M101A3 Trailer Rim Size

[AnthonyVargas]

I am looking to change the wheels and tires on my M101A3 trailer. What is the smallest size wheel I can go with keeping the original axel and hub? I am trying to get a 15 inch wheel to match my towing vehicle. Has anyone been able to fit that size of a wheel?

My end goal is to have a 33x12.5R15 tire/wheel to match my towing vehicle. I am no expert on calculating to see if rims will fit on this trailer. What will be the proper backspacing needed on the new wheel?

This is a wheel I have in mind....

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Wheels/P...px?t_c=11&t_s=535&t_pt=101508&t_pn=PCW87-5181

Thanks in advance!




[h=4][/h]

 

[McGuyver]

You know, those drums will come off without pulling the drum...

In any case, looks like you've got to figure out the inside dimensions of the wheel, and compare it to the size of the drum. Sorry, that ad doesn't seem to offer that information. I looked on the procomp website too, but didn't have any luck there either. Maybe you could contact them, and see if they could give you that information. Good luck!

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[AnthonyVargas]

You know, those drums will come off without pulling the drum...

Thanks, Any advice on getting the drum off without taking off the whole thing? Ive used PB Blaster, pry bar, and a mallet. Nothing is budging, I just wants to come off as one piece as I pictured above.

 

[McGuyver]

That seems strange you are having that much trouble. Mine were very loose on the hub. This may seem obvious, but I'll ask anyway to be sure: have you removed the two flat head retaining screws that hold the drums on the hub? (Your picture looks like you have). Short of that being the problem, I would say keep doing what you're doing: apply lots of WD-40, and keep working the drum with a mallet. Since you have the hub off already, you could place the drum on flat ground and rap on the hub in the center to get it to drop down.

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[John Galt]

The drums "may" be able to be removed from hub without removing the hub but I would not expect it. It took a lot of force to separate the drum from the hub when I did it (felt like drum was press fit onto the hub). I doubt you will have much luck finding an 8 lug 15" wheel. I am guessing you want to change the lug pattern as well just left if off your post. I also dont think a 15" wheel will clear the brakes if you end up keeping them (strongly suggest you do for the parking brake).

Never understood the desire for trailer to match tow vehicle. 8x6.5 is a pretty standard wheel that should be available at any tire shop. You have a trailer so just throw the trailer spare in it. Chances are you will have different vehicles pulling the trailer anyways.

If you do plan to keep the brakes, I would stop trying to separate the hub and drum....

 

[AnthonyVargas]

I it does seem like it is pressed together, I did remove those two screws that hold the drum to the hub. Still not budging. I guess its fine if it doesn't come apart. I plan on keeping the hub.

 

[AnthonyVargas]

John Galt,
I do agree with you, and on the same page. I plan on keeping the hand brakes. I use them all the time. I do not care really if the bolt pattern matches my towing vehicle or not. I am more concerned about the style matching somewhat, just for looks. I just prefer having the same size rim/style on the trailer and the Jeep.
So I do agree with you, It will be hard to find a 15 inch wheel to fit that big hub. Maybe a 16 inch wheel? I will just have to measure the hub and contact pro comp and see if they can provide me the measurements of there wheels I am looking at.
If the hub and drum are not meant to come apart, I will just leave it as is.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[gringeltaube]

............... I just prefer having the same size rim/style on the trailer and the Jeep. ..........

That Pro-Comp wheel you linked to will clear your brakes just fine.

The problem I see with 15"x 10" rims at only 4.25" backspace is the total resulting width: expect 9-10 inches increase, measured between tire outer sidewalls, compared to the stock dimension.
Of course, you could mount your tires on 15"x 8" rims, also. But that would still imply 6-7 inches more between SWs.

So the tires would definitely stick out from under the fenders - which doesn't affect just the looks, IMHO.



G.

 

[Tinstar]

Pop the access/dust cover off the slot on the rear bottom of the backing plate.
Then with a screwdriver, back off the brake adjustment.
Drum then slides right off the hub once the screws are removed.

Very easy

When done, reverse steps
Adjust brakes as desired.

 

[AnthonyVargas]

The problem I see with 15"x 10" rims at only 4.25" backspace is the total resulting width: expect 9-10 inches increase, measured between tire outer sidewalls, compared to the stock dimension.
Of course, you could mount your tires on 15"x 8" rims, also. But that would still imply 6-7 inches more between SWs.
G.

Thanks for the info,
So what rim dimensions would you recommend so that the tire stays under the fender? What kind of backspacing am I looking for?
Again, I am new with figuring out this kind of stuff. Maybe a link to a wheel will help also.

 

[AnthonyVargas]

Pop the access/dust cover off the slot on the rear bottom of the backing plate.
Then with a screwdriver, back off the brake adjustment.
Drum then slides right off the hub once the screws are removed.

Very easy

When done, reverse steps
Adjust brakes as desired.

Thanks! I did not even bother touching anything on the backing plate. I will see if that helps.

 

[John Galt]

Ok, I missed the link and now see you are going to keep the 8x6.5. I put GM 16" wheels on mine. They are 6.5" wide with 5" backspacing. With 245-75-16 (31" x 9.7") tires, they are perfect fit for the outside of fender (~1" inside the folded under lip) and would not personally go with a wider tire or a wheel with less back spacing. I will say that there is not much room between the backing plate/drum and the 16" wheels. If it were me, I would be concerned about a smaller wheel clearing the drum.

If you went ahead with that wheel and tire combo, you would end up with a bro-dozer trailer. May look cool at the mall but would be a irritating for use (you want the wheels inside the fenders). You could get away with that wheel/tire combo but would need to get an axle with shorter hub face. For general strength, I always thought the goal is to have as little hanging out past the hub face as possible. Wheels with more back spacing will also give the brakes some protection from mud/debris/rocks, etc.

If you haven't already, make sure the parking brake is released. Again, there is no reason to try and separate the hub from the drum unless you want to replace one of them. You should pull the hub/drum assembly anyways so you can service the bearings. If you get it off without breaking something, you will need to get them back together without breaking something as well. It is not worth the risk if you want to keep the parking brakes.

 

[gringeltaube]

Thanks! I did not even bother touching anything on the backing plate. I will see if that helps.

The hub and drum assembly is already off of the axle, so doing anything on the backing plate won't help you a bit in this case...

First scrape all paint and rust off of the protruding pilot hub. Then put the two attaching screws back in (not all the way) and give them a few hits with hammer and punch.
Hub and drum will separate, sooner than later.

Thanks for the info,
So what rim dimensions would you recommend so that the tire stays under the fender? What kind of backspacing am I looking for?
.........

Ideally, you would need a 15x8 2pc-bolt-together wheel with a backspace of almost 7"(!). But that isn't available, commercially; so it had to be fabricated - and that would be very costly, for sure.

If I had to solve this (and really wanted to use 33x12.5R15 tires on std 15x10 wheels, I would do some (heavy)cutting and welding to make the axle narrower; that is, remove at least 4 inches on each side.

Not sure how much a machine shop would charge you to do that. Probably not cheap either...?

 

[McGuyver]

I personally like having the ability to be able to remove the drums and service the brakes without disturbing and having to repack the bearings. So yes, there is a good reason to remove the drum from the hub if this is your preference as well.

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[AnthonyVargas]

Ok, I missed the link and now see you are going to keep the 8x6.5. I put GM 16" wheels on mine. They are 6.5" wide with 5" backspacing. With 245-75-16 (31" x 9.7") tires, they are perfect fit for the outside of fender (~1" inside the folded under lip) and would not personally go with a wider tire or a wheel with less back spacing. I will say that there is not much room between the backing plate/drum and the 16" wheels. If it were me, I would be concerned about a smaller wheel clearing the drum.

John,
So would you say this is a better option? A 16x7 wheel with 4 inches of backspacing? I am struggling on finding a wheel with the same dimensions you referenced. (Please see the link below to the wheels i am referring to)

The last thing I want to do is cut the axel, or anything like that. I want to keep the axel and hubs stock, but just find a good set of rims that stay under the fenders. I do not want them sticking out at all.


http://www.4wheelparts.com/Wheels/A...?t_c=11&t_s=535&t_pt=101508&t_pn=W/PAR7676782

 

[Tinstar]

Removing the drum from the Hub does not affect the parking brake.
Adjusting the star wheel does, but the parking brakes are adjustable at the lever for this very reason.

If I want to check brakes, it makes no sense to remove hub with drum.
If I want to check bearings I still remove drum for inspection.


Even if you want to check just the bearings, separate the two so your not dealing with so much mass and weight.
Some anti-seize on the Phillips screws will ensure future ease of removal.

Theres nothing to break unless your using a crowbar or sledge.

Its a very very easy job.

Its even easier to make easy things difficult.

 

[Josie]

I use 16 inch radial tires with the best aspect ratio I could find. And a "standard" 16inch Trailer rim with quality lug nuts. Rim is a 16 x 8x6.5.

Standard 6 inch wide trailer tires means no need to narrow the axle.

Just a basic nut and bolt job.

 

[John Galt]

Just saw your question Anthony. My guess is that those would be close to the outside of fenders. Another thing to consider is the inside bore fitting over the hub. I didn't see the diameter listed in the link. Just check CL for 8x6.5 GM wheels. They are usually pretty easy to find and not expensive. Will likely be silver steel or bare aluminum.

Back to separating the hub from the drum. Again, the only reason I would mess with it is if you are removing the entire brake system and have no desire to keep the parking brake (remove the drum). I only use the parking brake feature so I have no need to inspect/service the brakes. Can adjust them at the backing plate through the adjustment window and at the brake levers.

 

[Josie]

Just saw your question Anthony. My guess is that those would be close to the outside of fenders. Another thing to consider is the inside bore fitting over the hub. I didn't see the diameter listed in the link. Just check CL for 8x6.5 GM wheels. They are usually pretty easy to find and not expensive. Will likely be silver steel or bare aluminum.

Back to separating the hub from the drum. Again, the only reason I would mess with it is if you are removing the entire brake system and have no desire to keep the parking brake (remove the drum). I only use the parking brake feature so I have no need to inspect/service the brakes. Can adjust them at the backing plate through the adjustment window and at the brake levers.

I'm for finding out why they are stuck.

Many things could cause it and non bode well for a midnight stop along side the road.

NTL if they are stuck then you also need to check the bearings too and for all we know a chunk of brake shoe is loose inside that drum.

ME? I do not like surprises on any trip.

 

[tobyS]

I have a pair of Ford van wheels from a 1 ton (not budds) that I use for spare on my dump bed trailer with 8 x 6.5". They bolt right up. All are 16" and use the load range E tires. You can find the rims for $20-25 each at a local auto salvage.