Pneumatic tongue jack tires (revisited again)

Dalehelman · August 2018

While on the T@B Facebook yesterday I saw a simple way to convert the standard factory wheel with two pneumatic 10” tires from Harbor Freight. It does require enlarging the axel from 1/2” to 5/8”. You will need an 8” x 5/8” bolt and a piece of tubing or pipe for a spacer in place of the factory wheel.
https://www.harborfreight.com/10-in-pneumatic-tire-with-white-hub-62409.htm

The jury is still out if it’s 👍👎

hymie · August 2018

Lol! I saw the same post as Dale and was inspired to make our own "Frankenwheel".

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/rp/yq3o0d0cw9cq.jpg

All chuffed with myself, I looked with some degree of satisfaction at what I had wrought and realized that there was no way it was going in the propane tub where the old one lived.

And so I figured that a few more pounds are going on the tongue. Some foam and an old mount later.... The Frankenholder!

😁

Btw the foam on the jack keeps the Frankenwheel from rattling around and driving me crazy(er)!

Dalehelman · August 2018

@hymie
I really like your tongue storage idea. Unfortunately I am totally out of room.

NorthIsUp · August 2018

Tower, this is T@B3-2-0. Ready to taxi.

ericnliz · August 2018

I see roof racks in yer future @Dalehelman!!!

ScottG · August 2018

Time for a 400, @Dalehelman? You clearly need the space, and just think what you could do with a nice fresh canvas for all your mods! ;-)

ericnliz · August 2018

@ScottG, I HAD to laugh at that one!!!! Last breakfast meeting, Dale was doing a mod for a fellow T@Bber ( @dsatwork, & @Sandiegogal), and Dale's wife made a comment about getting a new T@B, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a 400......won't fit in his garage & that HAS to be part of the criteria! I just want to be there when they auction off the Dale Helman special!!!!

rfuss928 · August 2018

hymie Nice job on the jockey wheel mod! Where did you get those wheels? I have had poor experience with the HF wheel/tires cracking and leaking after only about a year. Yours look like a better tire.

hymie · August 2018

@rfuss928 They are from the Canadian version of harbour freight - Princess Auto.

https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/4-10-x-3-50-4-wheel-assembly/A-p8442469e

I suspect that they are the same low quality rubber, given the price. You could probably get better tires through someone like John Deere (bogey wheels?). I looked for cheap and easy to build as a "proof of concept". I kept the original wheel arraignment for the tab and will likely carry it with us until we are confident. Including replacing the mount, we are still <$80 cdn.

Dalehelman · August 2018

@rfuss928
They arefrom HF. They have been siting in my shop for about 5 years waiting for the right project. Still look new. UV protectant can extend life. At $5.99 each I bought 4 so I can carry a spare. Still not sure if I prefer pneumatic over the poly urethane. I guess it depends on the surface you’re dealing with.

BrianZ · August 2018

Nice mods, @Dalehelman & @hymie! Looks like it would make wheeling it around a breeze, even on gravel. It would also make the most of Dale's scissor leveling jacks when repositioning at camp site. Your tongue storage is clever too, Hymie, and it looks like you could make use of Dale's drill-powered jack mod.

I have a couple questions ..
What is the lowest possible distance between bottom front of the tongue to ground?
Just parking in our driveway where there's a slight incline, that distance is only about 7 inches after leveling. If I had these wheels on, I wonder if I'd still be able to level the trailer without jacking the wheels off the ground. It makes me wonder about the same issue at campsites if they are not very close to level.

@Dalehelman, with your spare so far forward, I wonder if you've had any clearance issues with the rear of the TV or any tailgate. At sharp angles we sometimes have an issue opening the rear of our van, and that's with the tire facing backwards. Did you reverse your jack bolt & gear to the rear for using the drill?

rfuss928 · August 2018

hymie Thanks, they didn't look like anything I had come across when working on my projects.

Yes, I ended up with a nice high quality "bogey wheel" for my jockey wheel several years back. It's a 3.40/3.00-5 with a 4ply rating and a nice bearing with grease fitting. So far, so good.

hymie · August 2018

@BrianZ I hope this is what you are looking for...

This is with the jack fully retracted.

Caveats- 1. We have the outback with the pitched axle (should be irrelevant for the above measurement) 2. I did not modify the stock wheel assembly but purchased an inexpensive close copy instead. There may be a difference in the geometry.

It stands to reason that you lose 2" changing tire size from 6" - 10" if you modify the existing assembly.

Dalehelman · August 2018

@BrianZ

When the tongue is at the lowest point it is 10 3/4” to the ground. We tow with a Jeep GC it has a lift gate that clears the tire. Turn radius is a very minor issue. I cannot quite make a 90* jack knife, which I would never do anyway. Forward turning radius Is not an issue. I did rotate the jack to allow access for my cordless drill.

BrianZ · August 2018

Thanks for your replies, @hymie & @Dalehelman.
Aha, Dale, so you rotated the whole jack by 120 degrees! I was thinking maybe you just pulled out the bolt & gear then stuck it in from the back. Nice solution.

I'm wondering if I could use 6" wheels like this..
Marathon 6x2" Flat Free, Hand Truck/All Purpose Utility Tire on Wheel, 2.375" Centered Hub, 1/2" Bearings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BWJY4O0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_HrDzBb0782FF4
And that should get the tongue at least a couple of inches lower to the ground, for purposes of leveling. I would think that should still offer a significant improvement in maneuverability versus the stock wheel - would you agree?

How many campsites or leveling situations have you tested with the 10" wheels, or are they brand new? Thanks again.

rfuss928 · August 2018

BrianZ

FWIW I had tried a larger Marathon Flat Free wheel for a while after replacing the original ALKO pneumatic wheel/tire. I found it would flat spot rather quickly when supporting the tongue weight and a bit difficult to get rolling after sitting a short while. It would recover unloaded. It had a larger section than the model you show, so maybe more susceptible to this problem.

hymie · August 2018

@BrianZ Untested in real life as yet. I've tried it on our gravel driveway and am very pleased with the early results. The only test that I want to try is to see how it works (if at all) with one tire dead flat. That could be the show stopper for me.

Dalehelman · August 2018

@BrianZ
I think it is going to take some real world time to determine which I prefer. My guess is neither may be perfect in all conditions. Time will tell.

BrianZ · August 2018

I think I will try this, but with an 8-inch pneumatic tire. It would only be an inch difference in height and uses the same half inch axle diameter, so no drilling needed. 8-inch isn't very common, but I found a couple. At least this could provide some easier options at the campsite, but we'll still have the foot plate we've been using for our tongue jack if needed for getting the tongue low to the ground.

DougH · August 2018

With such good traction, and proximity to the battery it seems a real shame to not put a few strong stepper motors (including one for rotation about the vertical axis) on that set of wheels. Maybe with an Arduino / Raspberry Pi voice activated control system to make moving the trailer around and up driveways easier. I'm just saying....

Mouseketab · August 2018

rfuss928 said:

hymie Thanks, they didn't look like anything I had come across when working on my projects.
Yes, I ended up with a nice high quality "bogey wheel" for my jockey wheel several years back. It's a 3.40/3.00-5 with a 4ply rating and a nice bearing with grease fitting. So far, so good.

I've got the same wheel on my Dutchmen T@B. As a matter of fact, I think I bought it from you

Mouseketab · August 2018

DougH said:

With such good traction, and proximity to the battery it seems a real shame to not put a few strong stepper motors (including one for rotation about the vertical axis) on that set of wheels. Maybe with an Arduino / Raspberry Pi voice activated control system to make moving the trailer around and up driveways easier. I'm just saying....

Or you could install this: www.purplelineusa.com

(I have one on my T@B) Not voice controlled, but remote controlled

DougH · August 2018

Very nice! That's more stable than using a couple 12V winch motors and belts to move smaller jack wheels and a gimbal too.

I just saw that firm has a dual jack wheel, albeit not pneumatic...

http://www.purplelineusa.com/products-dual-caster-wheel.php

BrianZ · August 2018

What's the name of the Facebook group where this mod was described?

Mouseketab · August 2018

T@B Camping Trailers or T@DA,T@B & T@G Camper Trailer Owners

I forget which, as I'm a member of both

Dalehelman · August 2018

DougH said:

Very nice! That's more stable than using a couple 12V winch motors and belts to move smaller jack wheels and a gimbal too.

I just saw that firm has a dual jack wheel, albeit not pneumatic...

http://www.purplelineusa.com/products-dual-caster-wheel.php

If two good would three be better?

BrianZ · August 2018

Yeah, I saw there were two, so wondered which one it was.

Dalehelman · August 2018

After trying several wheel and tire combinations. I have settled on the one that will work best for me. The main thing I am trying to accomplish is easier maneuverability over soft surfaces when necessary. I prefer the urethane wheel with ball bearings over the stock plastic non bearing wheel. By using two plastic jack pads I can pretty much handle any soft surfaces. The single wheel has less rolling resistance and pivots much easier on its axis.

jgram2 · August 2018

Yep! That’s some pretty soft concrete you’re on there! :-)

TerryV6 · August 2018

Two fellow campers checking out Dales latest mod...

ericnliz · August 2018

@TerryV6, Now, THAT would be a "Well, bless your heart!" comment if I ever heard one!

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Pneumatic tongue jack tires (revisited again)

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