billy, do you [or any others] have much trouble with trailer tires ? especially those that haul the "run of the mill" lowes, home depot, harbor freight, and similar utility trailers ? and if so, how many spare tires/wheel assemblies [along with spindles and bearings if necessary] are required fare ? this may be just a rhetorical or unnecessary question, so please don't hold it against me if it is not a problem. i just wondered.
moparx, When Boone had to give up his wheel bearing grease thirty miles into the trip on the first day, it was for a competitor who had burned up a bearing on his trailer. The consensus among the HF trailer users seems to be that the 12" wheels are a must. The 8" versions create higher bearing speed, and more drag, which the typical high stall converter cars are sensitive to.
Quite a few of the custom trailers use the exact same wheel/tire combo on the trailer, as they run on the front of their car. While this may seem to be the height of vanity, it does allow them to carry less spares.
I've also noticed quite a few of them have extended the tongues. If you notice in this picture of James Reeves' Omni GLH, the wheel base of the car seems to be the same as the distance to the trailer axle.
i was thinking those small wheels would potentially be a problem, as well as creating problems with the bearings and hubs. those that used the same front runners as on their car was thinking good ideas ! and lastly, i know from the old "flat towing" days, the longer the tow bar was, the truer the towed vehicle tracked. i personally flat towed a new ss GTX from 68-72 with a 72" long bar, and it was miles ahead in handling from the locally available 36" long bars the dune buggy and jeep racers used. i could go 65-70 mph with a pickup or a u-haul clamp-on-bumper hitch[now that was safe ] and not even feel like it was back there. i would think those that tow the hardware store utility trailers find more stability extending the tongue as i found with the longer tow bar. i also used tow hubs that were for a chevy pattern with the 4 1/5" pattern drilled between the 4 3/4" pattern with a hand drill. there was no tapered seat because the hub was too large to accommodate the taper, plus we didn't have any thing to make the taper with. just used regular nuts that had to be tightened with an open end wrench. life seemed so much calmer and laid back then as opposed to today. and for those that wonder, that GTX was fast around town and a local track or two, but a real slug against guys that knew what was going on. it was fun none the less.
] and not even feel like it was back there. i would think those that tow the hardware store utility trailers find more stability extending the tongue as i found with the longer tow bar. i also used tow hubs that were for a chevy pattern with the 4 1/5" pattern drilled between the 4 3/4" pattern with a hand drill. there was no tapered seat because the hub was too large to accommodate the taper, plus we didn't have any thing to make the taper with. just used regular nuts that had to be tightened with an open end wrench. life seemed so much calmer and laid back then as opposed to today. and for those that wonder, that GTX was fast around town and a local track or two, but a real slug against guys that knew what was going on. it was fun none the less.
