Re: aluminum boat on galv. trailer bounces too much
I picked up a junk pop up camper today to make a utility trailer out of, it had two minty looking but older Uniroyal ribbed trailer tires. For test puroses, I put those under the boat trailer, inflated to the maximum 45 psi stated on the sidewall and the trailer don't bounce at all, when I put the new Kenda Loadstar tires on the camper, (which is far heavier than the boat, it bounces like a basketball. I didn't move the shocks to the new trailer, and I removed them from the old trailer.
Something I can't help but notice is that the Kenda Tires when inflated to 45 psi, feel hard as a rock, yet the Uniroyal and original Goodyear tires still feel soft if I push on the sidewall. All are Load range B. The Goodyear and Uniroyal, although old, do not bulge and round out when inflated. The new Kenda tires round out and this trailer has no where close to enough weight to flatten the tire out where it contacts the road. The Kenda tires either need a wider rim or stiffer construction across the tread. The tread feels thinner than the sidewalls. With one off the rim, the tread area if pliable yet the sidewalls don't give much in hand.
The suspension on the trailer is fine, the issue is the tires, or at least the fact that all of these new imported tires have issues when used on a light boat. I've got 5 trailers now and all use 12" tires, options are limited in this size. With only 3/4 of the recommended pressure in the Load Star tires, I can't put enough weight on the trailer to flatten out the contact patch of the tire.
I have to back the pressure down to about 15 psi before the tires 'look' right. I fully realize I can't drive around like that but I surely can't drive around on tires that are riding only on the center rib of tread all the time.
I can't be the only guy with a light boat on 12' tires having ride quality issues?
