| Author | Message | ||
| David Evans (Dmd)
Registered Member Username: Dmd Post Number: 649 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 69.114.3.22  Rating: N/A |
Going to be heading south for christmas and then the Arcadia rally. I am going to bring my black girlfriend along this year (its what we call my bike)i have an enclosed traier that came with 14" rims and tires but i usually run 15's when i pull the rig with my pickup. with the 15's the trailer sits higher which is not really an advantage for loading and unloading. any other considerations i should be thinking about? I will check the tire ratings first but all things equal any thoughts? I dont usually use it as a bike trailer but getting a wheel chock and installed tie downs eyes thru the frame for straps. Thanks | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 423 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213  Rating: N/A |
Just watch your tongue weight. If the trailer is tilting toward the tow vehicle it shifts some weight forward | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1862 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.124.20  Rating: N/A |
Dave - Your bus will hardly know the trailer's behind it, except when you go up/down RockyTop. Try to center the bike over the trailer's axle, so the weight's balanced, and the tongue weight is virtually the same as empty. If your trailer doesn't have a ramp rear door, you might pick up a set of ramps from Harbor Freight to ease loading. Obviously, make sure the trailer tires will support the load, and that they're properly inflated. Spare? Just in case. . . As Les mentioned, try to keep the trailer as level as possible - you might have to use a hitch with a different drop height to do so. A backup camera that can be "on" while going forward is handy to monitor the trailer. FWIW & HTH. . .  | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 1422 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.52.189.221  Rating: N/A |
Probably not that much difference between 14" and 15" tires, but larger diameter tires turn less rpm for the same speed. Less heat build up and bearings are not spinning as fast. Jack | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 804 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.206.210  Rating: N/A |
Jack, Unh, I think the bearings will spin at the same speed no matter what size the tires are. (Notice I said "I Think", which is always dangerous), If the bearing has to spin at "X" rpm to go 1 mile with a 12" tire, doesn't it have to spin the same amount to go 1 mile with a 15" tire? The saving grace of larger tires, as it was explained to me when I was too young to understand was, the larger the tire, the less rolling resistance, plus the increased tire life from less road contact on any one spot on the tire and most comapanies, ( I can't prove it), put thicker rubber and sidewalls on larger tires. | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 2203 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157  Rating: N/A |
Larger tire make fewer revolutions to go a mile; hence fewer revolutions of the bearing. Now, how many revolutions do the individual roller bearings make in 1 mile? | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 805 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.206.210 Rating: N/A |
Actually, my answer was to make some possibly think about what happens with a circle as it travels in a straight line. If you take a 2" (OD) diameter bearing and roll it for 5280 feet, how many revolutions does it make? Now, take a tire that is about 26 (OD) inches in diameter, (rounded approximately for 15" tires), how many revolutions does it need to make? Now draw a line and mark it on both the bearing and the tire. In your noggin, they should be going the same speed, but in my scenario, does one have to go as fast, faster or slower? And the beat goes on. | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1621 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 97.214.230.84  Rating: N/A |
Huh??? Larger is faster??? same speed???...I must be missing something.....(yes, I've been told that B4) RCB | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 1401 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 173.202.19.103  Rating: N/A |
Speed here is relative, the trailer is moving at the same speed forward no matter what the tire size. However, the bearings of a very small wheel and a very large wheel are turning at greatly different speeds (RPMs). Obviously the smaller tire will turn at many times the revolutions of the larger one to cover the same distance forward thus wearing the bearings much more. Since the smaller tire is turning many more revolutions it will also wear much faster. All that being said, as already posted, the difference between 14" and 15" for the same letter size tires is small. | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1863 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.124.20 Rating: N/A |
Dallas - Two same but different rpms you're talking about. The bearings are dealing with revolutions per minute. The tires are dealing with revolutions per mile. Throw in velocity, and it really scrambles the brain! Let me illustrate it this way: Picture a Coleman tent trailer being pulled at a steady 60 mph (cruise control on.) These little tires (18.5x8.5x8", 18.4" overall height) turn approximately 2,193 revs per mile. At 60 mph, they're also turning 2,193 revs per minute, as are the bearings. However, at 50 mph, the tires still turn 2,193 revs per mile, but because you're going slower, the bearings only turn about 1,827 revs per minute. On the other end of the spectrum, if you're towing at 70 mph, the tire still turns 2,193 revs in a mile, but the bearings are now spinning at roughly 2,580 revs per minute. Clear as mud? FWIW & HTH. . . (Our OEM GMC coach tires are sleeping, comparatively - 495 vs 2,193!) | ||
| Roderick W. Chandler (Rod)
Registered Member Username: Rod Post Number: 82 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 173.185.6.120  Rating: N/A |
Speed and distance does not change the fact that bearing and tire will always turn the same revolutions.You only change the numbers by using a different measuring stick ie minutes Vs miles. At higher speeds the tire will turn more revolutions per minute but will always need the same number of revolutions per mile. Rod | ||
| L James Jones Jr (Jamo)
Registered Member Username: Jamo Post Number: 236 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 74.67.218.12  Rating: N/A |
To explain it easier, try putting 12" tires on your bus and see what happens to your fuel mileage. When I try to figure stuff out, if it's between two things like this, I go to extremes. Think of a 40' tire vs a 4" tire. You really think the bearing on that 40 footer is rolling as fast as the 4 incher? | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 2204 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157 Rating: N/A |
Years ago, I loved to see those boat trailers with what seemed like 6 inch wheels being pulled at 80 plus miles per hour. You could see those wheels pulling light into them like a black hole.....well sorta.... | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 1402 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 173.202.13.81 Rating: N/A |
RJ, "However, at 50 mph, the tires still turn 2,193 revs per mile, but because you're going slower, the bearings only turn about 1,827 revs per minute. ". You're mixing velocity and minutes here, you can't do that, you have to stick to one or the other to make a comparison! You can't compare velocity to distance. Anyway, in your example they both turn the same rpm and revolutions no matter what the speed of the trailer. There is no difference between the tire/wheel/bearing revolutions no matter how you measure it, miles or revolutions or rpm. All the same relationship,just different units of measurement. And they are always the same for bearing, wheel and tire. There are two different velocities or speeds involved. That of the vehicle moving over the surface and the speed/velocity of a given point on the tire or bearing around the axle. That speed/velocity around the axle will be much greater for the tire spot than the bearing spot even though they are turning the same revolutions. Since they both make the same revolutions in the same time the tire has a much greater distance travel and it has to go much faster around the axle. If you separate the bearing from the wheel and then roll it alongside the tire at the same forward speed the bearing will turn many more rpms and revolutions in the same distance moved. Picture the outside wheel of a bus in a sharp turn compared to the inside wheel. If the bus could turn sharply enough the inside wheel would not turn and the outside one would be moving like crazy - the reason for differentials on the rear axle. I do this all the time with one brake locked on my old JD tractor. One other example just to make things interesting. What are the forward velocities of a spot at the bottom of a bulldozer track and a spot at the top of the track? Or, what is the speed of a bird flying at 20 mph inside a train toward the rear with the train moving at 20 mph? | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1624 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 97.213.222.100 Rating: N/A |
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| L James Jones Jr (Jamo)
Registered Member Username: Jamo Post Number: 237 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 74.67.218.12 Rating: N/A |
Gus, how much does the bird weigh and what did it have for breakfast? | ||
| Ed Hackenbruch (Ed_hackenbruch)
Registered Member Username: Ed_hackenbruch Post Number: 24 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 166.250.64.213 Rating: N/A |
Is it flying to Boston or Chicago? | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 807 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.206.210 Rating: N/A |
How about if he backs it all the way to Birmingham? | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 2205 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157 Rating: N/A |
obviously SOME people aren't working on their coaches. | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1588 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 76.4.123.74  Rating: N/A |
Chessie!! IT IS TOOOOO COLD!! I did fire mine up and also the generator and between them I have no bugs around here!! Especially the gen! Gomer | ||
| David Evans (Dmd)
Registered Member Username: Dmd Post Number: 650 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 69.114.3.22 Rating: N/A |
Miss Crabtree,my brain is full. thanks for the replies, i think i will go for the 14's it sets the trailer lower for loading and unloading only. go to the white zone. Thanks for the towing reminders also, a camera is nota bad idea either. | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 809 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.206.210 Rating: N/A |
Ah, well, my work here is done..... merrily spreading confusion and worthless information | ||
| Larry & Lynne Dixon (Larry_d)
Registered Member Username: Larry_d Post Number: 359 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 50.39.223.78  Rating: N/A |
I could not afford a camera and I put an old CB antenna and spring on the side of the trailer where I could see it from mirror's. Quite possible to put a lite on the end of antenna.===Just my cheap ways Larry | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1589 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 76.4.123.74 Rating: N/A |
Dal Job well done LOL gomer | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 1403 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 173.202.3.204 Rating: N/A |
After posting I read all that stuff I wrote and couldn't believe it. I even added the one about the goldfish in the bowl in the hand of a guy walking in the train but deleted it! I need to get rid of this cold, get some warmer weather, and get outside to my bus!!! (Message edited by gusc on December 02, 2011) | ||
| David Evans (Dmd)
Registered Member Username: Dmd Post Number: 651 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 69.114.3.22 Rating: N/A |
Hey Larry not a bad idea, i use a pole with a yellow tennis ball. Yours out techs mine! Dont worry Gus we all we be suffering winter blues soon. Got some info,advice,and a few laughs. Life is good. thanks again | ||
| Larry & Lynne Dixon (Larry_d)
Registered Member Username: Larry_d Post Number: 360 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 50.39.223.78 Rating: N/A |
Well more to antenna I had some yellow caution plastic ribbon I rapped it with. I cut a corner tight and broke my stick. So had spring. Like the tennis ball tho. Life has to get better I am still driving near three hundred miles one way to see my wife every week. YAAALL have a good day==Larry | ||
| Dave Walker (Chrome_dome)
Registered Member Username: Chrome_dome Post Number: 414 Registered: 3-2010 Posted From: 74.41.14.235  Rating: N/A |
2 BUS bearings roll into a bar and the one from a 14" wheel says hey you look burnt. It says yep, I was on a 12" Bus wheel going to Dallas you should see the Bus, They both Guffawed! Chromie | ||
| Jim G. - RTS (Jimgohio)
Registered Member Username: Jimgohio Post Number: 17 Registered: 4-2001 Posted From: 50.41.74.181 Rating: N/A |
For the sake of the bearings and tires, the 15s will be the best for you considering the long distances you plan to travel. If you can find a small dip to park the trailer in, that would take care of the unloading/loading ease. Jim G. | ||
| Douglas Tappan (Dougthebonifiedbusnut)
Registered Member Username: Dougthebonifiedbusnut Post Number: 183 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 98.216.80.83  Rating: N/A |
The only part of the bearing that spins the same rpm as the tire is the outer race. the balls/rollers travel at a much lower rpm. | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 1404 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 173.202.1.7 Rating: N/A |
That may be true Doug, but they get just as blue when overheated as the race!! | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 810 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.206.210 Rating: N/A |
Boy, I'd hate to have THAT condition... both hot and blue at the same time! I don't think that's happened since high school! | ||
| joe padberg (Joemc7ab)
Registered Member Username: Joemc7ab Post Number: 590 Registered: 6-2004 Posted From: 66.38.159.33 Rating: N/A |
David Make sure that the tires you are using have the appropiate S/T designation. In some jurisdictions they will make you park your trailer in addition to being fined. | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 1425 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.52.189.221 Rating: N/A |
Also make sure tires are rated for the load they will carry and properly inflated. Jack |