Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

This probably belongs in the Trailering and Tow Vehicles section but I looked over there and there's A. not much discussion of the wheels that come on the trailers and B. honestly not much discussion at all over there. Hoping for some help/opinions.

I have the red/gold chariot trailer that came with the boat. This includes the 2 original gold 14 inch wheels.
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o...w71a/wheel.jpg

I only have the two that came on the trailer with the boat and NO SPARE - :eek_animated:

I'd like to find replacements and a spare, or some method by which I can freshen these up to "like new" condition. I can't find anything other than chrome wheels of this style and if I go that route I have to either paint, powdercoat or anodize them gold.

Any suggestions?

On a side note, I would love to put something like this on the trailer, I think they'd look totally BADA$$ (I am an old Pontiac guy so don't hold it against me)
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o.../snowflake.jpg

It's my understanding that this would be just nearly impossible. And depending on the offset of these wheels potentially unsafe.

What say you Mariah Masses?

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

I did some looking and found the same design but nothing with the gold coating.

ST205/75R15 Transmaster Radial Trailer Tire LR C w/ 15x6, 5x4.5 Chrome Blade Trailer Rim

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Yep same ones I found just driving me nuts that I can't find them in gold

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

20" blades

http://www.rimgod.com/customwheelwor...ED%20BLADE.jpg

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

I'm afraid your gonna have a hard time finding them. They went "out dated" in the mid 90's it seems like.
I'm with you all the way with the honeycomb wheels but you need 5x4.5 pattern and if I recall the T/A wheels were 5x5.
Like you I would like some gold/chrome wheels for mine , but I think we're both SOL :(
I will continue to look , someone has to have a few laying around somewhere.

Larry

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Hey Larry. Thanks man. I cant remember what the bolt pattern is for old GM wheels. I think it's 5 x 4.75 but not sure. BUT wouldn't offset be the real issue? Hell I could get a new axle and custom up some old GM hubs on it and make the bolt pattern work. I worry about how they would carry the load.

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

You could be right MW , I can't remember bolt patterns to save my hide. Them wheels would hold up fine for your rig as long as you don't have a flat while driving. Then they are gonna be junk. They sure would look cool though!
Can you measure the offset on your wheels you have? Then you can have a better idea what to look for.
Most trailers don't have a lot of room in the wheelwell so it might be a bit of a challenge , but hey that's half the fun.....no one else will have em :)

Larry

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Its my understanding that true trailer wheels (which I would assume these are) all have a zero offset meaning the load is exactly on the center of the wheel and tire. From reading and researching for wheels for my 05 GTO (an entirely different nightmare FYI) as well as lately for this trailer fiasco its my further understanding that this is to put the least amount of stress on the bearings. (Trailer hubs and bearings are not built to handle what automotive bearing's are) Which I suppose would be a moot point if I do a custom axle and hub. Maybe I just worked this all out by typing it all out loud. Lol

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Yea just looked it up. 5 x 4.75 ...at least I still remember a few things right. :D

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Well you'd never guess?

I just found this - Add Brakes to your trailer! Basic kit 3500# axle 5x4.75 | eBay

A trailer hub kit to add brakes that has a bolt pattern of ..... wait for it .... 5 x 4.75.
:D

Now trying to hunt down the 14 inch version of the Pontiac honeycomb or snowflake wheels (shouldn't be too hard) and figure out the backspacing and offset. Then to measure the Chariot trailer.

hmmmmmm this might just work after all...(insert maniacal evil genius laugh here).

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

The honeycomb wheels look like the old firebird wheels as in the Smokey & the Bandit firebirds. If that is the case they will most likely be hard to find. The origanal wheel look like American racers which they may still make?

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Ok there's Snowflakes -
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o.../snowflake.jpg

And Honeycombs -
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o...1a/76ta14f.jpg

Either came in Gold and Silver (Argent) and the Snowflakes also (for a short time) came color matched - red, light blue, yellow, etc.

I have a line on some local Snowflakes but they are 15's, I am looking for 14's - they all came in 14 x 6, 14 x 7, 15 x 7 and few 15 x 8.

I have learned that the back spacing is in the 4-5 inch range and offset is 0 or +1/4 or +1/2 depending on the wheel size, type and year.

All very doable.

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Yer Killin me MW ! LOL LOL :)
Keep us posted on the progress of your adventure.

Larry

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

:D Am I crazy? :spinning_jumping_to

I mean tell me if I am. I can take it.

Just seems like a cool frivolous project that will make my rig look super cool on the road, and at the ramp.

Maybe I need more hobbies, less time on my hands.

If I trudge forward, all y'all will be the first to know.

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Well I happened to run into an old buddy of mine over the weekend. This buddy happened to have a set of 15X7 snowflakes he let go of for a buck and a quarter. :D Nice shape too. Just need cleaned up. Might re-do them sometime, but not now.

So let the adventure begin.

Sadly, I think it's about time to winterize and give up on the season for boating, so this will have to be an off season upgrade. Low's in the upper 30s lower 40s tonight. And this after months of 100s with no rain. sigh

Alright I will update as things develop.

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Cool MW !
Let's see some pics of those bad boys! :)

Larry

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Pictures you say?
Here's the 2 I have, the other 2 are getting nappy old tires stripped off of them.

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o...210719_939.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o...210729_501.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o...210736_128.jpg

So there ya go, need to be cleaned and polished, but VERY usable.
:D

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

So, do you plan on selling the originals you have now from your trailer?

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

I have not decided yet. For originality sake I will probably keep the hubs and wheels. But that is not written in stone. IF (big IF) I ever sold them, it wouldn't be cheap. I know how scarce they are. And I hate to make enemies!
:D

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Well I may have hit a speed bump. I went out yesterday to look over the trailer before I bought the new hubs and realized (and yea I know this is stupid) my chariot trailer does not have an axle. It just has the spindles supported by square steel tubing holding a steel tube.

Can the spindles be replaced? If so what magic holds them in the tubes? (please don't tell me they are welded in there)

I am hoping they are replaceable as spindles go bad. I hope they were not built in there.

The hubs require a backing plate to screw the hubs to. There is not one there but I found spindles that have them. I'd like to replace the whole thing as opposed to welding on the backing plate.

Is this possible?

Thanks!

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Here's the problem.

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps73cb7d1e.jpg

Ever seen this? Any ideas how to pull and replace the spindle?

Why do you need to replace the spindle? Can't find a hub that's the right bolt pattern I'm guessing? I'm going to have to go out and look at mine and see how its put together.....you've got me.curious now too.

Edit....just looked at mine. The spindle is just a short stub shaft that's welded on there. If worst came to worst it'd be pretty easy to cut off and replace.

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Mine is a leaf set up. It looks identical to that picture. Rectangular tube axle, maybe a 2 x 3, piece of what looks like channel welded on the end with the stub shaft welded to the top. In that picture if its like mine the leafs bolt on right under where you see part of the u bolt there. :)

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Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Well I guess I will just have to forego the brakes. That was the real issue.

What's the problem in making it work? I think I'm lost.

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Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

The axles are replaceable. You can get them with the flange for the backing plate at Tractor Supply for about $150. If the spindle gets worn or damaged they are throw aways. Measure the width at the spring perches and match it up. Easy replacement. Don't forget new u bolts.

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Ultimately, I am trying to add wheels to a trailer that were never meant to be used on a trailer. To convince both myself and the wife that it was worth it to undertake this foolhardy project I had also planned on adding electronic brakes. (If you look in my early posts I link to a company that sells electronic brake hubs with a bolt pattern of 5x4.75 - the bolt pattern required for the snowflake wheels) I have also found standard hubs that I an use, forgo the brakes and not be spending a ridiculous amount on this upgrade.

I looked at tractor supply, they don't have "drop" axles that I found. A standard axle would have my boat sitting WAY up in the air. I did find a drop axle on trailerpartsusa.com :
3,500 lb. Drop Axle Tube LM-360-D | 3,500 lb. Drop Axle Tube | Trailer Parts | TrailerPartsUSA.com

It's a 3500 pound axle and it has the flanges and it's only $130 + $30 some for shipping. But I will have to go home measure a few things and then decide if I want to spend $250 just to modify the trailer enough to where I can add the these wheels. Then $125 for the wheels themselves and about 100 per tire for a grand total of almost 700 bucks just to have cool wheels.

:mad:

Is the reason you can't use the axle you have because they don't have a flange to bolt the backing plate to?

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Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Right, the hubs (that come with brakes) require a flange to bolt the brake to.

I have found hubs that do not have brakes that are supposedly 5x4.75 bolt pattern but the diagram they show for measuring it is funky and not the same as the others I have seen. I need to check a few things before my next move.

I have NOT thrown in the towel just yet.

Oh don't throw in the towel. This isn't that hard to figure out. To measure bolt pattern measure from the center of one bolt, skip one, then measure to the outside edge. You can redrill your current hubs to the correct pattern if need be too. http://www.mrt-wheels.com/boltpattern.html

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Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

That's the way I have always known to measure a bolt pattern as well, but the place I found the hubs (etrailer.com) has the funkiest diagram showing how to measure it. Check it out, here's the hub, scroll down and look at the explanation of the bolt pattern measurement, crazy stuff.

Trailer Hub Assembly - 3500-lb Axles - 5 on 4-3/4 Dexter Trailer Hubs and Drums 845475UC1

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

I had a trailer shop add a new axle and electronic breaks to my Prestige trailer. They used U-Bolts to attach the new cylindrical axle to the leaf springs. They did have to make a new longer leaf spring pivot for the back so the axle sat low enough not to rub on the fender. Both the brake set-up and then axle have worked well for 2 years now.

Have a good one,

Kris

Why couldn't you keep the axle you have and just weld a mount for the brake backing plate on it?

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Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

The reason I needed a new axle, was with the addition of the brakes, there tire extended too far out so it rubbed on the lip of the fender.

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Take the hubs to a machine shop and let them redrill for the 4.75" patern, and forget the brakes. figure somewhere between $100 and $200 to do the job. (depending on their labor rates and enthusiasm for helping you make yout trailor way cool. lol). Go to a shorter 70 series tire on the 15" rim so the outside diameter is similar to the 14" 75 series so no fender rub. ... Or that's what I would do anyway. lol.

Actually, when contemplating finding a matching spare tire rim, I just decided to put a spare tire cover over it. lol.

And I happen to be a Ford guy, so I have a few 4.5" pattern rims around here I could switch to if I ever decided to go with something different.

Re: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
 

Hey man thanks for stopping in. The hubs linked above would be 80 for a pair and includes the bearings. I think I'd rather do that than spend 100-200 to get these re-drilled.

I will prolly go that route, just need to get a few things done and then I will be back at upgrades and updates on the boat. (Just got her moved into her winter home (AKA my back yard on the porch under a nice steel roof. - Where I can work on her over the winter on nice days)

So up next is winterizing - then wheels and LED lights for my trailer - then I will be working on the horn and some electrical bugs in the dash - does the list ever end?