Recommended 12 Inch Tires Compatible With Highway Speeds for Haul Master Trailer

Question:

I have just purchased a HaulMaster utility trailer, comes standard with the 12inch wheels and 5.30-12 tires. I plan to drive it to Oregon, perhaps Idaho from Califronia, so will be on the highway. Considering putting 13inch wheels on to get a higher speed rating and to be kinder to the hubs. Do you think its necessary to go to the 13inch wheels or do many people pull their trailers with the 12inch wheels on the highways at normal speeds, such as 70-75 mph? Thanks for the advice.

asked by: Gregg O

Expert Reply:

As long as the manufacturer of your trailer doesn't have any caveats regarding running the trailer at 70-75 mph, the hubs/bearings are properly serviced at regular intervals and the tires you're using are properly speed rated, there's no reason why you can't stay with your current 5.30-12 tire size. If the 5.30-12 is the stock tire size, I'd recommend sticking with the tire size the trailer was designed to work with.

You don't mention the load rating of your current tires, but if a load range C tire with a 1,050 lb per tire capacity would be sufficient, I'd highly recommend going with the radial 5.30-12, part # TT53012C from Taskmaster which carries an 81 mph speed rating. You'd be able to run at normal highway speeds all day long as long as the tires are kept properly inflated to the psi rated on the tire sidewall. Radial tires do a much better job of shedding excess heat than bias-ply tires. Since excess heat is the number one tire killer, the cooler and smoother running radials would be the way to go.

To keep an eye on the tires pressure and temperature on long trips, you might consider a TPMS system like part # TPMS-TRL-2

expert reply by: Mike L