35s on a 3500lb axle?

[97kurt]

Anyone here running a 35" tire on their trailer? I saw a few posts on pirate where someone claimed the larger tires were hell on trailer bearings. I was wondering if there was any truth to this? I'm thinking about using the below spindle for my future teardrop build but want to be sure I am not under-doing it.

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Spindles/Redline/SP20484.html

 

[jginutah]

I call BS. Too many factors ie assembly, maintainance, offset from hub. Your trailer will weigh 1500#?. Only half the rated load. I am sure the equation of the load on the bearing has a square value in it making the actual load on the bearing huge at 3500#. The only way I see an issue is if you ran like a zero backspacing. I believe most guys go with 3500 anyway is because they have the availability of brakes and 6 bolt hub.

 

[toymaster]

There are many people running 35" on their trailer and some 37". I've been running 35s from day one for the last 4 years. Most people run the same tire/rims that is on their tow vehicle for obvious reasons. I would not worry about tire size as I would about being over sprung. Having 3,500lb springs on a 1,000lb trailer means the ride is very jarring. This will shake a trailer apart in time. Take a look at your actually load capacity needs and spring accordingly. Having a larger axle than needed is a good thing for durability and longevity reasons.

 

[97kurt]

Thanks to those that replied, Im gonna move forward with that size spindle for my build.

 

[Ozrockrat]

If anything it will be easier on the wheel bearings. They will rotate slower. Slower rotation = less heat = less wear. Just make sure the bearings are well maintained and the wheels balanced. Yeah I know a lot of people poo poo balancing trailer tires but they get harmonic vibration just the same as on the tow vehicle and all that energy has to go somewhere.

 

[4S50]

I too am running 35s on a 3500 lbs axle, with brakes, and have not had any problems.

 

[RubiconGeoff]

It's not the size of the tire that's as much of a strain on the axle/bearings as it is the backspacing of your wheels - how much leverage your wheels exert on the bearings. With that said, the wide-spaced bearings of a spindle & hub assembly shrug off wheel backspacing much better than do the narrow-spaced bearings within a unitbearing. I don't have specs available off the top of my head for a trailer spindle/hub, but they'd be similar to that of a Dana 60, in which the spindle/hub assembly sees a 1.1:1 increase in bearing load relative to wheel backspacing, while a Dana 60 unitbearing assembly sees a 3:1 increase in bearing load relative to wheel backspacing.

Speed and load are going to be your trailer axle's critical factors, not tire size. Since you're nowhere near your axle's load limit, wheel backspacing is irrelevant; the larger tire diameter reduces bearing speed, which increases longevity and reduces heat. Don't worry about running 35's.

 

[Lucky j]

I use to run 30 in" on somewhere like 1500 lbs bearing on my trailer, and I was changing bearing every year. Now have been running 34x12.5x15 on 3500lbs bearing and I haven't change bearing one single time in 4 years and I driving that thing loaded for camping, traveling of hard wood fire wood for thousand of miles so far.

I did make the mistake of going with 3500 lbs torflez suspension. That thing only ride good when fully loaded. But tire can be run softer when not loaded to compensate.

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: I've got 3500lb hubs/1400lb axle and about 4" BS-

However, those are 33" Hankooks-no problem

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO

 

[RubiconGeoff]

I did make the mistake of going with 3500 lbs torflez suspension. That thing only ride good when fully loaded. But tire can be run softer when not loaded to compensate.

My trailer originally came with a 2000lb axle with 2000lb leaf springs. I upgraded it to a 3500lb axle and 1150lb springs so now I have big bearings and a plush ride.

:sombrero: I've got 3500lb hubs/1400lb axle and about 4" BS-

However, those are 33" Hankooks-no problem

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO

Wow - don't your tires rub the fenders? It looks like you have maybe 1 inch of uptravel before the tires rub!

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: looks like it, but it's 1.5 to 2" side/side-

My trailer originally came with a 2000lb axle with 2000lb leaf springs. I upgraded it to a 3500lb axle and 1150lb springs so now I have big bearings and a plush ride.



Wow - don't your tires rub the fenders? It looks like you have maybe 1 inch of uptravel before the tires rub!

I even thought about raising the "tub" 2", but after several rough trips, the tires did touch the fender(drivers side) "minimally" after some real back/forth rock travel at 15mph-never on the highway-

The DEXTER torsion axles are stiffer than HD shocks and that's with the trailer loaded to 1000lbs-

If they were spring'd axles---I'd have to raise the "tub", but so far, so good--looks scary huh ?

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: