Trailer Restoration/Wheel Upgrade

[oldjeep]

I'm a big fan of 14/15 on trailers and 17 on trucks. Never underestimate the shock absorbing ability, pothole and curb resistance of a tire vs a big hunk of aluminum.

[oldjeep]

I have a buddy who has a VTX with a trailer that has been sprayed with Rhinoliner. It is definitely tough, and non-skid, which is great on the fenders. But it has a flat black look to it. That's fine if that's what your after, but most of these trailers have a glossy finish on them.

LineX has a few other options though. It has a glossy look to it. And you can have them spray it with a couple grit options to it.....ie; the hard sandy finish, a softer rubbery grit, or none at all. No grit will turn out with an orange peel look to it, rubbery & tough. It can be slick when it's wet, but is a good surface to stick diamond plate, Hydroturf, or whatever.

rhino liner looking stuff on the fenders is a stock option that you can also get on the whole trailer frame. Definitely nice for traction and durability, if you care about dust it collects dust like bedliner in a truck. I've got it on the fenders and it is so much nicer than a shiny paint or even worse - chrome/SS Edited October 26, 2015 by oldjeep

[BlknYlwT22]

If only I had $1200 into wheels and tires.

I know you found a used set from a Supra trailer but am not sure I will find something used that I like locally. If you have suggestions on where to find some used 18s for roughly $600, I am all ears.

These look pretty awesome for 14's. Priced right too. Get 5 of em and keep your tires.

http://www.trailer-wheels.com/14x55-Viper-Black-Machined-Aluminum-T07-Trailer-Wheel-5-Lug-1900-lb-Max-Load_p_957.html

Those are the exact wheels I tried to link on the first page and that is the plan at this point.

[ahopkins22LSV]

^^ Those are basically what we have on our trailer. I really like them. Changed the look a lot from the regular chrome trailer wheels. Kind of a pain to clean them, but all nicer wheels are going to be like that.

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[Nitrousbird]

I know you found a used set from a Supra trailer but am not sure I will find something used that I like locally. If you have suggestions on where to find some used 18s for roughly $600, I am all ears.

I found 4 used wheels (tires were new) for $1200 (might have been $1250). That doesn't include the spare wheel/tire I had to purchase...that wheel new was around $340 shipped if I recall and another $100 for a used tire.

As for a set of $600 wheels, that might be possible. Not the wheels I have, but XD's are pretty popular so you might find something used in that price range...though used wheels that fit a trailer don't come up all that often.

[Michigan boarder]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but will a trailer wheel fit on any trailer? Are there different lug patterns?

[oldjeep]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but will a trailer wheel fit on any trailer? Are there different lug patterns?

Almost all 5 lug trailer wheels are 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern so chances are really good they will fit. You can run into width issues if you are substituting a different tire size than stock. Also a "real" trailer wheel is 0 offset, meaning that the mounting surface is exactly in the middle, but you do see some that are set up more like car wheels where it is not centered. Those can cause fit issues and really wear on your wheel bearings.

Edited October 27, 2015 by oldjeep

[MadMan]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but will a trailer wheel fit on any trailer? Are there different lug patterns?

Trailer/truck rims also are stronger. They are rated at a higher tire pressure(psi) so that they can carry higher loads. If you're staying below 50 psi, any rim is probably ok.