Tires on older Dutchman T@b units

hammerstone

(Title altered for search purposes.  Moderator)

Hello all,

I'm having lots of thoughts on tires, and needed to get all this written down so thought i would post it for the possible benefit of others, plus ask a few questions of the community:

i'm owner of a 2007 Dutchman L layout trailer, BarT@b, that i've owned since 2016 and average 1-2000 miles per year.  I put tires on it in 2017, so it is ready for some new ones even though they have plenty of tread left.  The tires i put on in 2017 were 195/60 R15; i'm assuming i just replaced them with what was on there.  I've seen several posts (https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/16841/tires-on-2008-t-b#latest) that say the 205/55R16 is the correct tire, but i'm not sure they will fit in my wheel-wells.  Using the discount tire calculator, i get the tire height of the 195's as 24.2", while the 205's on a 16" wheel would be 24.88"; on a radial basis, that is only .3" taller, but it is also .4" wider, and i can barely get a finger in between the tire and the fender as it is (See first two attached pictures).  First question:  Can anyone confirm (with a picture too) that they have a 2007 vintage DM/T@B with 205/55R16 tires mounted that aren't scraping the fenders?  A 205/55 tire on a 15" rim is also available; it is a little shorter than the 195's (23.88" vs the 24.22" of the 195's), but still the same width.  I'm not sure that pursuing a wider tire is of any benefit, assuming the sidewall is the same thickness.  Second Question:  does anyone out there think that wider tires are by themselves a benefit, or that they inherently have a stronger sidewall?

ideally, i'd like to get a narrower and LIGHTER tire/rim for the spare setup, to make it easier to get in and out from underneath.  (yes, i know of the many good solutions for tongue mounting but don't want any more weight up there,, and yes i like the solution posted by @YanniLazarus of making a rack on the backside of the trailer but that is obviously more work.)  I've not been carrying a spare for the last several years because of the PITA factor of getting it in and out from underneath; part of that is because of the weight of the rim/tire.  If it were half the existing weight it would be a lot easier.  In addition, because the spare extends down so far from the factory bracket, it can drag on the ground in some dirt road situations.  As it is right now, the mounting bracket protrudes down 5 1/2" from the bottom of the trailer, meaning when the tire is bolted up underneath it doesn't bear on the bottom of the trailer, it is "floating" on the mount.  Third question:  does anyone else see their spare "floating" on the underside mount, and not touching the floor on their DM T@B?

My thinking is that if i could go to a narrower tire for all 3 tires/rims, i'd get the following benefits:
  lighter spare tire assembly (narrower rim and tire) making it easier to lift the spare into place
  less protrusion down of the spare, so less potential for dragging and easier to attach the spare with more clearance (would require me to make a new bracket that only protruded about 3 1/2" down)
  more space between road tire and fender

Or, if i could even stick with the existing 195's for the road tires and get something that is the same height but narrower for the spare i'd do that.  I don't find a standard tire size that is the same diameter as a 195 with a lot narrower profile, 185/65 R15 are within 0.24" in height, which is probably close enough for a spare. That 10mm difference in the width (195-185) might be noticeable in reducing the protrusion distance and lower the weight some too.  In that case, would it be easier/better to just get all 3 in the 185 size?  Now we're back to the overall width/size needed, and a smaller diameter would mean more rev's per mile of travel, which means increased heat/wear and lower mileage, so sticking to the 195's (or 205's if they'll actually fit) would be the best.

Other options: 
  replace all 3 with the 195's again, but try to find an aluminum rim for the spare; this would at least make it lighter.
  move the spare up to a new back rack, ala what @YanniLazarus posted
  find a donut spare that is close to a given size (either 195/60-15 or 205/55-15 or 16)
  get a 13" rim with a trailer tire (185/80-R13 or 175/80-R13) set of tires.  0.4" narrower, 0.44" taller than the 195's, should fit fine, is a trailer tire, less rim and more tire don't know how that would affect weight. 

seems to me the best bet is the 13" rim with the 185/175 tires, except then i'm buying new tires and rims.  Last Question: is anyone else running 13" rims, and any thoughts on why not?

any response appreciated!

rfuss928

The 195/60s are correct on the 15" steel wheels you have.  The 205/55s are correct on the 16" alloy wheels.
Generally speaking, the smaller tires have lower load ratings.  The DM T@Bs use passenger vehicle tires and the smaller sizes you are considering may not have adequate load capacity.  Certainly less safety margin than the recommended sizes.   

hammerstone

thanks for the reply, that seems to clarify some of it, but still doesn't answer the question if i can FIT a set of 205's.   The 13" Kenda radial 185/80 r13 has a 1710lb rating at 65 psi.  (load range D)  i assume i can find other tires in the 205/55 size that have a load range d or e too, but it seems you can find the smaller sizes with the needed load range too.

ThatJakePerry

The spec plate in my 2004 listed 205/50R16 as the best size. Used those for a year and they worked great. Had damaged a tire and just put a set of 205/55R16 on and did a quick 30 mile drive with zero issues as well. Either of those sizes should work fine. 

We think that ours only listed 205/50 because it was one of the first builds and they were still dialing in the specs. 

gmintner

I had posted a question about the correct tires for a 2004 T@b  T-16. (My Title also has a T after T@b, but I’m not sure if that is necessary.)
 I don’t know what happened to the manual.
A kind person replied that it was also called a Dutchman and that it used passenger car tires. Can anyone clarify which specific tires would work best on this model?
Thank you so much for any help you can give!

gmintner

Also, where is the spec plate located?
I see that someone mentioned it in a post. Thanks!