Horsefilter: Tires for old trailer (rare/obsolete size).
August 15, 2015 6:47 AM Subscribe
I'm rehabbing a 1990 horse trailer and having trouble figuring out which modern tires are safe, manufacturer called for 195/65r14...
Trailer: Is a 1990 Brenderup Prestige (European brand no longer sold in the US so appealing to the manufacturer is basically helpless). It's a relatively light weight two horse bumper pull with two axles and inertia breaks.
Tires: The owner's material says tires are 195/65r14, and the old tires that were on it were exactly that, with a 600kg load rating and 90V speed rating. Since it's a horse trailer, those load and speeds are minimums. That tire size seems to not really exist any more, and definitely not available with a comparable load rating. What size tire is best to replace with? Recommendations for brands or specific tires are welcome. (The wheels/rims are in good shape and would generally prefer not to replace those if possible.)
(Assume I know nothing about motor vehicles in general and tires in specific. Also, I am in the US, east coast.)
Trailer: Is a 1990 Brenderup Prestige (European brand no longer sold in the US so appealing to the manufacturer is basically helpless). It's a relatively light weight two horse bumper pull with two axles and inertia breaks.
Tires: The owner's material says tires are 195/65r14, and the old tires that were on it were exactly that, with a 600kg load rating and 90V speed rating. Since it's a horse trailer, those load and speeds are minimums. That tire size seems to not really exist any more, and definitely not available with a comparable load rating. What size tire is best to replace with? Recommendations for brands or specific tires are welcome. (The wheels/rims are in good shape and would generally prefer not to replace those if possible.)
(Assume I know nothing about motor vehicles in general and tires in specific. Also, I am in the US, east coast.)
load rating on those is slightly less (560kg)
posted by andrewcooke at 7:40 AM on August 15, 2015
posted by andrewcooke at 7:40 AM on August 15, 2015
i'm not sure you need to find an exactly identical tyre. if you find someone you trust they may suggest that there is an equivalent bias (not radial) construction tyre (this being a trailer). but i am not an expert.
posted by andrewcooke at 8:01 AM on August 15, 2015
posted by andrewcooke at 8:01 AM on August 15, 2015
You can use other tires that are similar in size. This is not a problem on a trailer. Here is a calculator that will show you other similar sizes that will fit on your rims. You can also compare any two sizes with the calculator. Any tire shop should be able to do the same for you.
As long as your replacement tires are going to fit underneath your fenders (with room for appropriate movement), they will be fine, really. 205/75r14 is a common trailer tire size and has a 1" greater radius and is 0.4" thicker. That may fit fine on your trailer, but measure before buying.
(You don't really want to buy passenger vehicle tires as mr vino suggests above; you want trailer specific tires).
posted by ssg at 8:04 AM on August 15, 2015
As long as your replacement tires are going to fit underneath your fenders (with room for appropriate movement), they will be fine, really. 205/75r14 is a common trailer tire size and has a 1" greater radius and is 0.4" thicker. That may fit fine on your trailer, but measure before buying.
(You don't really want to buy passenger vehicle tires as mr vino suggests above; you want trailer specific tires).
posted by ssg at 8:04 AM on August 15, 2015
It's a trailer, so honestly nothing about that spec matter except the wheel size and the load rating. So you could have a 205/60R14 with the right (or better) load rating and it will be fine. Or a 180/75R14. It just doesn't matter. The trailer tyres only hold the thing off the ground and need to be rated to cope with the loading.
on 195/65 R14:
195 = width of tread in mm
65 = Profile (height of sidewall) % of tyre width. So in your case 195mm X 0.65 = 126mm from wheel rim to edge of tyre.
R14: Radius of wheel in inches.
So to fit on the wheel, you need an R14 tyre, but you could have the options above that I list because the sidewall is roughly similar and you just change the width to suit to retain the rough same rolling radius. It's more critical on a car (speedometer accuracy is crucial, which wheel rolling diameter affects) but on a trailer there is no problem. The only thing stopping you going bigger is physical clearance.
As long as clearance is not an issue you could put a larger wheel and tyre on there, but the big thing for me would be trying to match the load rating, clearance on wheel travel and also the sidewall physical height. Sidewall is a big factor in ride handling and if I had horses in there I'd prefer a nice squishy tyre to make sure their ankles/knees weren't having to deal too much with road shocks.
I'd be really surprised if people can't get what is a pretty standard (albeit old) size. make sure you are checking with commercial-type tyre suppliers rather than just high street stuff because cars haven't had that size for decades but I bet work trailers still use it. But whatever you end up with, do not under ANY circumstances scrimp on quality. A blow out on a trailer is a serious issue and so cheap knock off tyres (some of the Chinese ones can be of questionable quality) are just not worth the hassle if you are towing horses. A blow out by the side of the road could be traumatic enough, but with horses in the equation I'd be worried about them being injured.
Brenderup make great trailers, by the way. We used to have one for a car hauler (just a flat bed) that tilted to make the car easier to roll on (low to the ground race car) and EVERY TIME we tilted it we'd say "Brender....UP!" like the childish and easily amused idiots we were. Um. Are.
posted by Brockles at 8:17 AM on August 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
on 195/65 R14:
195 = width of tread in mm
65 = Profile (height of sidewall) % of tyre width. So in your case 195mm X 0.65 = 126mm from wheel rim to edge of tyre.
R14: Radius of wheel in inches.
So to fit on the wheel, you need an R14 tyre, but you could have the options above that I list because the sidewall is roughly similar and you just change the width to suit to retain the rough same rolling radius. It's more critical on a car (speedometer accuracy is crucial, which wheel rolling diameter affects) but on a trailer there is no problem. The only thing stopping you going bigger is physical clearance.
As long as clearance is not an issue you could put a larger wheel and tyre on there, but the big thing for me would be trying to match the load rating, clearance on wheel travel and also the sidewall physical height. Sidewall is a big factor in ride handling and if I had horses in there I'd prefer a nice squishy tyre to make sure their ankles/knees weren't having to deal too much with road shocks.
I'd be really surprised if people can't get what is a pretty standard (albeit old) size. make sure you are checking with commercial-type tyre suppliers rather than just high street stuff because cars haven't had that size for decades but I bet work trailers still use it. But whatever you end up with, do not under ANY circumstances scrimp on quality. A blow out on a trailer is a serious issue and so cheap knock off tyres (some of the Chinese ones can be of questionable quality) are just not worth the hassle if you are towing horses. A blow out by the side of the road could be traumatic enough, but with horses in the equation I'd be worried about them being injured.
Brenderup make great trailers, by the way. We used to have one for a car hauler (just a flat bed) that tilted to make the car easier to roll on (low to the ground race car) and EVERY TIME we tilted it we'd say "Brender....UP!" like the childish and easily amused idiots we were. Um. Are.
posted by Brockles at 8:17 AM on August 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
Here's a selection of 14" tires. at etrailer.com
posted by Gungho at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Gungho at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just to be clear, those 205/75 R14 tyres would be perfectly fine if they fit under the mudguards/wheelarches well enough. You'll need an extra inch or so vertical clearance and for the tyre to be about 1-2 inches clear of anything on the trailer laterally at present. If that is the case, then I think you're fine.
If you want to show the tyres as fitted at present - post some pictures, with views showing vertical clearance and clearance between the inside of the tyre and the trailer top and bottom I can let you know if I think those tyres are fine or not.
posted by Brockles at 9:30 AM on August 15, 2015
If you want to show the tyres as fitted at present - post some pictures, with views showing vertical clearance and clearance between the inside of the tyre and the trailer top and bottom I can let you know if I think those tyres are fine or not.
posted by Brockles at 9:30 AM on August 15, 2015
@Brockles - the "R" means "radial" (construction) not "radius".
posted by andrewcooke at 10:42 AM on August 15, 2015
posted by andrewcooke at 10:42 AM on August 15, 2015
Yes, you are correct. It appears that I have never even seen a non-radial tyre now that you point that out. At least, not a road car tyre (race car tyres have completely different tyre size codes).
Not enough coffee.
posted by Brockles at 11:53 AM on August 15, 2015
Not enough coffee.
posted by Brockles at 11:53 AM on August 15, 2015
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They are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
If anyone has it, they will have a database to match up those wheel sizes with new tires.
If they can't help with tires you will probably need new wheels which they could do too.
posted by littlewater at 7:35 AM on August 15, 2015 [1 favorite]