Re: [omc-boats] Tire saga

Ethan, NAPA will have the bearings you need - listed in their marine parts book
- Dave

Ethan Brodsky wrote:

> One of my frustrations since I bought my boat ('70 Evinrude Explorer 16)
> has been the 9" tires installed on the original OMC trailer. Over the
> course of 3 months or so of use, I've had to take tires in six times for
> repairs. Three were because my neighbors had slashed them and three
> were just unexplained flats. I think the main reason for the flats
> is that I was running the tires at 50-60 psi, instead of the 100 psi that
> it says on the tire sidewall. This was mainly because the guys at the
> local tire shop refused to fill them beyond 50 psi and made me go outside
> to fill them any higher. I noticed recently that, when I went over bumps
> in the road, the the tires would be distorted nearly to the point of the
> rim contacting the ground.
>
> I've been wanting to replace the tires with larger ones for a while, but
> hadn't found the time yet. Last weekend, I had a tube replaced, took it
> home, pumped it up to 75 psi, and noticed that it was already leaking. That
> was the final straw, and I found a local place that had some larger wheels
> that would fit.
>
> Yesterday afternoon I pumped up the low tire (from 30 psi to 55 psi) and
> set out on the ~6 mile drive to the tire place. I was keeping a really
> close eye on the tire the entire way - the last few weeks I've spent more
> time looking in the side mirrors than in front of me. I'd just gotten off
> the highway and was on the street with the shop, about a mile away, when
> the tire blew out.
>
> I didn't have a spare, so I just drove the last mile at 15-20 mph with my
> flashers on, as the trailer clanked along on the rim, smoking and spewing
> chunks of rubber. I figured the worst that would happen would be that the
> tire would catch on fire, though I was a little afraid of breaking the
> spindle or something like that.
>
> Anyway, I made it to the tire place without breaking anything any further.
> The rim actually looks fine - it appears that I didn't damage it at all.
> Of course the wheels they had didn't fit - the center holes were slightly
> too small. This is even after I repeatedly asked on the phone ("You're
> sure they'll fit? My trailer needs a 3.25" center hole, not the usual
> 'large' 3.125". You're sure? You're sure?) Evidently they didn't bother
> to measure them, because they were 1/8" too small. A few minutes with a
> die grinder was all it took to modify each wheel to fit. Thanks to the
> folks at Broadway Tire for staying late to get them on.
>
> So my trailer now rides on a a set of 13" wheels with 185/80-13 tires, an
> 1480 lb @... 50 psi ST tire on one side and a 1310 lb @... 35 psi rated P tire on
> the other. I'll hopefully get another ST tire in the next week or so and
> then I'll use the P-rated one as a spare.
>
> The trailer feels so much lighter now when I tow it. I didn't really
> believe it at first, but it really feels like there is significantly less
> drag - a few times I didn't even notice the trailer was there. It's hard
> to believe so much power goes into the tires, but I guess that's while I
> blew the old tire.
>
> The next step for me is bearings - does anyone know which bearings I should
> order? I've got the single axle trailer with disc brakes.
>
> Ethan
>
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Received on Wednesday, 29 June 2005