What's new
What's new

Obsolete Trailer Wheels?

maynah

Stainless
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Location
Maine
I'm looking at buying a trailer. I think in Maine I've heard that using mobile home axles won't pass inspection anymore. These wheels in my picture are on a Pack equipment trailer for sale. I'm sure they are factory and plenty rugged for the job. My question is, are these style wheels still legal in all states? Would the odd size tires, 8-14.5 LT, be a negative factor?
Thanks
 

Attachments

  • wheels.jpg
    wheels.jpg
    51.5 KB · Views: 1,053
I believe that the part of your "wheels" that might not pass inspection are the tires. Mobile home rated tires will not pass. If the tires have a "DOT" rating, you are good to go. That is how the man in blue explained it to me. Regards, Clark
 
Thanks, I thought it was the style of the wheel they didn't like.
Mobile home axles may not be up to the job either I suppose.
 
There are "lowboy" tires that would likely be legal.
Otherwise, changing hubs to more conventional wheels would work. I converted a set of MH axles to 8 bolt wheels some years back. I had a set of older MH axles back when they were made heavier (heavy spindles) The new ones have smaller spindles.
Redneck Trailer Parts has anything you could ever need.
 
Do residents of Maine have to have their trailers inspected? I'm from NY and use to register my trailer in Maine for the soul purpose of no inspection and 5 yr. registration.
 
I had a couple of trailers (dump trailer and equipment trailer) with these tires and I was unable to find used tires over the course of 5 years. Sold the trailers because it made more sense to replace the trailers than buy new tires. I would only buy such a trailer if the tires were in great shape and the trailer was cheap.
 
MGF, I think if the trailer is heavy enough you do need to inspect it.
The trailer I'm looking at probably would need it.

1. Inspection required. Except as provided in subsection 4, a commercial motor vehicle that is required to be registered in this State, is used in intrastate or interstate commerce and has a gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds, including the gross vehicle weight rating or gross weight of any trailer or semitrailer, must be inspected annually pursuant to this chapter. Except as provided in subsection 4, a trailer or semitrailer that has a gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating greater than 7,000 pounds, independent of the towing vehicle, must be inspected annually. A trailer or semitrailer must also be inspected annually when:


A. Engaged in interstate commerce and used with a motor vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds, including the gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating of a trailer or semitrailer and load; or [2007, c. 348, §2 (NEW).]


B. Except as provided in subsection 4, engaged in intrastate commerce and used with a motor vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds, including the gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating of a trailer or semitrailer and load.
 
You wouldn’t be bothered in my part of KS. It’s a pretty simple job to swap out hubs as long as at least one axle has breaks. Redneck Trailer is very helpful and will have everything you need.
 
A quick google search looks like you can still get HD mobile home trailer tires, load range G.
About $70 each.
 
OK - I am at a loss as to why on Earth a MH axle/wheel/tire would not be OK in any way, shape, or form for any other porpoise? I mean - come on! The things were able to carry 1/2 a house down the hwy at 60mph!

What part of this equazsion is not acceptable?

No - I have not ever used them. I have Dexter's under mine.


My dad had his semi trailer (farm) registered in Maine. He said that it was cheaper.
That was >40 yrs ago, but every once in a while I still see Maine plates.



-------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
OK - I am at a loss as to why on Earth a MH axle/wheel/tire would not be OK in any way, shape, or form for any other porpoise? I mean - come on! The things were able to carry 1/2 a house down the hwy at 60mph!


Think Snow Eh!
Ox

I think they’re meant to haul that .5 house *once only* and often on as many as 6 axles. The few I’ve helped out with have no load rating on the sidewall,
I don’t believe your state troopers or insurance company would be impressed if a failure caused an accident with your utility/livestock/dump or whatever trailer.
 
The local MH supply place sell those tires and rims $50 each, used once.

Brakes are getting hard to find (or so I have been told)
I won't touch any of that MH crap.

If you get the trailer cheap, plan on torching off the u-bolts,
drop those axles off, and replace the complete axle, brake,
hub and wheel/tire.

Probably $1k in parts.
 
Those "Dayton" style hubs and wheels used to be "common as dirt". Trailers, trucks, farm equipment--lots of stuff used them.
They had a nasty habit of coming loose with all kinds of bad consequences--I think they're pretty much illegal everywhere now.
I know they are here in B.C. and I haven't seen them on "any" piece of equipment for a long time. "Budd" wheels are all you see
these days.

I would lean toward replacing the entire axle assembly as well. I know lots of guys who used the axles and replaced the hubs and
brakes but you gotta remember that the axles were meant for--as others have said--"one-time" use so they're not likely as strong
as a DOT approved axle...
 
Here's a picture of the factory made trailer. I don't think those are mobile home axles.
But I don't see those type of wheels on any new trailers these days.
That's why I was wondering if the wheels were still legal.
It must depend on location.
 

Attachments

  • trailer.jpg
    trailer.jpg
    98.5 KB · Views: 282
Just buy "lowboy" tires, they are better than MH takeoffs, MH takeoffs are getting crappier now days (hardly any tread, cheap), just like the MH axles are. I've had them for years, have worked on them for years.
The older ones were quite good quality.
 
Lots of trailers used those. Not just mobile homes.

The MH axles you really need to avoid are any that do not have brakes or have riveted backing plates. Those cannot be repaired and are throwaway.

I have a trailer with 14.5" tires and they suck. I used to be able to get tires for it that would last awhile, but all you can get nowadays are China shit. The China tires will work fine for about 6 months. Then they rapidly deteriorate and fail. Last trip I was about 70% of load rating of the tires for 75 miles. I had 2 tires blow out for no apparent reason and the tires were 2 years old.

I have 8 lug hubs to swap onto that trailer, but I still need 4 tires and wheels and to redo the fenders. Hard to justify the time.
 
Here's a picture of the factory made trailer. I don't think those are mobile home axles.
But I don't see those type of wheels on any new trailers these days.
That's why I was wondering if the wheels were still legal.
It must depend on location.

That looks identical to my equipment trailer except mine was yellow. I managed to sell it with 4 ok tires and a pair of functioning brakes for $1000 Cnd about two years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
They had a nasty habit of coming loose with all kinds of bad consequences--I think they're pretty much illegal everywhere now.
I nearly got the top of my car caved in in August 1992 crossing the Rockies on I-90 by a MH wheel that "came loose". The mobile home hauler was ahead of me about a quarter or third mile and the two of us were the only vehicles on the road nearby. He lost an outer wheel which went bounding high in the air. It bounced two or three times before I passed its location. It came down to my right, which is when I realized I was doing about 70 on the grassy (not concrete) shoulder and it landed square in the middle of the lane I had been in.

I caught up with the hauler a bit further down the road and he walked all the way back to retrieve the wheel. Felt a bit sorry for his passenger, who apparently owned the MH being hauled.
 
I had a trailer with that type of wheel attachment mechanism on it.. Now it may
just be me (I can be a little retarded at times), but what a pain in the ass...

I found it really easy to get the tire WAY off center.. If the trailer was empty,
and it wasn't a light one, 2200lbs, it would bounce and hop and wiggle and do all
kinds of stuff.. Loaded it wasn't bad..

I'd actually take a dial indicator out and put it on the tire to make sure it was
somewhat centered.. What is so damn difficult about 5 holes and a countersink??
 








 
Back
Top