can add larger wheels and tires to a trailer as long as you have enough room for the larger size. The main clearance issues we find when putting larger tires and wheels on a trailer is from the top of the tire to the fender and from the inside…

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Answer 6

I looked at tire options and basically anything that would fit your current rims would have a height of 23 inches or greater. You could change to a 12 inch rim so long as you do not use them for towing (unless they accommodate your weight capacity).…

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Answer 7

The 5.70-8 could be a viable replacement size for your PWC, but I also have another solution that may work to make loading and unloading easier. The benefits of downsizing your tire and wheels are mainly the height loading aspect. With your current…

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Answer 8

The smallest diameter wheel/tire we offer for the 6 on 5-1/2" bolt pattern is a 205/75-15 which measures 27.17" diameter fully inflated. If you deflate the tires you could then lose about an inch or so. Therefore, if you take the diameter…

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Answer 9

In order to choose the correct replacement hubs for a trailer you'll need to know the axle capacity. The make and model of the trailer is usually irreverent as we don't have any way to look up part numbers from this. The axle capacity can be…

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Answer 10

For your application I recommend checking out the Curt RockerBall Shock Absorbing 2" Hitch Ball which comes with a 3/4" diameter shank as part #C94CR or with a 1" diameter shank as part #C40047. This unique hitch ball absorbs the shock…

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Answer 11

Normally tire speed ratings are listed right after the tire size as a letter. For example the letter M represents and 81 mph speed rating. If you can't find a speed rating after the tire size the safe assumption will be that the tire is limited…

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Answer 12

Yes, the Curt RockerBall #C94CR meets your needs of a 2" Hitch Ball. This has a 3/4" Diameter Shank that is 2-1/8 Inch in length. If you need a drawbar for your 1-1/4" hitch I suggest the Curt Class II Drawbar #C45521.

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Can A Smaller Tire Be Put On My Trailer To Lower It

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