Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

[Rob Earnest]

My Trailrite traler is a tandam axel but has been blowing through tires even bran new ones. So I ordered new tires and wheels and went from 14" to 15". I went from steel to alloy. I bought new ultra traler wheels and new Towmax tires.
They are about 1" bigger. Now the suspension springs are comming off the shackle bolts. Is the increases size of the wheel and tire doing this or is this normal and always happens? I noticed the shifting as soon as I went down the driveway and say the rear axel shift/move. Also the brakes are barely hitting the inside of the wheels. It is only the pad keeper and pad brace itself. It is leaving a very small etch in the new wheels. It is so small you can only see it and not even feel it with your fingernail. How can I create a little clearance?

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

Take a picture of your centerlink - I'm betting one of the shackles flipped on at least one side when you changed the tires. Not a problem with the tires, just the way you jacked it up.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

My Trailrite traler is a tandam axel but has been blowing through tires even bran new ones.

Sounds like you have an axle out of alignment. They'll EAT tires when that happens.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

Along the lines of axle alignment, I believe there should be a phenolic bushing in the spring eye that the front bolt goes thru. That is too much play no matter what is going on with the rest of the system in my opinion.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

Take a picture of your centerlink - I'm betting one of the shackles flipped on at least one side when you changed the tires. Not a problem with the tires, just the way you jacked it up.

For reference - first drawing is what your centerlink/equalizer should look like. 2nd pic is what it probabally looks like

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

Along the lines of axle alignment, I believe there should be a phenolic bushing in the spring eye that the front bolt goes thru. That is too much play no matter what is going on with the rest of the system in my opinion.

No bushing used on that end.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

Thanks Thalasso, I was thinking that was the front of the spring, my bad.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

So I ordered new tires and wheels and went from 14" to 15". I went from steel to alloy. I bought new ultra traler wheels and new Towmax tires.

Are these really trailer wheels with zero offset? If you truly have zero offset wheels, you shouldn't have a clearance issue. What width were the old wheels and the new wheels?

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

Worse comes to worse, find a good trailer shop and get them to look over your trailer. A good trailer mechanic can visually spot problems in a very short time--often seconds.

Switching to 1" larger tires usually doesn't cause problems unless the fenders get in the way. Axles often bend and get the alignment off.

I had a badly bent utility trailer axle, and the replacement part was downright cheap. It took only 20 minutes to drop the axle and install a new one with air impact wrenches.

 

[batman99]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

.

If blowing tires is from tires being 6+ years old, then this is normal. Tires (on vehicles, trailers) that are 6+ years older must be replaced. Lots of U-Tube clips on this 6+ year replacement rule. And, lots of road deaths from ignoring this rule as well....

If blowing tires is from miss-aligned axles, then yes. Get an alignment done to the axles. Alignment can be confirmed from tire wear patterns. Lots of google images about tire wear. Also, make sure boat (and its inner contents) is evenly balanced as well. Some folks forget about this critical rule. re: Scale weight showing the trailer is balanced from side to side - across both wheels.

If blowing tires is from under rated leaf springs, then yes, replace leaf spring packs. And if needed, do investigate "next size up" as well. And while investigating leaf spring pack sizing, do investiage axle weight rating as well. Compare to "scale weight" of your average loaded trailer. If "too close" to max (for example, axle is 3,200 lbs and average loaded weight is 3,175 lbs), then replace axle with "next size up" as well. For example, install standard 3,500 lbs axle with 3,500 lbs leaf spring packs.

If replacing leaf springs (and always replace in pairs - to ensure exact same sizing and steel batch mixture), do confirm their arch depth as well. For example, if 3" arch depth and you want more fender gapping, then replace with leaf springs that have 5" arch depth. May need to shop around for 5" depth replacements. But, this 2" upgrade to create more inner fending spacing is worth it. If wondering, I'd like to replace my boat trailer's existing 3" slipper leaf with a 5" slipper leaf. Thus, allow more fending gapping on my boat trailer. Perhaps next year's improvement (on my boat trailer).

If replacing axle (for "next size up") or to replace existing "too rusty" existing axle, ensure the new axle has the brake flang (re: metal plate on each hub) as well. If you (or next boat owner) plan to install trailer brakes later on, you can then use this brake flang - for needed brake assemblies.

Hope these help as well.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

Pictures #1 and #2 indicate another problem in the making. Whoever wired the trailer used the quick clip type wire splices. These allow water into the wire causing corrosion and eventually a degraded wire and then a break.

Either replace them or coat them with liquid tape, but probably too late.

 

[Rob Earnest]

Re: Bigger Tires & Wheels, now have suspension issue and brake clearance issue

Thank you to all that posted.
I swapped out the wheels with the old ones and no change. I brought it to a reputable trailer mfg/servicer. They are going to take it apart and see what is going on. They do not think it is the tires and this must have been the same for a while. I asked for a traler alignment and also to perform a balance check to make sure the loading was even from front to back and side to side. They are also going to make a modification to the brake rotors to accomodate the clearence needed for the new wheels. From further review I am anticipating new or additional helper springs, bent or worn suspension shackles. Thanks again.