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.

[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.

[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 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]

Got the 3rd tire delivered by Fedex today. Took it to WalMart and had it mounted and balanced.
Back in the 1950's and 60's Dad always seemed to have Johnsons or Evinrude. We had a mighty fine bass fishing spot that was owned by the city of Houston. Maybe 600 acres of shallow water that had a 10HP limit. We fished it hard, Dad was fairly well known around the neighborhood as a very serious bass fisherman on local waters. He also fly fished from a float tube and was fairly successful at it. Referred enough fishermen to the local hardware store for fly rods that the owner just gave Dad one every spring.
All that said, I wasnt exposed to Mercury's until I bought my own in the 1990's.
I've got a pic of one of the 50's era Johnsons I'll look for..

[gearhead]

I try not to hate too much but, I hate airboats. Nothing like having a quiet sunrise in the marsh and an airboat fires up and puts every bird in the air within a mile. I can see them for law enforcement but that's about it.

[gearhead]

I recently developed an idea about flushing marine fuel systems with carbs. My GoDevil has quick connects on the 2 portable 6 gallon tanks. I made a short section of fuel hose with a quick connect for the tank end of the fuel line. After using ethanol gas (all we can get in this area) I disconnect the tank and connect the short 18" section of hose. Then drop the open end of the fuel line into a quart of "canned non ethanol gas". Run it for awhile, 5 minutes, then disconnect the quick connect and run the motor until it dies. I don't know if it helps, but there should be a minimum of ethanol sitting in the carb.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by gearhead

I recently developed an idea about flushing marine fuel systems with carbs. My GoDevil has quick connects on the 2 portable 6 gallon tanks. I made a short section of fuel hose with a quick connect for the tank end of the fuel line. After using ethanol gas (all we can get in this area) I disconnect the tank and connect the short 18" section of hose. Then drop the open end of the fuel line into a quart of "canned non ethanol gas". Run it for awhile, 5 minutes, then disconnect the quick connect and run the motor until it dies. I don't know if it helps, but there should be a minimum of ethanol sitting in the carb.

That’s actually a good idea…can’t hurt

[gearhead]

Super cool pics. Those need to be on the stern of a little wooden boat. Not a fiberglass boat, not a plywood boat, a lapstrake boat.
I think I have a pic of a cool little boat we saw when we were in Oxford, MD.

[gearhead]

^Never heard of it. It is too cool. Sounds like you're getting a good SIL.
Is the stem board part of the keel?

[JRTJH]

My dad had a folding Ted Williams 3 horse outboard. It folded up and sat in a "can" with a lid. He used to put it in the truck of his 1950 Chevy "turtleback 2 door" and tied his home-made wooden "pee-row" on top. We'd fish trot lines on the Tangiaphoa River and sleep on a sand bar every Saturday night. As a 8 or 9 year old, I used to think it was "just too cool" to skip Sunday School and drink coffee with Dad. He'd let me hold the transom of the boat while he lifted it off the roof of the car, but he never trusted me with carrying that little outboard in the can. As a "know it all teenager" that's the boat I shot the bottom out of when a moccasin fell into the boat and I couldn't hit him with a paddle.... Adrenalin does really strange things to a scared kid !!!!!

[JRTJH]

Brent,

Here's a diagram of the "stemboard" construction

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Brent,

Here's a diagram of the "stemboard" construction

Thanks for posting that…I was also looking online for a decent pic..I have a copy of Howard Chapelle’s book on boat building somewhere but can’t locate it right now..I will get around to fitting it eventually..the problem is that almost anyone can figure out how to cut the pieces if they have a little bit of woodworking knowledge …but fitting it properly and having all the side planks fit into it perfectly and still manage to keep the water out of the boat is a skill that boatbuilders spend decades perfecting and few people today even have the skill anymore.

[jasin1]

This is a good video that shows why my stem failed…the stop waters failed and the stem rotted out …it’s a real art to boat construction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rThN7KyG-_Y