jim marshall
Chattanooga, Tennessee
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I need a source for wheel spacers for our TT. I noticed this afternoon that one of the tires has been rubbing the inside of the wheel well. While it is plastic and not metal, I don't worry so much about it over heating the tire, but I do want to get the tires away from the wheel wells. I plan to flip my axles soon and go with larger tires and will need the extra clearance for sure then. I have looked on several sites and also JC Whitney but haven't found what I need. Anyone have any suggestions where they can be found?
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Ductape
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Not knowing the specifics of your rig, I recommend be careful with this. Trailer bearings are often running at or near max load. Wheel spacers move the applied load away from the center of the bearings. Larger tires will increase the leverage on the hub, bearings and spindle.
If you've got ample reserve capacity go for it, but if you're close to the axle weight rating, be careful. My .02
PS- I just googled "wheel spacers" and got 799,00 hits, so give that a shot.
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milzat
Louisiana
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Wheel Spacers
Here and Here
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JJBIRISH
Butler, PA, USA
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I doubt you will find what you are looking for, and doubt any mfg would recommend using wheel spacers...
why not find out why they are rubbing and repair that instead...
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SteveRankin
Sequim, WA
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Wheel spacers would be a last resort fix if it was my trailer. Trailer wheel bearings have very little safety margin. If you change the offset of the wheel with a spacer, you'll load the outside bearing more and quite possibly have a problem with it. If you have NeverLube bearings, the situation is even worse because if you burn up a bearing you'll probably destroy the axle spindle in the process.
First, I'd check to see why the tire was hitting the body part.
Check the axle U-bolts and see if the axles are centered properly.
Trim the plastic that's touching the tire.
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jim marshall
Chattanooga, Tennessee
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I went to several of the web pages and all I could find in the first 4 or 5 sites were the thin spacers that weren't but 1/4-5/16 inch thick so I thought I would ask you guys where to find the spacers for a TT as there are many experienced fellows and gals on this forum with some great information.
I don't know what the rating is on my axles but my camper weighs 2700 pounds and is a 17 foot dual axle. There are 13 inch tires on the TT now and it sits very close to the ground. After ripping out the holding tanks on our old 24 footer, I don't want to take the chance of doing that again. When I flip the axles the 13 inch tires are going to look way smaller than they do now, but I know when I flip the axles the 13 inchers will not rub like they do now. I have a new set of 14 inch tires that are better than the older Carlyle tires on the TT now but the 14 inchers are wider. That is another reason for the spacers. I know the spacers will put more pressure on the bearings but I don't know any other way to get the 14 inchers on our TT. I do appreciate your input, thanks fellows and gals.
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DrMaserati
Salem, OR
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If your tires need to be moved outward to prevent rubbing, it appears that someone has put on wheels with incorrect backspacing. Spacers are not the solution. Wheels are available with just about any backspacing you could possibly need. Since you are changing to 14" tires you will need new wheels to go with them. Just buy wheels with the correct backspacing and there is no need for spacers or any other bandaid fix.
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JJBIRISH
Butler, PA, USA
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Jim
one thing to consider if a tire is rubbing on the inside of the wheel well, you could have lost axle camber or have bent a axle... the only fix for this is a alignment or axle replacement...
you also need to remember you need room for the wheels to move right and left when turning, they do this naturally...
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jim marshall
Chattanooga, Tennessee
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DrMaserati, I haven't thought about the offset rims. I will look into that, thanks.
JJBIRISH, that is something I do need to check. We have only had the camper a month now and are still finding things to fix. I haven't jacked it up to get a good look under there yet, but I will. Thanks a bunch.
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