midnightrider1300 Posted June 1, 2012 Share #1 Posted June 1, 2012 can bigger wheels and tires be put on this w/o a lot of trouble? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubber Posted June 1, 2012 Share #2 Posted June 1, 2012 I believe they come with 8" wheels (4 bolt) and there are 12" 4 bolt wheels available. Some here use 8" wheels and have had no problems. 8" will work just fine! The bigger the wheel the easier it rolls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes0778 Posted June 1, 2012 Share #3 Posted June 1, 2012 I believe they come with 8" wheels (4 bolt) and there are 12" 4 bolt wheels available. Some here use 8" wheels and have had no problems. 8" will work just fine! The bigger the wheel the easier it rolls. Don't want to say it very loud, but the original 8" tires on my Tag Along have something over 13,000 miles on them. and depending on how they look, tomorrow, I'll be running them back home (930 miles) from MD. I did change the wheel bearings last month, but the originals were in almost perfect shape. I did put 3ozs of Ride-On in them and that seems to have taken some of the bounce out of the trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubber Posted June 1, 2012 Share #4 Posted June 1, 2012 Wes, aren't you supposed to partying, working, performing maintenance or are you the dedicated supervisor this year? Do I have to rent the Hubble Telescope again this year to look in on you guys to make sure your not there just holding down the chairs and sucking up suds? :rotf: Jeeeze! You let them out of your sight for just a few moments and they wander off and do all kinds af foolish things and they don't even let you participate. Isn't Don keeping an eye on you (no pun intended)? I guess I better get the Oberlin police number handy just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted June 1, 2012 Share #5 Posted June 1, 2012 Before this thread gets totally hijacked, I would ask why you want to change to 12" wheels/tires? I know they say 55 MPH speed limit for the trailer, but I've had mine on the superslab @ 75/80 MPH for many miles, and it's still fine. I think the additional expense for 12" wheels/tires would be a waste of $. Money would be better spent on repacking the bearings and another 8" set-up for a spare.Just my . I would say that the wheels that come with the kit are not the best looking, but fully functional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidley Posted June 1, 2012 Share #6 Posted June 1, 2012 Donnie, It all depends upon how handy you are and how much aggravation you want to give yourself. It can be done, but you'll have to relocate fenders and that will cause fitting issues with the cargo box. I have had several HF trailers, some home made with car topper boxes and others complete. I have custom built trailers also, Marcarl has my 1st custom built trailer I made out of a diamond plate truck box. The majority of them have had 8" tires and rims, I had 1 with 12" tires. If your worried about running them with 8" rims, dont be. As long as you keep the bearings greased with good quality wheel bearing grease and watch the air pressures, they will run a long time. If you have any questions feel free to PM or call me #'s in my profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnightrider1300 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share #7 Posted June 3, 2012 Donnie, It all depends upon how handy you are and how much aggravation you want to give yourself. It can be done, but you'll have to relocate fenders and that will cause fitting issues with the cargo box. I have had several HF trailers, some home made with car topper boxes and others complete. I have custom built trailers also, Marcarl has my 1st custom built trailer I made out of a diamond plate truck box. The majority of them have had 8" tires and rims, I had 1 with 12" tires. If your worried about running them with 8" rims, dont be. As long as you keep the bearings greased with good quality wheel bearing grease and watch the air pressures, they will run a long time. If you have any questions feel free to PM or call me #'s in my profile. Squidley, Thanks I appreciate that offer... It's always best to ask & get views from people aho have been there done that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnightrider1300 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share #8 Posted June 3, 2012 Before this thread gets totally hijacked, I would ask why you want to change to 12" wheels/tires? I know they say 55 MPH speed limit for the trailer, but I've had mine on the superslab @ 75/80 MPH for many miles, and it's still fine. I think the additional expense for 12" wheels/tires would be a waste of $. Money would be better spent on repacking the bearings and another 8" set-up for a spare.Just my . I would say that the wheels that come with the kit are not the best looking, but fully functional. Well to be honest YEARS ago had bad experience with a boat trailer with 8'' rims...blow outs and couldn't keep bearings in it, switched to 12'' and it solved the problem ...the 12'' tire doesn't have to turn as much as the 8'' ... BUT from what I see posted I will stay with the 8'' when I get it.. Thanks for your input... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidley Posted June 3, 2012 Share #9 Posted June 3, 2012 Well to be honest YEARS ago had bad experience with a boat trailer with 8'' rims...blow outs and couldn't keep bearings in it, switched to 12'' and it solved the problem ...the 12'' tire doesn't have to turn as much as the 8'' ... BUT from what I see posted I will stay with the 8'' when I get it.. Thanks for your input... Donnie, Something else I install on every trailer I own is bearing buddies. The beauty of them is before I get ready to head out on a long trip, or atleast once a year I jack each tire off the ground and spin it as I pump grease into the bearing buddy. When I get a little grease out of the weeping hole I know that my bearings are fully packed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnightrider1300 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share #10 Posted June 3, 2012 Donnie, Something else I install on every trailer I own is bearing buddies. The beauty of them is before I get ready to head out on a long trip, or atleast once a year I jack each tire off the ground and spin it as I pump grease into the bearing buddy. When I get a little grease out of the weeping hole I know that my bearings are fully packed yea having a trailer w/o bearing buddies is like have having a fishing rod w/o a real ...those are the best things since MtDew lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes0778 Posted June 4, 2012 Share #11 Posted June 4, 2012 The Tag Along comes with 4.80X8 tires, but I guess there are 5.60(I think)X8 tires must be available, as I saw a couple at MD. The were mounted on 4 bolt 8" wheels. They are noticeably taller than the 4.80s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted June 4, 2012 Share #12 Posted June 4, 2012 I have to say I was kinda worried about the piggy backer when I bought it due to it having 8" tires but after our run to B2Mom/Dad's meet I have to say I was real pleased 1,400 miles and 5 states later they never gave me any trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizard765 Posted June 4, 2012 Share #13 Posted June 4, 2012 We have a HF frame under ours with 8" tires and the ONLY time we use it is on longer trips if we are going somewhere and overnighting. Anyhow usually on these longer trips Superslab is part of the package and Hwy speeds. Never been an issue at all and I don't even think about it any more.. Just as Squidley said make sure you pack the bearings with good grease.. I'm in the habit (with any trailer) to stop and feel the hubs after a short haul on any trip to see if they are getting warm.. On another note I had a pop up camper for many years and would blow a left tire on every long trip. Was driving me crazy. I had a freind at the time that was a body man and engineer. He checked it and it was way out of square. Turns out the PO had jackknifed it. Anyhow he was able to square it up and never had another problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes0778 Posted June 4, 2012 Share #14 Posted June 4, 2012 I have to say I was kinda worried about the piggy backer when I bought it due to it having 8" tires but after our run to B2Mom/Dad's meet I have to say I was real pleased 1,400 miles and 5 states later they never gave me any trouble. I'm kinda disappointed in the life of the original equipment tires that came on my Tag Along!!! Gee They only have somewhere around 12-13,000 miles on them and looks like I'm gonna have to replace them when I get home...:stirthepot::stirthepot::rotf::rotf::rotf: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted June 4, 2012 Share #15 Posted June 4, 2012 I have the 8" HF trailer and after 430 miles of 70-75mph both the hubs and tires were still cool to the touch. I was at about 400 lbs with 20psi. Do not run the 60 max psi called for an the sidewall of the tire that pressure is for if you are carrying a load at the max weight rating of the tire. Most of us are are in the range of 20-30psi. I was at about 400 lbs with 20psi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV1100SE Posted June 4, 2012 Share #16 Posted June 4, 2012 For the "Tag-Along" trailer, what size of Bearing Buddies did you get? I see there are two sizes available - 1.78" for 3/4" and 1.98" for 1". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacheedah Posted June 4, 2012 Share #17 Posted June 4, 2012 I agree, I pulled it 80mph to and from maint day, bearings were repacked two trips ago with a quality marine bearing grease and they never get hot with it jam packed and a loaded cooler. I like the line on it with 8" wheels, when you put the 12's on you raise the cg and the angle to make it look like it's leaning down in front. I personally like it strait and level ( like it was made for the bike) and were really not into off roading with these things. from a lifetime of pulling trailers, I feel most failures are improper loading, improperly seated and over tightened or neglected bearings. I repack mine annually and load it where it has a slight hitch weight. If you use bearing buddies you still need to pull them off, inspect the bearings and surfaces, repack and refresh your grease annually. Checking the lugs is also on your ritual. On the side of the road is a very lonely and frustrating place to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidley Posted June 5, 2012 Share #18 Posted June 5, 2012 For the "Tag-Along" trailer, what size of Bearing Buddies did you get? I see there are two sizes available - 1.78" for 3/4" and 1.98" for 1". Best bet is to pull your bearing cap off and take it with you to measure and match it. This way you'll absolutely know it's right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captdrac Posted June 6, 2012 Share #19 Posted June 6, 2012 My wife and I took the HF trailer along for a 2 week trip to Vegas. The pay load was appox. 300lbs (suitcases, camp gear, cooler, a few extra cycle & trailer parts/tools). In 5000 miles, the only problem we had was w/ the 4 to 5 wire converter. The trailer pulled very well in the desert @ 85mph, in the 85mph test areas of Nevada. We ran into a fellow rider that changed his wheels to 12". He didn't change the finders, just the wheels. He didn't use a offset hitch, so the trailer slanted down tward the cycle. I greased the wheel bearings before we left. HF doesn't put much grease in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now