Light load LR D

[gearhead]

Looking for opinions, especially CW or anyone professionally associated with tires. I just replaced the tires on my trailer for my john boat. The boat and trailer can't weigh over 2,000 pounds. It had OEM LR B 13" tires. I got a good deal from WalMart.com on Carlisle Radial Trail HD LR D. They are rated for 65 PSI, which is overkill for my load. I've got 60 PSI in them now. I know that it is recommended to run ST tires at max PSI. What PSI would you run these at?

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Looking for opinions, especially CW or anyone professionally associated with tires. I just replaced the tires on my trailer for my john boat. The boat and trailer can't weigh over 2,000 pounds. It had OEM LR B 13" tires. I got a good deal from WalMart.com on Carlisle Radial Trail HD LR D. They are rated for 65 PSI, which is overkill for my load. I've got 60 PSI in them now. I know that it is recommended to run ST tires at max PSI. What PSI would you run these at?

Did you look at the sidewall of the tires? It says 65 PSI.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Looking for opinions, especially CW or anyone professionally associated with tires. I just replaced the tires on my trailer for my john boat. The boat and trailer can't weigh over 2,000 pounds. It had OEM LR B 13" tires. I got a good deal from WalMart.com on Carlisle Radial Trail HD LR D. They are rated for 65 PSI, which is overkill for my load. I've got 60 PSI in them now. I know that it is recommended to run ST tires at max PSI. What PSI would you run these at? MAX!

We lived in Jacksonville, FL for 23 years before going full time RVing. While there I owned three jon boats. The last was the largest being 16’ with a 72” beam. About 50% of my fishing was done in brackish waters. With that rig I used ST205/75D14 LRC tires and replaced the whole wheel assemblies every two years.

Before FL we lived at Virginia Beach, VA for 7 years. All of my fishing there was from my 17’ deep-vee in salt water. After the first year I got galvanized wheels and uses bias ply tires. I changed them every year. Most of the boat ramps I used had wash racks. Without a good wash down I doubt the tires would last more than year. All of my tires were overkill for the weight of my rigs fully loaded.

[Ken / Claudia]

I think this is a if you know what the max. weight is and never over that weight you can look up a psi chart and see what weight that tire at xx lbs will carry or just fill to max. cold psi and forget it. With RVs and boats almost every trip will have different weights on the tires so following the sidewall on ST tires makes sense, and is easy to follow.
Cons can be mentioned that I do not think can be proved: max psi makes more bounce that can cause more wear/tear on the equipment. Or do not use max psi because the center of the tire will wear out sooner. OK that may be true, but for most people they age out long before wearing out tread.

[gearhead]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Did you look at the sidewall of the tires? It says 65 PSI.

Yes, that's why I said they are rated for 65PSI.

[gearhead]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

We lived in Jacksonville, FL for 23 years before going full time RVing. While there I owned three jon boats. The last was the largest being 16’ with a 72” beam. About 50% of my fishing was done in brackish waters. With that rig I used ST205/75D14 LRC tires and replaced the whole wheel assemblies every two years.

Before FL we lived at Virginia Beach, VA for 7 years. All of my fishing there was from my 17’ deep-vee in salt water. After the first year I got galvanized wheels and uses bias ply tires. I changed them every year. Most of the boat ramps I used had wash racks. Without a good wash down I doubt the tires would last more than year. All of my tires were overkill for the weight of my rigs fully loaded.

Hmmm...I've never seen a boat ramp with a wash rack. Can't imagine what one would even look like.
So, you're saying salt water is bad for tires? My tires on my bay boat (21ft fiberglass deep V) are 4 years old and look new. I DO wash the rig at a car wash or at home after use and store it in my garage though.

[gearhead]

I think I'll just run the trailer tires with the air pressure somewhere between 30 and 65.
I run my unloaded dually at 45 PSI instead of the rated 80PSI.

[sourdough]

Brent the consensus from everything I've read, including those that are supposed to know, is to run the ST tire at the max rated on the side. They aren't made to flex, give etc. like a car/truck tire. Even had an industry rep say that same thing. I would run them at 65psi. and see what's what. If that wanted to throw the boat into the bar ditch I would lower it, keep a very close eye on the tires and just replace them sooner rather than later. If you got a good price on them that wouldn't hurt either. Only thing I don't like is that on a single axle trailer (my assumption) I've only lost a tire one time....don't want that again.

[JRTJH]

Sometimes, things just won't work the way we'd like them to work...

This may be a case of "too much tire" to reasonably use on that trailer...

Compare it to a 1/2" torque wrench with a 20-210 foot pound range. Could you "reasonably" torque a nut to 15 inch pounds by setting that torque wrench below the recommended lowest setting????

This may be a very similar situation in that no matter how low you adjust the pressure, in order to prevent sidewall flexing and premature failure, you may find the lowest pressure to be far greater than the trailer will tolerate.

Sure, you can "keep letting air out of the tires until it rides smoothly, but if you are then "running the tires flat" what have you gained ???

That said, load range B tires typically max at 35PSI, LRC at 50 PSI, LRD at 65PSI and LRE at 80 PSI. You replaced the LRB (35PSI tires) with these that are rated at 65PSI. I'd "try" to find a reasonable pressure somewhere below the max and well above the min (35PSI). I'd start around 50PSI and adjust from there based on how the trailer tows and how it feels/looks in the rear view mirror. If it's bouncing all over the road, lower the pressure, if it looks good, just watch it and keep checking the tread for irregular wear.

[gearhead]

It could have had LR C on it.
It has kinda been a cluster to start with. FedEx was supposed to deliver them to our house. Got a text saying they were delivered. They weren't at our house. Went to WalMart, they had 2 of the 3 ordered in customer pick up. They're looking for the 3rd.
I got a pretty good deal on them. Maybe $160 for 3 of them.
Apparently just off the boat...built date of 28 2021, I think it was.
I'll run them at 60 or 65 and see how it works.
It has a bit of weight on the transom....35HP B&S Vanguard, I think about 260 pounds. Not like a 10HP outboard. Maybe that will anchor it down some.

[gearhead]

What it is:

[Ken / Claudia]

Good looking boat.
With my last boat trailer using 13" tires sold in 2007. I do not remember load range or brand. When I replaced the factory tires I went up 1 load range and as I recall that set lasted in the 5-6 year range when the factory tires lasted about 2-3 years. Many duck hunts I pulled it on a 280 mile round trip.

[JRTJH]

Nice looking rig. My only concern with the LRD tires (actually with any tires on that trailer) would be bouncing at high tire pressure. Many transoms in boats like that are wood with some aluminum reinforcement along the motor mount. Occasionally, there's a beam that runs from one side of the transom all the way across....

Installing any motor on the transom and then bouncing down the highway will put lots of stress on the transom. A few hard hit holes can crack the transom causing problems a year or so later....

If you don't have a transom brace from the trailer crossmember to the lower unit/prop area of the outboard, I'd sure recommend one. With the outboard braced to the trailer to prevent it from bouncing, you should be good to go.

[gearhead]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Nice looking rig. My only concern with the LRD tires (actually with any tires on that trailer) would be bouncing at high tire pressure. Many transoms in boats like that are wood with some aluminum reinforcement along the motor mount. Occasionally, there's a beam that runs from one side of the transom all the way across....

Installing any motor on the transom and then bouncing down the highway will put lots of stress on the transom. A few hard hit holes can crack the transom causing problems a year or so later....

If you don't have a transom brace from the trailer crossmember to the lower unit/prop area of the outboard, I'd sure recommend one. With the outboard braced to the trailer to prevent it from bouncing, you should be good to go.

No worries about the transoms on these boats John. They're solid aluminum and braced for reverse thrust as well as forward. These mud motors are designed to push the boats through wet concrete, so the transoms are well engineered and a rare point of failure. My motor in the pic is what is called a surface drive. It is designed with a surface breaking prop, it's about 1/3 out of the water. The other design , the original, is what's called a long tail. The prop is at the end of a long shaft. Some of y'all may have seen them in Southeast Asia. My boat and motor is a Go Devil brand from Baton Rouge Louisiana. They were about the first to manufacture and sell these rigs in any amount of production. There's probably a dozen more brands.
I have mixed emotions about even owning one. They are very popular with young men who like to modify the motors and the boat. They go mudding in the marsh and do a bit of environmental destruction. They are usually banned in state and federal refuges because of what the kids have done. I do all I can to avoid any damage.
I just took it on a test run on the bumpiest highway I know. It did well. I might even kick the tires up to 65.
https://www.godevil.com/

[gearhead]

Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia

Good looking boat.
With my last boat trailer using 13" tires sold in 2007. I do not remember load range or brand. When I replaced the factory tires I went up 1 load range and as I recall that set lasted in the 5-6 year range when the factory tires lasted about 2-3 years. Many duck hunts I pulled it on a 280 mile round trip.

I should be thankful I have decent duck hunting pretty close to home. I've been away from it for awhile but would like to get back into it. In the past we used a boat to just get to a blind, but I'm thinking I might hunt out of this boat. I'm getting up in age to be building duck blinds in the heat of the summer. Give me a comfy seat IN the boat and a bit of camo.

[Ken / Claudia]

It this area we call them mud motors, both styles.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by gearhead

No worries about the transoms on these boats John. They're solid aluminum and braced for reverse thrust as well as forward. These mud motors are designed to push the boats through wet concrete, so the transoms are well engineered and a rare point of failure. My motor in the pic is what is called a surface drive. It is designed with a surface breaking prop, it's about 1/3 out of the water. The other design , the original, is what's called a long tail. The prop is at the end of a long shaft. Some of y'all may have seen them in Southeast Asia. My boat and motor is a Go Devil brand from Baton Rouge Louisiana. They were about the first to manufacture and sell these rigs in any amount of production. There's probably a dozen more brands.
I have mixed emotions about even owning one. They are very popular with young men who like to modify the motors and the boat. They go mudding in the marsh and do a bit of environmental destruction. They are usually banned in state and federal refuges because of what the kids have done. I do all I can to avoid any damage.
I just took it on a test run on the bumpiest highway I know. It did well. I might even kick the tires up to 65.
https://www.godevil.com/

First time I saw a Go Devil was outside Mountain View AR at a little place called Allison that had a boat ramp into the White River. Fella had one and I had to go down and get a better look as it must have been a long tail since that shaft stuck out there maybe 6-7' and looked pretty crazy. He told me he loved it and he could get into all kinds of "stuff" and muck. I watched him take off, run down the river and come back with that big tail sticking out behind him wondering how in the world he could do anything with it. It did run a lot faster than I thought it would by looking at it. I figured they would be good in the swamps or tidal flats but I've not seen a single one down on the FL coast where we stay.

[gearhead]

Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia

It this area we call them mud motors, both styles.

Same down here.

[gearhead]

Originally Posted by sourdough

First time I saw a Go Devil was outside Mountain View AR at a little place called Allison that had a boat ramp into the White River. Fella had one and I had to go down and get a better look as it must have been a long tail since that shaft stuck out there maybe 6-7' and looked pretty crazy. He told me he loved it and he could get into all kinds of "stuff" and muck. I watched him take off, run down the river and come back with that big tail sticking out behind him wondering how in the world he could do anything with it. It did run a lot faster than I thought it would by looking at it. I figured they would be good in the swamps or tidal flats but I've not seen a single one down on the FL coast where we stay.

I had a 23HP long tail on this boat at first. I got it partly because it was federal refuge legal: under 25 HP and the prop was under 9", I think is the regs. But that thing had the turning radius of a aircraft carrier, and I was about to fall out of the boat at every turn. My boat is actually designed for a long tail. It is round chined with no ribs. But the 35HP surface drive and the long tail boat is a sweet combo. I was just getting too much of a physical work out with the long tail, and the worst part was it was dangerous for docks and other boats. It was very difficult to maneuver around boat ramps and docks. If you're up and running down the bayou or in the marsh it's no big deal. Max speed was 18 mph, with the 35HP surface drive I hit 29mph. Realize that they have no gearbox...no neutral or reverse. GoDevil is just now building rigs with gearboxes and F-N-R drive. Others have been for awhile.
I bet there's some in Florida.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by gearhead

I had a 23HP long tail on this boat at first. I got it partly because it was federal refuge legal: under 25 HP and the prop was under 9", I think is the regs. But that thing had the turning radius of a aircraft carrier, and I was about to fall out of the boat at every turn. My boat is actually designed for a long tail. It is round chined with no ribs. But the 35HP surface drive and the long tail boat is a sweet combo. I was just getting too much of a physical work out with the long tail, and the worst part was it was dangerous for docks and other boats. It was very difficult to maneuver around boat ramps and docks. If you're up and running down the bayou or in the marsh it's no big deal. Max speed was 18 mph, with the 35HP surface drive I hit 29mph. Realize that they have no gearbox...no neutral or reverse. GoDevil is just now building rigs with gearboxes and F-N-R drive. Others have been for awhile.
I bet there's some in Florida.

Haven't seen those boats but there are tons of air boats. I suppose they perform about the same function in the end? I had forgotten about watching that guy maneuver his boat, it did look like it wasn't much fun. He made a huge arc trying to line up coming into the dock. Between the boat and that long tail looked like a huge long contraption with a hinge in the middle.