NDT and NDCC tires ok for M416 towed at highway speeds?

[Rosader]

I'm not sure I'd trust 'em as you describe them. That's a 500 mile round-trip. Loaded?
Find a set of Ford rims with 4" center & correct bolt pattern. Tires are 235/75-15. They tow & ride nice, either load or not. No clearance problems & they Look good too. All Best.

I think I'm going to go that route. 3 new wheels/tires are going to cost an arm and leg so I am going to check out the salvage yard for some used ford wheels... What years/models should I look out for? Will they still be hub-centric?
I will still be buying tires new but need to buy the wheels used, to ease the pain a little.

 

[AZ ADVenturist]

I think I'm going to go that route. 3 new wheels/tires are going to cost an arm and leg so I am going to check out the salvage yard for some used ford wheels... What years/models should I look out for? Will they still be hub-centric?
I will still be buying tires new but need to buy the wheels used, to ease the pain a little.

older Ford pickup &/or Jeep (maybe CJ7 or earlier.)
Bolt pattern is 5 on 5 1/2 with minimum 4" center. Mine measure 4 3/16" so plenty of clearance. About 4" off-set from rear. Go to your local "Llanterra" (Mex. used tire & wheel shop). I found 3 rims for $40. & they mounted some Old (good) tires I'd had in the shed for quite awhile

 

[Rosader]

So I went down to the used tire shop over the weekend. The only wheels they had with 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern were some old Ford and Suzuki wheels but neither had a large enough center hole. I ended up buying 3 new black steelies from Les Schwab and mounted some trailer tires. I took it for a 45 minute highway test run going 65-70mph and it tows really well . Oh, and while I was out testing the trailer, I spotted an old MBT trailer just sitting out in a pasture! I'm going to try to track down the owner and see if he might be willing to sell it!

 

[Mark Harley]

How about some pictures?

 

[atavuss]

I have 7.00x16 NDC tires and tubes on the original rims on my post WWll 1/4 Bantam trailer. These tires were installed new 6 years ago as the tires the PO had on were the same size but one tire was flat and a bunch of tread rubbed off on the inner fenderwell. Don't know how long he ran it flat but these are tough tires! I have not had a single problem running the NDC tires in all kinds of road conditions on and off road. Never had an issue with traction. a plus with the 7.00x16 tires is I have over 11" of clearance at the lowest part of the springs and the tires are not sticking out past the fenders. I would advise playing with the tire pressure to get a decent ride. my trailer bounces badly when lightly loaded or no load. I am running 20 to 22 lbs. of air pressure and the contact patch is only on the center of the tread. I have never had a problem with the tire getting hot running at 100 + degree ambient temps at freeway speeds for hours at a time. I think with the light loads these 1/4 ton trailers carry you will be fine.

 

[evldave]

I have never had a problem with the tire getting hot running at 100 + degree ambient temps at freeway speeds for hours at a time. I think with the light loads these 1/4 ton trailers carry you will be fine.
View attachment 100040

I know absolutely nothing about tires, tubes, etc. But I've pulled my trailer using these same tires from Washington State to California 3x times, sometimes for 100s of miles at 75+. I've had the trailer for 4 years, and the tires looked pretty worn when I got it

I run 10psi off-road and 20psi on road, but I notice that the tire pressure varies a LOT with heat (5-10psi difference hot/cold).

Someday I'll upgrade to regular tires, that will likely be after I blow a tire at highway speed

 

[Rosader]

How about some pictures?

I will try to get some pics tonight. They don't look near as cool as original tires/rims but they ride much better!

 

[M35A2]

The original military tires on my M416 are date stamped in the 60s and they have some light checking. They hold air fine. I have towed this trailer, properly loaded, at 75 mph over hundreds of miles without a problem.

FYI, Michelin has a photo reference of how to evealuate tire checks: appearance and size for tires that are fine, marginal, unsafe and so on. I ran across this once somewhere on the 'net. I am sure you can easily Google it. It is worth having as a reference.

 

[Rosader]

I've been working late these past few days so I wasn't able to get pics but here they are.
The wheels have a negative offset but they were all Les Schwab had in 5 on 5.5
The tires are trailer tires that I bought used for a good deal.