i am rebuilding my hobie 16's trailer
i need to replace both tires and rims ,right now it has 4.80-8 tires
should i stick with that or go up one size.
i want to trailer it to MS. this spring
tia
SS

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"take your dreams down from the shelf take the measure of yourself upon a beckoning sea"
eileen quinn
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Go with the 4.8 X 12 size as a minimum. The current size is fine for " around town" driving but if you want to drive at highway speeds you will want that large size. Inspect the trailer leaf spring bushing while your at it. This is often an overlooked part of you suspension that decays over time and pretty cheap to buy.

Plan on buying three new wheels/tires so you have a spare. I carry two spares myself............

If your completely rebuilding your trailer and your current crossbars are suspended under the trailer frame, move them to sit on top of the frame.You will get better ground clearance but raise the center point of trailer weight. I usually upgrade the crossbars to a stronger (thicker) tubing. On the Holsclaw trailers, the crossbars are only 1/16" thick. Upgrade to 1/8" thick. Same goes for the trailer tongue. I like to change out that steel to a longer piece maybe finish 24" longer and try to install your new tongue so it reaches further through the frame closer to the axle. This will stiffen up the whole trailer.

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Bill 404 21SE
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I agree, go with the 4.80-12 tires. They save wear and tear on the bearings as the wheels are only making about half as many revolutions at a given speed as compared to the 8" wheels. Everything runs cooler and the weight capacity is more than adequate. You can even bump up to the wider 5.30-12 tires but that's a bit overkill for a Hobie 16 trailer unless you're carryinga lot of extra cargo. As someone who's had his fair share of trailer tire blowouts, I can tell you they are something you want to avoid at all costs, so spending a few extra bucks on decent tires will save you major headachs down the road.

In addition to having a proper spare (or two which I now carry), make sure your car jack will work on the trailer and also that your lug wrench will fit the trailer lugs (an important lesson I learned the hard way last year).

sm

southronspirit

i need to replace both tires and rims ,right now it has 4.80-8 tires
should i stick with that or go up one size.
i want to trailer it to MS. this spring

Tia,
Most trailers using 8" rims can accept 12" rims without having to move the fender. This increase is your best move. Since you have to buy new, get 5.30 - 12 tires and make sure they are at least 4 ply. These are better, more reliable highway tires, which will give your bearings a break running slower at highway speeds, though think twice about sustaining 70 mph. Even 12" tires blow up at speeds like that. Stay away from cheap chinese tires and look for name brand like Carlisle or Green Ball. Make sure you get a spare, and have a good way to change the tire = tire chocks, jack, something to wedge through your wheel to stop rotation, and the correct socket for your lug nuts.

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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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+1 on the 12". I did it last summer on my trailer which I'm pretty sure was originally designed for an H16.

Regarding tire reliability, the #1 killer is heat. Run them at the high end of the pressure range and make triply sure they don't get low.

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Jeff R
'88 H18 "Jolly Mon"
'10 C2 USA1193
NE IN / SE MI
cramsailing.com
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thanks for all the advice ,i am going with the bigger tires

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"take your dreams down from the shelf take the measure of yourself upon a beckoning sea"
eileen quinn
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i went with new 5.30x12 tires and rims , i will have to move my fenders up a few inches but that's no big deal .
i also put a new coupler on there while i was at it .
one of my crossbars that the rollers go on was totally rusted out so i ordered two new ones to put
on the trailer .
also going to put on a new set of break away chains



Edited by southronspirit on Feb 07, 2014 - 07:04 AM.

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"take your dreams down from the shelf take the measure of yourself upon a beckoning sea"
eileen quinn
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You are on the right track with your trailer project...

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Bill 404 21SE
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If it's an old trailer, you should also check the U-bolts for the trailer crossbars and for the axle to the springs. Also check the U-bolt plates. I re-built one of our old trailers last year (it is at least 30 years old) and the u-bolt plates for the axle were rusted at least half through in some areas.

Check the axle itself too. If it's a tube axle, they have a tendency to hold water and then rust at the spindle welds which could lead to the entire wheel/hub assembly coming off. Best to give everything a real thorough inspection.

sm

Dogboy

If it's an old trailer, you should also check the U-bolts for the trailer crossbars and for the axle to the springs.

What he said. I had one of the U-bolts on the axle break. Luckily, I was on a secondary road and only doing 35-40 mph, but it was still very exciting!

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi
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Are you planning to come to OSYC Slip to Ship...hope so, you'll have a great time and meet a lot of new friends. Hope to see you there!

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Kenny Boudreaux
2010 C2 F18 USA 323
Goodall Design "Southern Area Rep"
Owner of Sailboxes.com
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yes i am planning on coming to slip to ship and my brother is coming i am trying to pull him over from the darkside he is a power boater

i put a wrench on one of the roller mounts and the bolt popped before i even got serious with it ,so yes i am replacing all the u-bolts and the wheel bearings

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"take your dreams down from the shelf take the measure of yourself upon a beckoning sea"
eileen quinn
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