Dirt worthy wheel and tire options for heavier campers

[java]

What's wrong with the wheels? Can I air these tires down?

Not 'technically' able to air down. ATW trucks use them and swear by it, but no safety beads on 19.5 rims.

Have to find a weird *** offset 19.5 to run as a single (I guess you could just run an outer?). Also my current wheels are too skinny for anything bigger than a 225 width.... I dont think Das Bus's 6.75" are wide enough for a 285 either. EDIT: yes, Toyo wants a 7.5-9" wheel for a 285, 8.25" ideally.

 

[goatherder]

Good to know. Have you been in soft sand yet? I'd like to be able to camp on the beach in Baja. I only got my Motovan stuck in the sand once on the beach last trip. It was easy to pull out the next morning with a fisherman's F150.

Yeah, along the river, and with two tires on each side there is such a wide footprint it just doesn't seem to sink. I would not even think about going to singles on the rear. I was worried about the front end, but it seems as if 265 is wide enough to keep it afloat

Das Bus is running Toyo M-608 in 285/70 R19.5 on 6.75" wide American Force wheels. I think I'll be light enough that I could just run those as singles in the rear. Toyo rates them for 6395 pounds as a single, that exceeds my axle capacity. It's 35.4" tall with 21/32s tread depth. This could work for me. 285 is wide enough I think.

Again, given what my experiences have been, I think going with 19.5 and paying for custom wheels would be nothing but a waste of time and resources. Not to mention that having some sort of custom, one off set up that is uncommon when traveling in remote areas is a BAD idea. Ford box trucks are everywhere, and I'm guessing you could get a 16" replacement wheel ( and certainly a 265/75–16) in San Felipe...or most anywhere else... if needed.

Also, running 6 tires reduces the need to carry spares in some situations.

 

[Petrolburner]

Yeah, along the river, and with two tires on each side there is such a wide footprint it just doesn't seem to sink. I would not even think about going to singles on the rear. I was worried about the front end, but it seems as if 265 is wide enough to keep it afloat




Again, given what my experiences have been, I think going with 19.5 and paying for custom wheels would be nothing but a waste of time and resources. Not to mention that having some sort of custom, one off set up that is uncommon when traveling in remote areas is a BAD idea. Ford box trucks are everywhere, and I'm guessing you could get a 16" replacement wheel ( and certainly a 265/75–16) in San Felipe...or most anywhere else... if needed.

Also, running 6 tires reduces the need to carry spares in some situations.

Very good points. I'm going to test it out a bit more as is before I modify anything. I plan to build out most of the box first anyway. It has 6 good all terrains right now, not very aggressive though. Would you share some close up pictures of your rear wheels and the space between them?

 

[Petrolburner]

255/85R16 on the rears and 285/75R16 up front would really be sweet, same height.

 

[goatherder]

255/85R16 on the rears and 285/75R16 up front would really be sweet, same height.

Yup, would be cool. However, 255s are gonna be an oddball size NOT widely available in backwater places, and a 285 is too wide for your skinny little 6" dually front wheel. Which means removing dually adapter hub up front and installing a conventional hub, so you can fit an 8 inch wide wheel. Which means you now have to carry two different spare tires. And there would only be about 3/4" difference in ground clearance and front tread width. Not enough difference to outweigh the downsides.

As you can see, I've already thought this through.

Sorry, no pictures. I'm currently on a fishing boat in the Bering Sea, and not near my bus

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

G275MSA

Thought I would add this as a footnote to the wheels you posted a pic of. I would think routine inspection of welded wheels for cracks should be on everyone's list. It does happen considering all the stresses they see. Wheel cracking is NOT a brand issue.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCAK-17V486-3632.pdf

 

[Britboaters]

I'm working on a GMC Topkick based camper. I want to use 335/80R20 tires, for all the good reasons.
Having trouble finding wheels though. Does anybody know of any reputable wheel builders they could recommend please ?
I would really like to find someone that uses "dished centers" rather than flat plate, as this would make the wheels much stronger.
I would prefer not to use bead lock rims, to avoid cost, etc.
Thanks in advance.

 

[java]

I'm working on a GMC Topkick based camper. I want to use 335/80R20 tires, for all the good reasons.
Having trouble finding wheels though. Does anybody know of any reputable wheel builders they could recommend please ?
I would really like to find someone that uses "dished centers" rather than flat plate, as this would make the wheels much stronger.
I would prefer not to use bead lock rims, to avoid cost, etc.
Thanks in advance.

Stazworks will dish their custom wheels.

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

Not sure if they offer dished but 1st attack has some options worth research. They even have some tire options I haven't seen mentioned.
http://1stattack.com/super-single-wheels-2/

 

[Britboaters]

Thanks. Hope I didn't hijack the thread.

 

[Petrolburner]

Not sure if they offer dished but 1st attack has some options worth research. They even have some tire options I haven't seen mentioned.
http://1stattack.com/super-single-wheels-2/

I thought I had those mentioned in here already. I think they're the same as the Firematic aren't they? Rickson wheels.

 

[java]

I thought I had those mentioned in here already. I think they're the same as the Firematic aren't they? Rickson wheels.

No First attack makes their own now I believe. Not Rickson.

 

[Mattersnots]

I'm working on a GMC Topkick based camper. I want to use 335/80R20 tires, for all the good reasons.
Having trouble finding wheels though. Does anybody know of any reputable wheel builders they could recommend please ?
I would really like to find someone that uses "dished centers" rather than flat plate, as this would make the wheels much stronger.
I would prefer not to use bead lock rims, to avoid cost, etc.
Thanks in advance.

Did you ever figure out your wheels/tires. I’m doing the same with the topkick as well as one other on the forum.

 

[Petrolburner]

No. I haven't found anything reasonably sized and priced. Also, I'm still considering WeldTec Designs long travel vs a 4WD conversion. I'm still pretty far from the decision deadline.

 

[Iejeeper]

I have a 36 foot motorhome on a 2017 ram 5500 four-wheel-drive chassis. The coach ways around 17,000 pounds dry and has a gross rating of 19,500 pounds. The front axle weight is around 7000 pounds and the rear axle weight is around 11,000 pounds dry. I would like to go with tires I can air down for sand, preferably the dually configuration. Any suggestions on tires and wheels? For clearance I think the biggest I can go is around 35”. I’ve been looking at trying to go to a 20 inch wheel but have had trouble locating a solution. I was also looking at putting 2 inch spacers on my suspension for left.


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