I have the ever-present 480-12 tires/wheels on my trailer. Need to replace on side, but given how cheap wheels/tires are, I was going to either go higher diameter to trailer on freeway better or go wit the short, fat 10 inch ones to make movement around beach/launches easier. It's a pain to launch and retrieve now (not so much launch, but retrieving's a pain).

Where's everyone gone with this? I move the beast by hand a lot also. I'm leaning toward squeezing a 14 inch tire/wheel in there. I can make the room as the fenders are adjustable.

I daysail and always end up going highway speeds.

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Chuck C.
H21SE 408
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If cruising at highway speeds often, go tall.
The hub will thank you.

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Joshua

Texas Gulf Coast
'82 Prindle 16 (Badfish)
'02 Hobie Wave (Unnamed Project)
‘87 Hobie 18 (Sold)
‘89 Hobie 17 (ill-advised project boat, Sold)
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OK, then. I'll figure a way to better winch the boat up; thinking ramps or making the trailer tilt better.

Taller it is then. Thanks-

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Chuck C.
H21SE 408
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I went with 5.30-12 tires on my trailer. Mostly this was out of necessity - I was travelling to a regatta and got a blowout. The local West Marine didn’t have 4.80-12 wheels in my lug pattern so had to bump up one size. Anyway, depending on how much load you carry on your trailer, these may be worth considering since they are the same diameter as the 4.80-12 but are slightly wider and have a higher load rating IIRC.

On a related note- don’t assume that the lug wrench for your tow vehicle is compatible with your trailer lugs. I’ve gotten burned on that one more than once. Since then I’ve concluded that the $30 or so to buy a dedicated breaker bar and socket for the trailer lugs that can be stored with each trailer (not in the car) is well worth the investment in peace of mind.

sm

I'm changing from bias ply to radial, but staying 4.80 X 12. Read down, the radial is C rated for load and to 81mph for speed. I've never had a blow out on my trailers and don't want to. Somehow the bias plys (most only rated to 55mph) have held up over the years but I replace them about every two years whether they look bad or not. The scariest thing about running old tires (more than 5 years old) is if the sidewalls have cracks in them, if so they're dry rotted , very unsafe and can blow anytime. Dry rot is much accelerated if your rig sits on the ground instead of pavement or concrete and doesn't move often.

The other thing about these tires that I've discovered is that if you run them at max. pressure they wear out in the center very quickly so I have generally run Bs at 40psig and Cs at 50 psig. Yes I know that all the tire folks will tell you to run them at max but...

https://www.etrailer.com/…Taskmaster/TT48012C.html

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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
MacGregor 25 (formerly)
Chrysler Dagger 14 (formerly)
NACRA 5.0 (currently)
High Point, NC
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Also watch your fenders...most are sized for one size of tire and if you put larger tires on the fenders can dig in when you have the trailer loaded and the suspension compressed. Best to stick with tires+rims that were originally specified by the OEM vendor.

5.30-12 tires on all my cat my trailers.



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Master UniRig Sailor
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I have local mast up storage but trailer 2500+ miles a year for regattas/vacations. My Steelco trailer is heavy...it came with the fat 10" tires, and I did not like them. They seemed to wear funny, giving a rough ride, and the extra width seemed to be of little benefit (if any) when moving the rig by hand in the sand. I switched to the 4.80-12s and am much happier with them. Actually had no problems back when I ran 4.80-8s on older boats, but I'm sure my hubs are happier!

I know some of the Hobie road warriors use the 13s/14s (that can be balanced like a "real" tire), but that would just be overkill/extra expense for me. Wouldn't even have a good place to put the spare.

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi
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Northern Tool Supply - $100 for a pair of 5.30 x 12, on the rim, and Class C load rating.

Disposable and made it on the road 6 hours, so yeah. Seem to be the ticket. I'll just replace wheels and tires every 2-3 years if it continues. Coincidentally got some galvanized 13 inch rims, so will have a choice now. The 13's can be had in steel belted radial, meaning can go even fatter/less air, if need be for sand.

Thanks guys!

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Chuck C.
H21SE 408
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