Advice for taking 33" MT on 500 mi one-way wheeling trip

[kenton]

Hey guys,
I am travelling from Chicago to the U.P. of Michigan this weekend to wheel my stock 80 (well, scenic touring). 1,000 miles round trip, leaving Thursday evening, back home Monday evening. I have some 33x1250R15 MT's with internal beadlocks that I'd like to wheel with. My regular tires are stock Michelin LTX's. I welded up a little rear 'cargo carrier' that holds all four tires down low off the rear hitch. I tried it out yesterday carrying the tires to work and the 300-odd pounds hanging about 4 feet behind the rear axle really pulls the back down and makes it drive oddly.

My questiion is, what should I do?
1) 'wheel' with the LTX's, leave the BFG MT's at home.
2) shod the rig with the (unbalanced, beadlocked) MT's the whole time, leave the stock LTX's at home.
3) drive the LTX's on the highway, carry the MT's up there and back, swap them on Friday and off Sunday.

Anyone tried this kind of thing? I could also lay the MT's on the roof for the trip, but it seemed like a drag literally and figuratively.
I'm sure I'll regret not having the MT's if I don't have them, we'll be wheeling Turtle Ridge ORV park on Drummond Island which is supposed to have all you could ask for, rocks, trails, hills, sand. But 1,000 highway miles on beadlocked MT's doesnt seem smart-- they have 12 oz. of BB;s for balancing (no weights), which works okay but there's still a wobble, and I can see the tread melting like butter.

Any one stupid enough to try this, but smart enough to give good advice?
Thanks,
Kenton

 

[lovetoski]

Rent/buy a small trailer?

 

[alaskacruiser]

kenton- I haven't seen your hitch mounted carrier, but I have pictures in my head of it coming apart on the highway and your tires rolling every which way (hopefully not into following vehicles). If you are considering carrying the MTs on your homemade carrier, I'd definitely reconsider. lovetoski has a good suggestion- Uhaul, etc. rents small trailers for cheap.

 

[kenton]

If I use it, my carrier will not come apart unless in a serious accident. I used 180A MIG on high, good (functioning, not pretty) welds nearly every area of every joint.
It is a very simple three-piece, gussetted assembly: 2x2-.188 tube is the backbone with two 2x1-.125 tube crossbars. Looks like the American Lung Assoc symbol. The tires were strapped down for the test run in a row on the cross bars, oriented same as the tires on the 80.
I'm too cheap to rent a trailer. Uhaul doesn't rent for cheap a trailer for a 1,000-mile 6-day (to them: pick up Wed, drop off Tue) round trip. It was like $500. I'd consider buying a good, cheap used trailer that I thought would make the trip. If I could find one.

Kenton

 

[Nay]

Balance the muds and drive. Is there some reason you can't run these tires on the highway if properly balanced?

 

[TroutRunner]

Balance the muds and drive. Is there some reason you can't run these tires on the highway if properly balanced?

I agree, balance the suckers and drive. There are plenty of folks around here who drive with the MT's. I just did a 1000mi + trip on the MT/R's.

TR

 

[Mickldo]

Can you fit tyres other than MTs to cruisers?

I have been driving on MTs for the past 100,000km. First 33" Bridgestone Dueller MTs and now 285 Goodyear MT/Rs. I wouldn't go back to ATs or HTs.

To answer your question go for a trailer to carry your spare tyres if they won't balance. This is what I do to carry my 35" Simex 'Pedes down to LCMP for hardcore weekends.

 

[Bob_Garrett]

I did this several years ago with my 80 for a trip from Kansas City to Colorado. I drove there and back on my ATs and took a set of MTs for wheeling. I put 2 inside the rig, one underneath in the factory spare location and one on the roof.

 

[turbocruiser]

Sheesh, are MT's, particularly MT/R's by GY, that bad to drive on the highways?

 

[MDarius]

If you considered renting a trailer for $500, you could buy one from Costco/Home depot for $650. Sounds like a good excuse to add a toy to the collection. "Look honey, it's a cost trade off - drive on the MT's and have to buy $1000 of new tires, rent a trailer for just a week for $500 and get nothing out of it, or buy a new trailer we can use all the time." No brainer.

But, everybody else says balnce 'em and drive. Sounds cheaper, but you won't get your new trailer!

 

[lowenbrau]

33" MTs *are* highway tires. Run them and throw out the Michelins. Later on you can buy some off road tires for wheeling.

 

[kenton]

Heh heh pretty funny there lowenbrau-- my guess is you're not saving for kids' college and wedding expenses, right?
Those of us who are, don't use tires without a tread life warranty on the highway if we can avoid it. Whenever I do I can almost see the dollar bills spilling out behind me: from the tread wear, gas mileage, increased wear on brakes and suspension components, etc...
In general I see there aren't alot of cheapskates like me around on this forum... As these 80's get cheaper and cheaper, maybe more of us will crop up like mushrooms?
Kenton

 

[alia176]

Kenton,

Running beadlocks on the hwy with family, doesn't seem like the best idea to me.

Running trails w/o sliders is asking for trouble. So force yourself to stay out of the crazy stuff by only using the Michelins.

Ali

 

[firetruck41]

Hve you already test fitted the 15" wheels w/MTs? Not many 15" wheels will fit an FZJ80 with out grinding the brake calipers down to fit.

 

[TroutRunner]

Sheesh, are MT's, particularly MT/R's by GY, that bad to drive on the highways?

Not bad at all. I don't even think they are loud. This is the first set of MT's I've owned. To be honest, I put the MT/R's on and just drive wherever. Like I said I just did a long trip on the highway and camping offroad. 75mph on the hwy and always do great for me offroad.

TR

 

[kenton]

Hve you already test fitted the 15" wheels w/MTs? Not many 15" wheels will fit an FZJ80 with out grinding the brake calipers down to fit.

I did. I angle-ground about 1/8" (2 seconds quick zip with the grinder) down on two tabs on both rear calipers. I don't know what those tabs are there for, they have no functional or structural purpose I could see.

By the way, these 15" wheels are beat up, bent and rusty, (but free!) which is fine for wheeling but not so great for highway ride safety so I guess my option two is even stupider than the other ideas. They'll balance, but with huge weights that won't fit past the rear calipers without serious grinding, and they get knocked off/bent while wheeling anyway, so I've given up balancing them.

So, I still may carry the MT's on back, but it sounds like that isn't a majority opinion. I'll keep my eyes open for a trailer.

Later, thanks for the input so far gang,
Kenton