Tires

[SeanD]

I'm resurrecting an old lawnmower cart as a sap hauler. The tires are in very bad shape. They are 16x8 inch tires. Before I replace them with the same size, is there a better alternative out there that will help me in snow and still be good on the pavement and grass?

The current tires are very old, but one of the things that sped up their damage was sitting through the winters. They would lose air and the weight of the cart would sit on the flat tires through the cold and snow. The sidewalls are cracked from where they sat. Should I put it up on blocks when I'm not using it?

Sean

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have 7 peices of equipment that sit out all year. My 2 axel trailer sits in the weather in Wisc all year and only gets used once in July and the tires took 20 years to rot off. Every year I would top them off with air but never went completely flat. Get good implement tires and cover from the sun and move the unit a few times and your good to go. Green slime has made my life eaiser on the small things like wheel buros, dollies and log splitters but can be a mess when you repair a 16" tire.

[Russell Lampron]

I don't know if you have room enough under your trailer but what I did was put the stock wheels and tires from a Honda Rancher on my small trailers. On one of them I was able to bolt the 4 wheeler wheels on without making spacers. On the other one I used the old wheels from the cart as spacers and was then able to bolt on the 4 wheeler wheels.

To protect the tires from dry rot you should park the trailer on planks or boards. Covering them to protect them from UV rays will make the tires last longer too.

[SeanD]

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't realize the sun played that big of a role. Those are easy fixes.

I'm not sure I could get wheels from a 4-wheeler on there, but I could get some 20-inch tires for just about the same price as the sixteens. Would that give me a noticeable advantage in the snow or is it the width of the tire that gives the advantage?

Sean

[Flat47]

All of our farm stuff (plows, bush hog, etc.) sits out year-round. They all have old tires from the dump. Cheap and plentiful. And, as said above, will last a good 20 years or more.

Wide tires provide more floatation, and will ride on top of snow (if your trailer is light weight enough). Narrow tires will cut through the snow. It's all about psi hitting the ground. Wider tires= less psi since there is more tire hitting the ground and the weight of the vehicle is spread out.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Width provides the flotation but a larger diameter will pull easier.

[SeanD]

Turns out the 16" tires were only available in 6" width and the 20"x8" tires were crimped for a drive shaft. I'm bummed I couldn't get the 8" width, but I'll give it a go and see what happens. Thanks for all the advice.

Sean