How to Fit a T@B in a Garage With a 7ft Door

ReenieG

I thought this might be of interest to some others as well. There is a discussion on how several members were able to lower their T@B 320S trailers by removing the 14" wheels & tires and replacing with 12" rims only.

Here's the link: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/1919/room-in-the-garage/p1

I'm researching that for myself since I cannot park in the driveway due to HOA restrictions.

So here's my idea...

I found 8" 5x4.5 wheels & tires combined. The center axle (pilot) hole is different but a mechanic friend has offered to bore it out for me. 2.8" vs 3.19"

I ordered the wheels & tires so hopefully, this will work! I will keep you posted.

Has anyone else tried this? Any other suggestions? TIA

Dalehelman

Check to see it the wheel will clear the brake drums.

VictoriaP

ReenieG said:

I found 8" 5x4.5 wheels & tires combined.

Aside from Dale’s concerns about the brake drums, I’d be concerned whether or not those 8” wheels and tires are rated to handle some 2000 lbs or more of trailer. And that’s before you change them structurally, who knows if they’ll be strong enough afterwards?

I’m also going to note why I’ve always felt this to be a less than optimal idea...because of the labor involved, it can limit how often you take the trailer out. Are you really going to want to have to change the wheels every time you leave and every time you return? Is this a process you can manage 100% by yourself and safely, or will it require help? What if that help turns out not to be available for some reason, what’s your backup plan? 

ReenieG

@VictoriaP

Now all of this is moot, even before getting those 8" wheels and tires and my house. They're scheduled to arrive yesterday. I typically go with my gut instinct and I research the heck out of everything I do typically.

So, with saying all of that, the tires were rated class D meaning that each tire will support 1100 lbs, more than enough simply for storage. Boring the hole would've been less than 1/4" so I doubt much compromise, again, only for storage.

However... I nixed the whole idea of all of it and did alot more research on finding a suitable inexpensive place to store it and I found one for under $50 a month! That's crazy considering most of the RV storage facilities are either $125+ or completely full or both.

For about $10 a week, it's simply not worth the hassle (for me anyway) to even bother attempting to change the tires out. And yes, you're probably right in that thinking, that if it's too much of a hassle, I won't want to use it much and that would destroy the whole purpose of purchasing my T@B to begin with!

ReenieG

Dalehelman said:

Check to see it the wheel will clear the brake drums.

I nixed the whole wheel changing idea (see above post) but yeah, the brake drums would be another concern to look into.

VictoriaP

@ReenieG Under $50 a month is an OUTSTANDING deal! Congrats, that’s definitely well worth it.

ReenieG

@VictoriaP Yes, I totally agree! Thank you!