Tacoma "expedition" style trailer questions

[vaquero]

Hey ya'll. I am interested in building a multi-function "expedition" style flatbed trailer and wanted some tire / wheel advice. I FINALLY found a Dexter axle I can use. It's a 65" wide (hub face) with brakes and a 6 on 5.5" bolt pattern to match the truck. Axle is rated at 3500#, but I would only need 2200# springs. I always look at trailer wheels and have noticed that MOST trailers have pretty small wheels/tires- biggest I've seen is 225 width tires on 16" wheels. I'd like to match my TRD 17" wheels as I like that look, and having the ability to use the trailer spare as a 2nd spare is appealing. It just looks rad, period, IMO. No need to lift the trailer past its 3.25" spring height on a flipped axle. Should be plenty of clearance for my needs.

My questions are these: does anyone regret using [fairly] big tires on trailers? Or for that matter regret an "aggressive" AT tire? OR would you just get a nice rolling tire like a Yokohama Geolander or even Discount tire house brand? Does this negate the functionality of having matching wheels?

I am not rock crawling. Just getting to nice out-of-the-way camp spots near trailheads, mostly with a motorcycle and or bikes, stuff that doesn't fit in the truck bed, and some water provisions on board. I would have the ability to add a sleeping loft up higher, thus keeping all the gear on the lower deck. Overall size of the deck is something like 50" wide by 108" long. I also need the trailer to serve as a work rig as I am a metal fabricator and need to move steel around.

My tires on the truck are 255/75/17, BFG KO2. That's a big tire for a trailer. I could use a 235/80/17 BFG which gets me to .3" under the size of my truck tires. Out in the sticks, I don't think this disparity would matter in the event I did blow through the truck spare and had to dip into the trailer spare. Certainly not critical, diameter wise, the way an all-wheel drive is.

Would love feedback on this before I start the proverbial hemorrhaging fun-tickets...

THanks!!

 

[Titanpat57]

Hi Vaquero,

This is the Classifieds section...maybe the Mods could move you over the trailer build section where you'd get lots more answers.

@haven

 

[billiebob]

Having the same tire all around is definitely a load off your mind on remote trails. I've done this for 30 years. The only negative is the heavier the trailer tire is, the rougher the trailer runs. When I ran 35 on a 2000# trailer the speed I could cross rough roads was half what I could do with the original 215/75R15s. I now run 7.50R16s all around. They are pretty skinny but more important they are the lightest 31s out there. Unsprung weight is incredibly influential on ride and gas mileage.

I just carry one spare on the Jeep. In 40 years I've had 4 flats so I'm happy with just 1 spare but if needed I could drop the trailer and have 2 more spares.

One of my early Jeeps, 33/9.50R15s on the Jeep, 30/9.50R15s on the trailer. Done for the look.

PS on tire diameter the new 4x4s require an exact match. Wranglers for a few years have had a braking differential thing which applies a brake if a wheel is spinning faster and thanks to computers the speed difference would never kick in an old fashioned limited slip..... but it will drag a brake on the highway. My local tire shop insists on a 5 wheel rotation and will not mount 4 new tires if you plan to run a used tire as a spare.

 

[4000lbsOfGoat]

I run 275/75/17 KO2s on my trailer to match the taco (also on TRD wheels all around). As mentioned, having the extra spares really helps to relieve some anxiety. I've been happy with the way it performs, on-highway and on rough sections of what can only be called "roads"...

My trailer weighs around 2500 pounds wet and I run the trailer tires at around 40psi on the highway and 25psi on the dirt. An E-rated tire on a 2500 pound trailer is never going to be the softest thing in the world but it's worked well for me so far.

 

[vaquero]

I run 275/75/17 KO2s on my trailer to match the taco (also on TRD wheels all around). As mentioned, having the extra spares really helps to relieve some anxiety. I've been happy with the way it performs, on-highway and on rough sections of what can only be called "roads"...

My trailer weighs around 2500 pounds wet and I run the trailer tires at around 40psi on the highway and 25psi on the dirt. An E-rated tire on a 2500 pound trailer is never going to be the softest thing in the world but it's worked well for me so far.

Having the same tire all around is definitely a load off your mind on remote trails. I've done this for 30 years. The only negative is the heavier the trailer tire is, the rougher the trailer runs. When I ran 35 on a 2000# trailer the speed I could cross rough roads was half what I could do with the original 215/75R15s. I now run 7.50R16s all around. They are pretty skinny but more important they are the lightest 31s out there. Unsprung weight is incredibly influential on ride and gas mileage.

I just carry one spare on the Jeep. In 40 years I've had 4 flats so I'm happy with just 1 spare but if needed I could drop the trailer and have 2 more spares.

One of my early Jeeps, 33/9.50R15s on the Jeep, 30/9.50R15s on the trailer. Done for the look.

View attachment 649460

PS on tire diameter the new 4x4s require an exact match. Wranglers for a few years have had a braking differential thing which applies a brake if a wheel is spinning faster and thanks to computers the speed difference would never kick in an old fashioned limited slip..... but it will drag a brake on the highway. My local tire shop insists on a 5 wheel rotation and will not mount 4 new tires if you plan to run a used tire as a spare.

Good info, thanks!

 

[vaquero]

I run 275/75/17 KO2s on my trailer to match the taco (also on TRD wheels all around). As mentioned, having the extra spares really helps to relieve some anxiety. I've been happy with the way it performs, on-highway and on rough sections of what can only be called "roads"...

My trailer weighs around 2500 pounds wet and I run the trailer tires at around 40psi on the highway and 25psi on the dirt. An E-rated tire on a 2500 pound trailer is never going to be the softest thing in the world but it's worked well for me so far.

Sounds like you get "out there". Post a pic of your rig if you have a moment. Thx!

 

[4000lbsOfGoat]

Both of these are from El Camino del Diablo Rd in southwestern Arizona. It's a fantastic run if you like the desert - 130 miles of dirt from Ajo to Yuma. We just got the trailer in late September so this was the only chance we had to get "out there" over the winter. We spent a total of 31 days on the road. This particular stretch we managed 10 straight days off grid. With a little more water-management practice I'd like to be able to get closer to 14 days.

One item of note is that I did have to use wheel adapters on the trailer to make the TRD wheels work. although the trailer hubs are 6x5.5 they have 1/2" lugs. I couldn't find a 1/2" mag seat lug nut that had the correct external dimensions to fit the wheel properly...Maybe it's out there, but I couldn't find it...

Cheers.

 

[vaquero]

Both of these are from El Camino del Diablo Rd in southwestern Arizona. It's a fantastic run if you like the desert - 130 miles of dirt from Ajo to Yuma. We just got the trailer in late September so this was the only chance we had to get "out there" over the winter. We spent a total of 31 days on the road. This particular stretch we managed 10 straight days off grid. With a little more water-management practice I'd like to be able to get closer to 14 days.

View attachment 649970

View attachment 649972

One item of note is that I did have to use wheel adapters on the trailer to make the TRD wheels work. although the trailer hubs are 6x5.5 they have 1/2" lugs. I couldn't find a 1/2" mag seat lug nut that had the correct external dimensions to fit the wheel properly...Maybe it's out there, but I couldn't find it...

Cheers.

Nice looking rig 4kGOAT!! Interesting point. I hadn't considered the lug bolt size in my searches. I will have to go back to Dexter and confirm. Guess that's what you get when you assume...

 

[4000lbsOfGoat]

I will have to go back to Dexter and confirm. Guess that's what you get when you assume...

Yeah, assuming is kind of what got me... I *assumed* that 6x5.5 is 6x5.5 and that would be it.
Either way though I think I'm glad for the wheel adapters. The wheels that came with the trailer were 8.5 inch and the TRD wheels are only 7 inch so without the adapters the fenders would have overhung the tires in a way that wouldn't have looked so great. The 1.25 inch adapters put the outside of the tire pretty much flush with the fender.