Trailer Tires

Sheltoon

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Our dealer is recommending 10" wheels instead of 13" because he says it will be easier to get the toon in and out of shallower waters. We don't have a lake home so we will be traveling 15 miles up to 150 miles to put the toon in water. What's everyone's opinions on the 10" or 13"?
 
If the tires are rated correctly for the load 10” is nice if you frequent lakes with shallow access. If you do not need shallow access go 13” tires.
 
Smaller tires equals more rpm’s so more bearing stress/wear. If not necessary, I’d go 13’s. Also, wheel size is one thing, what’s the TIRE SIZE difference?
I can adjust tire sizes so height is same for 10” or 13” wheels.
 
!3 Safety before shallow water ! Is 3" gonna matter? Just back in a little farther.
 
I was a fan of the smaller tire trailer, (washing, taking cover on and off etc...) but my dealer said he quit selling them because several people had come from out of state to purchase and had bearing failure before making it home. My trailer has 205-75-14
 
Hard to imagine finding a 10" tire that is road-rated.
I once had an 18' Hobie Magnum that we raced - drove it all over TX and to Louisiana. The original trailer tires were golf cart tires. Seriously! I know the boat weighed less than the trailer, but c'mon! Max speed for the tires was like 20mph! Just because somebody will sell them to you, doesn't mean they're the right thing. First thing I did was trade mine out.

As with everything, you don't need the safety margin until you really need it, and then its too late.
 
!3 Safety before shallow water ! Is 3" gonna matter? Just back in a little farther.
3 inches can be huge!
I've seen a trailer wrecked beyond repair because it fell off the end of a ramp where some thoughtless fishermen were powering on causing a big drop off.
 
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I am all for taller tires on everything....except pontoon trailer for short range towing.
 
!3 Safety before shallow water ! Is 3" gonna matter? Just back in a little farther.
That 3” “tire height” difference is really only 1-1/2” difference in ride height.
 
I have had the 10" tires for 15 years on my Hoosier trailers. I need the lower height for the ferry ride to get low pricing which saves me 50% on the passage. My first trailer never had a tire problem in 10 years. On the new second trailer in 2015 had a tire tread come off on the way up. Used the only spare. I was Nascar pit crew fast changing it in a sketchy part of Detroit. FIL brought up a new tire when they came up. I got it mounted in Canada. On the way back another tire delaminated 100 miles from home. Put on the only spare on the side of I75 and hoped we could get home OK. The brand of tire was different then the tires from the first trailer. I had kept the spare from the first trailer and put it on the new trailer. I bought 4 new tires from the same brand as the first trailer and have had no problems since 2016. The original tire manufactory offered to warranty the tires but I did not trust the brand and declined. They are E rated and air pressure is 90 PSI. I tow above the speed limit for 750 miles each way and love the trailer. It is very stable because there is no sidewall flex in the tires. Never had a bearing problem in 15 years.
 
I think many of the trailer manufacturers put the cheapest (meaning crappiest) tires on to save a few bucks. I have heard many stories like the above where the tire delaminates or splits open within 200 miles. The end user buys and puts decent tires on and have minimal issues for years.
 
Remediation what brand tires have you had good luck with?

I am having trouble finding 10 inch tires that are rated high enough for for my 25r

I have had 4 tires fail in 3 years trailering 60 mile round trip 20 times a year. 2 were barely over a year old. And they were only a few months old by the date code on them
 
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