Benefits of Changing to Larger Tire and Wheel on Kayak Trailer

Updated 04/17/2018 | Published 04/15/2018

Question:

I currently have the smallest 8 inch trailer wheels and tires on a kayak trailer I built last summer. I am thinking thinking about upgrading to a larger rim and wider tire. Can you give me the advantages of doing this? I want that stay with a 4x4 rim so I don’t have to change out my hubs. Thanks for your help!

asked by: Joe F

Helpful Expert Reply:

There are a couple potential benefits to going with larger tires and wheels on your home built kayak trailer.

The first is that a larger tire will likely raise your trailer a bit, resulting in better ground clearance when traveling. You will just want to make sure that you have the space available with your existing fenders and trailer frame for a larger size.

Another potential benefit is that a larger tire and wheel will most likely have a larger load capacity. Keep in mind though that whether or not you can utilize its higher capacity will depend on the capacity of the trailer itself. Since you will always be limited to the trailer's weakest component, upgrading the tire size/capacity will only upgrade the trailer's capacity if the original tires were its weakest component. Also, considering your primary application for the trailer is transporting kayaks, weight capacity is probably not a concern.

The Kenda 205/65-10 Bias Trailer Tire # AM3H460 that you were looking at is a really nice option that features a steel wheel with a 4 on 4 inch bolt pattern. The Kenda Tire has a maximum load of 1,650 pounds at 90 psi. It has an overall diameter of 20.4 inches and a width of 8.4 inches.

I have attached a short video demonstration on this tire and wheel combo, along with a couple articles on trailer tires that you might find helpful.

expert reply by: Chris R