Mobile home tires (1 Viewer)

[itbrokeagain]

So I traded my m101a2 for a 16 foot gooseneck with mobile home axles. I was talking to a friend trying to find some spare wheels and tires and he said mobile home tires are not designed to go above 50 mph and not designed for the highway and just to get regular tires. Unfortunately these are 14.5 rims so it's not that easy. Is there any truth to this? I have not heard this before

 

[TeddyBoy]

yup, I believe your friend is correct though I cant back it up with facts. Had a buddy with the same setup and after blowing a tire at 5:00 Christmas eve 2 years ago he ended up buying new axles, wheels and tires shortly after.

 

[ntsqd]

They look like these?

If so then they're really made to just get the mobile home from the mfg to the site. I think that there is a reason why those trucks made for towing these 'trailers' carry so many spares.

If I recall correctly nothing about them interchanges with any other trailer parts so converting away from them means new axles & hubs. While not inexpensive this a good thing because it will allow you to put brakes on all axles and use much more common wheels.

 

[itbrokeagain]

The wheels do look like those. In doing some research I have found trailer tires for the 14.5 rims and they can be had for $60 each. As far as brakes the front axle has backing plates but no brakes so I think I should be able to find brakes.

 

[Elbert]

you might want to consider going to some different axles.... 6 lug or 8 lug in 16inch wheel size.

 

[itbrokeagain]

you might want to consider going to some different axles.... 6 lug or 8 lug in 16inch wheel size.

Etrailer.com sells replacement hubs that I can install that will do this if I feel this is necessary later on down the road. For now I want to run as is but I want to be safe about it and not be stranded 4 hrs from home

 

[Elbert]

What are mobile home axles rated for in weight?

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

What are mobile home axles rated for in weight?

Last time I researched this (a few years ago when a customer wanted me to build him a trailer, I did some research) they were "rated" based on axle diameter size -- 2-3/8" @ 3500# and 3" was anywhere from 5000# to 7000#s.. BUT, with the smaller spindles and bearings the axles are DE-RATED from 2000# to 4500#s..

MHAs (Mobile Home Axles) named by HUD (Housing Urban Development) were designed for NON-Highway use ONLY and are not DOT approved. Even if you change the tires, the axles do not meet DOT standards or approval. If you examine the axle there is not a stamped plate showing the ratings etc per DOT requirements... I doubt that you will ever get cited ONLY for MHA axles/tire, but it you are ever involved in an accident with your trailer.. be prepared for the worst. I had a friend that built a trailer with these axles, the spindle broke and caused an accident with another vehicle. The other person sued for failure to... or negligence of... something or another and won in court to the tune of $20,000.00.

A few other items to note. The 7 x 14.5 tire size is no longer DOT approved. An original trailer house axle exceeds the DOT width limitation and are cut down to fit the persons needs. When these are cut down they are usually not properly re-aligned and are out of alignment causing wear issues on tires and thus leading to stress and excessive wear on spindles, hubs and bearings.... leading to failures during use...

DO a little more due diligence with your local DMV or State Highway Patrol Dept before spending too much money.. Every state is a little different, but DOT usually holds pretty true through the country on fabricated/ home-built trailers.

GL

J

 

[Elbert]

my suggestion above is related to safety...etc. I have no idea what the OP hauls on the trailer mentioned....but generally speaking I would want to run a good 16 inch or 17 inch tire..especially on a goose neck or anything carrying significant weight. My be a good bit safer to seek some dedicated 6lug / 8 lug appropriate axles for the weight of the trailer and the weight its rated to haul, plus brakes on both axles. I've seen some designs and things that are crazy....better to be safe. My bumper pull trailer weighs around 3K dry...(nothing on the trailer 20Ft)... A goose neck trailer would most likely weight more than that dry...

Just throwing that out there...be careful and play it safe...

 

[itbrokeagain]

The trailer was originally built to haul a 16k forklift. I am hauling my 80 and other vehicles. I am leaning twords the 14.5 low boy tires for now. Who knows I may sell the trailer but for now I want to safely haul it down the road

 

[itbrokeagain]

I also forgot to mention I talked to a friend that went to moab this past summer and he runs mobile home tires. From Cincinnati to moab and back he went through the 3 spares he brought and pulled into his driveway on 3 wheels on his trailer. That is the other reason I am not going to run these tires. As far as the axles, they are narrowed and sleeved. I am not concerned with the axles. They are big enough for the trailer.

 

[ntsqd]

The axle tube maybe, what about the bearings? Are they big enough? I'd compare them to the bearing used on the most appropriate replacement axle. My guess is that they're too small.

 

[62FJ40]

Went through this a couple of years ago, tried everything to get them to work for a year and half. Spares are cheap when you can find them, bearings are more than adequate/ easy to source. load capacity is awesome, but you can't balance them, and for what ever reason they wear horribly, pull my trailer with a 9000 lb Excursion and vibration was ever present. They have no camber especially when cut and sleeved. My Grandfather pulled Mobil homes from Manufacturer in Texas all over the Western United states and had nothing but horror stories about them. I'm impressed that someone went from Cincinnati to Moab and back and only used 3 spares, I would have used that many from Phoenix to Moab. Put regular 3500lb trailer axles under it and problem solved! If you search you will find lots of guys that swear by them though. Billa Vista has a huge tech article on them over on Pirate.

 

[itbrokeagain]

So I finally thought to talk to a guy I know that is a county sheriff who is also a dot compliance officer. The axles and tires are legal in Ohio, however you are restricted in speed and weight. He did not know the numbers. His advice was if you use these tires on your trailer, make sure your lights, brakes, and tags are all good because if you get pulled over you want to make sure you are following all the rules. He also advised going with a low boy tire which is what I plan on doing when I get around to pulling the wheels off.

 

[itbrokeagain]

Alright so I pulled my wheels today to bring up to the tire store. These tires say U.S.A dot 53. Does that mean anything? They do not say single use or 50 mph speed limit. load range f at 100 psi. Made by Homaster. Made in china.