Looking For New Tires And Wheels For Heavy Tandem Axle Boat Trailer

Updated 02/23/2026 | Published 02/16/2026

Question:

Im looking for tires with wheels for a heavy boat and trailer. Tandem axle 5000+5500 lb total weight. 22 feet deck boat traveling interstate and secondary roads. Not used in salt water. Looking through your products: KE34WV or AM32418DX or MX97FR. What do you suggest.

asked by: Glenn G

Expert Reply:

Hello Glenn, thanks for reaching out.

For a tandem axle setup in the 5,000 to 5,500 lb range and interstate travel, I recommend the Kenda Karrier KR53 ST205/75R15 Radial Tire with 15 inch Silver Mod Wheel # KE34WV. Out of the three options you listed, it offers the highest load rating at 2,200 lbs per tire and a 70 psi max rating, which gives you a little extra cushion for highway speeds and a heavier 22 foot deck boat.

With four of those tires, you are looking at 8,800 lbs of combined tire capacity, which gives you plenty of overhead above your actual trailer weight. Since you are not running in salt water, the silver mod wheel is a solid, cost effective choice as well. For steady interstate miles and peace of mind, that would be my pick.

expert reply by: Jesse M

KE34WV
(click to enlarge)

John

2/20/2026

I agree with Jesse M. I bought this as a spare for my tandem axle boat trailer, works great

Jake

2/20/2026

I bought the same tire Jesse recommended for you. I use it on one of my 6x12 enclosed trailers. I’ve had it for about 6 months so far. The trailer sat for about 2 months this winter in IL and didn’t leak. I’ve all different types of tires from etrailer and haven’t had any issues.

Jesse M.

2/23/2026

@Jake Nice! Glad to hear your Kenda tires are still going strong. Thanks for sharing!

Mike M.

2/20/2026

I bought the same tires for a utility trailer to haul heavy loads across the country on interstate highways at high speed, made several rips so far and they worked great!!!

Jim R.

2/20/2026

They are a super high-quality tire. Love the tread design. It was cheaper for me to buy the wheel and tire off of E-Trailer than it was to have a high-quality tire installed at my local tire shop. Have recommended this to several of my friends with trailers who need new tires.

Jesse M.

2/23/2026

@JimR That's awesome, Jim! Glad to hear you are so happy with the tires. I appreciate the recommendations too. Thanks for sharing!

Ronald C.

2/20/2026

I purchased the KE34WE wheel and tire combo for a single axle 6x12 enclosed trailer. We were moving approximately 90 miles and the Trailer was MAXED out with all of my tools and equipment inside so I really did not want to chance a blow out. The tires performed flawlessly and handled the load with no issues whatsoever. I would buy them again tomorrow ( or in Five years when these age out).

Jesse M.

2/23/2026

@RonaldC Hey Ronald, thanks for sharing your experience! That's great real world feedback that I'm sure will help others who are looking for new tires.