Pontoon Trailer Tires & Wheels
Many trailer manufacturers pay little attention to the construction or quality of tires. This is especially prevalent in the pontoon trailer business where some pontoon trailers are used only for storage and often don’t go down the road very far. It’s inattention to detail on the part of some manufacturers while smaller undercapitalized trailer builders skimp on tires because they are such an expense. We maintain inventories of all styles of pontoon trailer tires and can match specific tires to your pontoon trailer to fit your needs. If you’ve got a lightweight pontoon boat and your not going far, perhaps tires aren’t too important. If you have a large boat with a build in gas tank and a big engine you had better pay attention to the tires.
How we Figure Trailer Capacities?
There are two things you want in pontoon trailer tires, weight carrying capacity and cool running. On Heavy Duty single axle models we use 13” load range D radial tires with a capacity of 1610 lbs. each or 3220 lbs. total on a single axle trailer. If the trailer frame weights 700 lbs. our single axle trailer tires can carry 2520 lbs. when you subtract the 700 lb. trailer weight from the 3220 lbs. of capacity. Our tandem axle trailers use the same 13” radial tire with a load range D rating and a carrying capacity of 1610 lbs. 6440 lbs. total of all four tires. If the tandem trailer frame weights about 1200 lbs. the carrying capacity of that tandem axle trailer is technically 5240 lbs. We under rate our trailer capacities due to most pontoon boat manufacturers under rate their pontoons weight. The weight listed is also a dry weight that does not include the motor (usually), fuel, battery/batteries, and whatever else you load up your pontoon with before heading out to the water.
Why Tire Size is Important
Pontoon trailers are usually traveling on hot summer days; the larger the tires the less rotation per minute and less heat build up. Larger tires run cooler than smaller tires. That’s why we put 13” tires on most of our trailers that will carry heavier loads. They run cooler than 8”, 10” or 12” tires that have more revolutions per minute. The higher the number of revolutions the tire makes the warmer the tire becomes, match that with the temperature of the asphalt and you have a potential recipe for disaster.
Radial Tires vs. Bias Ply Tires
Most pontoon trailer tires are “bias” tires. For more information search the internet for bias versus radial tires. There are hundreds of posts and everyone seems to agree that radial tires are better. But, radials are more expensive and if you tow infrequent, bias tires are probably just fine. If on the other hand your talking your boat on long runs in hot weather, you might want to invest in radial tires. Radial tires are clearly superior to bias ply tires.
Bias ply tires haven’t been used on cars since 1983. Even for individuals who are not towing much, there are benefits to radials. We have a generation of consumers who don’t have experience with anything but radial tires. It’s a scandal that pontoon trailer companies are still using bias ply tires. If we didn’t have competitors we’d raise the price of each trailer and make radials standard. Weathering on bias ply tires is our biggest customer complaint. Bias and Radial Tire Comparison More rubber on the road, runs cooler, on radial tires the sidewalls and tread are independent. Sidewall flexing is not transmitted to the tread. It provides: A flat, stable and wider footprint on the ground. Less distortion of the contact point surface. Better pressure distribution and reduced friction on the ground. Longer tire life. Excellent traction Improved handling and fuel economy. More resistance to cuts, punctures and tears.
Radials also do not experience weathering on the sidewalls as much as bias ply tires. Weathering on side walls on bias ply tires is an ongoing complaint, the tire companies claim that the little “cuts” are just cosmetic. People call and tell us their side walls are cracking and we have to tell them, that’s a characteristic of bias ply tires. We have a generation of consumers who don’t have any experience with anything but radial tires. But when you check the tires on your two year old trailer that sat outside during the winter, and see cracks in the side wall, you’ll be concerned. Tire companies will tell you it’s not a warranty issue. We check every new tire for weathering and return probably 40 a year to our supplier. Our tire supplier squawked at first, because they don’t consider the weathering a defect. We learned that they just restock the ones we return and sent them to our competitors. We only stock and sell radial tires, but if you buy a pontoon trailer from someone else with bias ply tires, it won’t leave out lot with weathered tires.
Wheel Types and why they are Important
When we started trailersforpontoons.com we made galvanized rims standard on our pontoon trailers. Galvanized rims shine almost like chrome when new and they won’t rust. The price of galvanized rims has increased and to keep our trailers prices competitive we no longer make them standard. Most other trailer suppliers use white or black painted steel wheels. The problem with painted steel wheels is rust, and most importantly rust on the inside of the wheel where the tire seats to the rim/wheel. That corrosion (rust) can and will lead to air escaping the tire, and the number cause of trailer tire failures is underinflation. Galvanized rims are just a few dollars more per wheel (usually $5-$10 more per tire) which on a tandem axle trailer is $20-$40 but it is worth it in our eyes. You can also dress up the appearance of your pontoon trailer with aluminum wheels. We stock aluminum rims with chrome lug nuts in 12", 13", 14" & 18" wheel sizes. Unlike others when you upgrade to aluminum wheels from us we deduct the cost of the galvanized wheels form the cost of the aluminum wheel. However they are still expensive and do add quite a bit of cost to the trailer.