I've decided to get a new trailer built rather than continue to try and find something decent at a reasonable price. Trying to decide on rims. Will definitely be what you call budd rims, just trying to figure out steel, cheap alloy or alcoa's. 22.5 x 8.25 matching my truck tyres. Steel is about $180/rim Cheap alloy about $260/rim Alcoa (on sale now) about $460/rim, usually about $760/rim. Alcoa second-hand about $150-200/rim, but obviously you don't know the history. Can provide Trailer specs if it makes a difference. Will see very little use, less than 10k km/year, tyres will require age replacement well before worn out. Money is definitely an issue, just don't want to save a bit now and regret it for the rest of my life. Tandem axle trailer, so 8 rims, Google says alloy rims are half the weight of steel. 180kg saved, I shouldn't be that close to overload, but who knows the future, I guess. Extra 20kgs throwing around when changing a flat, I'm only going to get older, so yep probably worth considering. Corrosion shouldn't be an issue in our climate, my smaller truck has steel rims and they're 25yrs old and fine. Paint is ordinary, but purely cosmetic. Anything else I'm not seeing, re price vs value vs benefits? Thanks
A bit of advise--depending on climate, even with thin factory plastic separator pads between aluminum alloy wheels-they will corrode, especially around the hub which can make them tough to remove. The other is the later alloy trailer wheels/rims have a tinner main web where the cooling holes are and are known for cracking. I bet I changed out 40 plus wheels for this very problem. I had a thread on here about it some 3 to 4 years ago. Personally for a equipment trailer I would use two hand holed steel rims. Just my two cents. Weight difference on a 22.5 between steel & aluminum is roughly 23 lbs.
Thanks for that. Simply on price alone i was leaning towards steel, just don't really see benefits enough to warrant extra money.
If this is a trailer that help will be using air pressure won't be checked on alloy rims
Nope, I'm a one man band, so if I break something I can't blame anyone else. Although my son is now helping on school holidays, he is getting better at damaging stuff, and unfortunately showing a reluctance to put his hand up and admit it.
Probably should start a new thread, but I'll see if anyone replies here as it's related. What are the cheapy chinese trailer tyres like? As stated will only see 5k km per year, so really hate to buy new decent tyres and then throw them away in 10 yrs time with plenty of tread left. Will see plenty of heat although not high speeds, along with gravel roads. Dedicated trailer tyre or an all position tyre? First time owning a heavy trailer, so open to all advice. Thanks
No reason to buy high end tires for low speed limited use. Yes you will probably lose one or two due to rock drilling tire. But more than likely the UV rays will cause more destruction. Main thing is keeping properly inflated.
Go to a tire shop and buy take offs I get them for free a lot we blow them a lot moving drill rigs
I probably worded that badly, depending upon personal interpretation probably not low speed, by not high speeds, I meant that our roads are bad enough that you simply can't go real fast with livestock on. On better roads I usually sit on 90kph (55mph). Most of the local highways your down to 80kph (50mph). All trucks are speed limited over here to 100kph (62mph) anyway.
I use Chinese type tyres on all my transport stuff as I replace them. Most of the km I do are all on dirt roads or on people’s crap station goat tracks (including my own) that some think if you can drive a landcrusier ute and trailer down then trucks with floats or road trains should be fine. I have a good run with them and I have a good mate that is full time running his own truck and he uses them too. He does a lot of dirt work and mostly livestock. For trailers they have found no matter the brand (cheap or dear) that the all position zig zag pattern are best for dirt work. He has run a few sets of those on the drive too. I use a copy of the big lugy Dunlops on mine. For steer tyres they pull them off early to avoid blow outs but they did that anyway with the top of the line Michelins. There are different grades of Chinese too.
Well, so much for plans. Found what appears to be a very well maintained set of second-hand Alcoa's for too good a price to refuse. Exactly same part number as my truck, going to grab them this arvo. Unfortunately off a bus, so only 7, hopefully should be able to pick up 2 more somewhere while trailer is being built. Yeah JAJ, leaning towards the zig-zag pattern in a Chinese tyre. Just trying to work out quality differences between 'name brand' Chinese ones and 'no name' Chinese ones. And I use those terms very loosely.
Budd would be wheels. Dayton is rims. Last set I bought of steel wheels where around $90 each, though it's been ~10 years.
People are turds. I'm not on Facebook, but wife is so found those rims on her Facebook, messaged with seller back and forwards, etc. Last night, agreed on a price, he told me the earliest I could collect was 3pm this arvo after he got off work. Drove 2hrs to his address and get there, he goes, "Oh sorry, I just sold them". *** 5hr round trip and half a tank of fuel. People are turds.
That sucks! So back to the steel? I did have a dealer account with Tyres4U a tyre importer for a few years (full disclosure). I lost it when they changed computer systems and they are playing hard to get it back, probably didn’t sell enough. I am going to try again though. What brands are you looking at? Those XZY pattern ones can come in a 16mm and a 19-20mm tread IIRC, check that when comparing brands and prices.
Just looking around online, the cheapie xyz's all look identical, with names I've never heard of like Hunter Road. Some as low as 180/tyre, but most around the 220 mark. Other names i recognise like DoubleCoin, etc are around the 260ish. I'll give my trailer builder a call tomorrow, I called him today before I left to collect "my" alcoa's, just to confirm that there would enough wheel stud length on his axles for the alloys, but anyway, I'll see if he has any rims he can throw on my trailer while he builds it and I may see if I can jag a decent set of second-hand alcoa's (again) while he's building it. If he needs my rims/tyres for it before he builds, then yep, steel.
Double Coin 150 for trailer are not too bad for what you expect, but casings are stiff and if used constantly at higher speeds the wear in most cases isn't good. Don't put them on a spin balancer, the runout and pounds not ounces will scare you. Use the price of Yokohama RY023's as a reference point price for good trailer tires.
Been many times I've wasted my day waiting on someone for them to only no show. Traded the other day that another guy was dead set was only worth half my asking price, then he got pissed I didn't "work with him" in a price.
Well I had it the other way around sort of--Guy bought that last BCIII I built {one below} I loaded it and situated it perfectly on his fancy all aluminum car hauling trailer. I got paid, I told him the way he secured it wasn't good, he didn't listen. I got a call the next day---- going around a corner on HYW-12 it flipped, punched a hole in the trailer floor, broke the new turbo, exhaust manifold and ruined the oil cooler. {Well you have all the parts receipts with part numbers and now the warranty is void. *