do you guys who tow a tire trailer use a very light utility trailer without a deck?
are there reasonably priced tire trailers already for sale that i havent seen?
does it make sense to scratch build one? I found a thread somewhere on building an aluminum trailer with a 600# custom torsion axle and it looked awesome, i couldnt find much on the axle, any idea where i might i find pricing on lightweight torsion axles since the rest is stock and lighting so the axle is the big cost?
I think a bunch are using the harbor freight special
i was checking out their 1000# one for around 220 bucks as a starting setup to make how i want it, since the lighter ones use tiny 8" wheels i figure the 12" wheel/tire setup is less likely to explode at highway speeds. are you talking about that one or the cheapest one they sell?
before we cleaned up and rewired an old box trailer that belonged to my dad (he pulled it behind a motorcycle in the '80s), I had my tires strapped to the front rail of either a 4x6' or 3x5' utility trailer and towed it behind the Miata... as long as you don't get too much tongue weight, it towed great up until roughly 50-55mph where it started wagging ever so slightly. the little box trailer pulls a lot nicer though and is still big enough for a full set of 15x7s wrapped in 205/50R15 race rubber and some tools and is actually tall enough to see out the rear view mirror, which makes driving with it a LOT easier
no more weight than you're going to carry ( as a tire trailer/tool box) then the 8" tires/hubs aren't a problem (carry a spare wheel/tire and a hub = you're golden)
Harbor Freight.
I always thought the liability of the 8" setup was primarily the cheap included bearings crapping out at speed. I would think some quality seals, bearings,and grease would fix that problem.
I just rent one.
In reply to GVX19:
Uhaul let you do that? I thought US Yugos had no tow rating?
Kenny_McCormic wrote: In reply to GVX19: Uhaul let you do that? I thought US Yugos had no tow rating?
My guess is he either had a friend or someone that didn't follow uhaul policies. They wouldn't rent a tow dolly to me without having a full size truck. 
Gimp wrote: Harbor Freight.
Why do you need a tire trailer if you're autocrossing a wagon? Can't you just fit the tires in the back?
codrus wrote:Gimp wrote: Harbor Freight.Why do you need a tire trailer if you're autocrossing a wagon? Can't you just fit the tires in the back?
Cleaner and arguably easier to use the trailer.
I was considering making something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mazda-Miata-Tire-Carrier-For-Race-Tires-or-/230958602542?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1990%7CMake%3AMazda%7CModel%3AMiata%7CSubmodel%3ABase%7CEngine+-+Liter_Display%3A1.6L&hash=item35c634992e&vxp=mtr
yamaha wrote:Kenny_McCormic wrote: In reply to GVX19: Uhaul let you do that? I thought US Yugos had no tow rating?My guess is he either had a friend or someone that didn't follow uhaul policies. They wouldn't rent a tow dolly to me without having a full size truck.
The Yugo is on the approved tow list. I did not think it would be, but it is. I asked as a joke. They looked it up and its in the sys. Now don't think you are going any place fast with that 1300# trailer. Its grate in town and the looks are priceless!
mtn wrote:codrus wrote: Why do you need a tire trailer if you're autocrossing a wagon? Can't you just fit the tires in the back?Cleaner and arguably easier to use the trailer.
Hm. Cleaner maybe, but I think I'd disagree on "easier" -- I towed a tire trailer with my Miata for several years and by the end I basically hated it. It was very noisy, cost me fuel milage, reduced the speed I could drive on the freeway (combination of worries about trailer wheel bearings and stupid California lower speed limits for cars with trailers), tripled my bridge tolls, made for difficult parking, and every time I hit a bump I was paranoid I was going to lose a tire off the back.
I had the little tires on my harbor freight trailer and pulled it to tennesee and the outerbanks from Michigan several times. Never had an issue with the small tires at 70+ mph... Bearings were fine, I just replaced them a couple times.
Joey
I pull one with my CRX at hiway speeds ( 70 - 80 ) with zero problems
never any exces heat in the hubs when I'd stop
but then we ( in NC) don't have any restriction on speed ( cars with trailers) nor any toll rds./bridges 
This is my neighbors. It is a Harbor Freight trailer that he has used for 10 years now. Last year he did have to replace the bearings. He tows it with his 944.
If all you want to tow is tires, then maybe you want a single wheel trailer like some motorcycles use. And it's not like you are going to tow your tires across the country, so do you really need suspension?
I submit that for $100 or less a person could get a single wheel for a log splitter, with high speed bearings and a DOT approved 8" tire but with the hub integrated into the rim. One would then drill a 1" hole through each of a couple of rails spaced apart far enough that the wheel would wedge in between them and a 1" bolt could go through as an axle and long enough to hold your tires lined up on them. Add a coupe of braces between the rails and weld a u-joint flange to the front brace, with the other side of the u-joint welded to either a 1.25" or 2" square shank to match the receiver on your car.
Insert shank into hitch, install pin and hook up safety chains, slap tires on and strap them down, then drive away. It won't bounce around any more than an empty car dolly, and if it bugs you then build it instead out of the rear swingarm from a motorcycle with it's associated tire.
Add lights and register as required in your place of residence and when you are not using it it can hang on a wall.
Heck, I bet I could build one and ship it to someone UPS, no reason for it to exceed their dimension limits.
Apparently there's a new 'rat' trailer trend. Can't find the pics I was looking for except for this one:
I did see a pic of some 'similar' auto-x tire trailers.
oldopelguy wrote: If all you want to tow is tires, then maybe you want a single wheel trailer like some motorcycles use. And it's not like you are going to tow your tires across the country, so do you really need suspension?
thanks for the ideas, but in this particular case, if it comes to fruition i actually will be towing it across the country from boston to florida and back for the challenge
and i'd prefer to have something that's stable enough to not hold up a car entourage from traveling up to about 80mph, so that's where i'm unsure with the 8" wheels on the HF setup.
Yeah, I think a Harbor Frieght cargo carrier on "special" (as it has been for the past three years and probably will be for the next five) is the way to go. With the 20% off "coupon" (that they have given out since the beginning of time itself) , you're lookin' at $56 and if you're willing to pony up for the aluminum version, $67. I once followed a delapitated first gen Ford Winstar towing what resembled a trailer spreading pieces of rotten wood down the PA turnpike at well over 90mph and amazingly, he never had a blowout for the 50 or so miles I was behind him. Of course, you could always put Hoosier A6s on the trailer if you went that route, just to be safe.
WilberM3 wrote:oldopelguy wrote: If all you want to tow is tires, then maybe you want a single wheel trailer like some motorcycles use. And it's not like you are going to tow your tires across the country, so do you really need suspension?thanks for the ideas, but in this particular case, if it comes to fruition i actually will be towing it across the country from boston to florida and back for the challenge
I posted earlier that I didn't have any problems towing up to 80 mph .. ( with either the Integra or the CRX)
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