Looking For New Wheels/Hubs/Axles For 1971 Sprite Alpine Trailer

Updated 09/29/2025 | Published 09/08/2025

Question:

Hello. I have a 1971 Sprite Alpine trailer. I want to purchase new wheels and tires for it. We don’t have a spare tire currently, and our existing tires need to be replaced. I’d like to get two complete new wheel/tires for the trailer, as well as a third tire to have mounted on one of my old wheels as a spare. It uses a 13” wheel with a 4 on 5.5” lug pattern. It seems like that lug pattern doesn’t exist anymore. I wondering if you can help me find some wheels that fit it. I’ve also considered that I should install new hubs so that I could convert the lug pattern to something easier to find. Unfortunately I’m having trouble there too. The trailer has drum brakes, I just took one of the drum/hubs off to measure the spindle. Unfortunately I couldn’t see any part numbers on the bearings themselves. However, I have a caliper and I measured the spindle. It’s a tapered spindle. The outside part of it measures 1” in diameter, and the inner part measures 1.25” in diameter, hopefully you can help me find some new hub/drums that will fit these spindles? I look forward to hearing back from you. Thanks, -Alex.

asked by: Alex

Expert Reply:

Hello Alex, thanks for reaching out. That is a neat old trailer! I am afraid the news I have for you isn't great though.

This is a pretty common problem for older trailers. A lot of the parts and sizing they used back then are now obsolete. This is the case for the 4 on 5.5" bolt pattern. It just does not exist anymore. This is typically how it goes with old trailers. The search for new wheels leads you to a search for new hubs, which then leads you to new axles.

Also, most older trailers from back then use "short" hubs that are like 3-1/2" deep. Short hubs are obsolete. Most modern hubs are more like 4-1/2" long so while the bearing ID may match, the new hubs can't be used because they are too long.

That said, you are likely going to need new axles, hubs, wheels and tires for this trailer. it may be possible to replace just the spindles, but this can be costly and requires professional installation.

If new axles are something you want to look into, I will need to know the hub face (HF) length, spring center (SC) distance and axle weight capacity. Let me know and I am happy to see if we have anything for you.

expert reply by: Jesse M

Jesse M.

9/29/2025

Hey Alex, did you have a chance to gather the hub face length, spring center distance, and axle weight capacity for your trailer? I'm here to help if you're still looking for a solution.