8 x 14.5 LT tires

[Gale Hawkins]

The old equipment trailer we picked has the spoked wheels with the 7 x 14.5 tires but they are like really old. A couple days ago a guy down the road had an older mobile home spotted on his farm by me so I went over to talk to the mover who was doing the set up about where he gets his tires.

I wound up buy four 8 x 14.5 new like tires on new like rims for $40 each. They are DOT rated Homaster high speed (Green Ball-China) 8 x 14.5 LT with 12 ply rating and a load rating of F and can carry 2835 pounds at 100 PSI. I have found these nylon bias tires on the internet for about $60 unmounted so I when with these since he dropped them at my shop when he left as he agreed when I paid him and left.

I had heard there was no longer any MH use only tires being sold but I did not know they had moved up to high speed light truck rated tires. Hey I know at the interstate speeds they tow these things this is a MUCH needed change.

I am going to his shop and get three more matching so I will have a new like spare too since the old tires are 7 x 14.5. The rims are all the same size.

This may not be a great deal but I am happy to get 7 of these newer LT tires (2 made in 2006 and 2 in 2007) so this give me tires good for 17K pounds and by keeping about 5K on the pintle hitch for better control I never have to worry about overloading them but 20 mile trips at 45 MPH are not all that demanding either. :B

 

[Diamondpilot]

If they are made by Green Ball you are in luck. They are by far the best trailer tires I have bought in my 20 plus years of selling trailers. I never mess with Bias tires tough, radials only and in 13", 14", 15", and 16" sizes.

Chris

 

[Gale Hawkins]

If they are made by Green Ball you are in luck. They are by far the best trailer tires I have bought in my 20 plus years of selling trailers. I never mess with Bias tires tough, radials only and in 13", 14", 15", and 16" sizes.

Chris

Based it what I could find they are from Green Ball. I agree on radials are best. The fact remains I may not pull this trailer 1000 miles on the highway in the next 10 years but I wanted something newer plus if I decided to get rid of it it should bring $300 more with the newer tires.

I put two new 10.00 x 20's on the front of the old F700 and they are fine except when it is about 20F degrees but are OK after about 4 miles.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

If they are made by Green Ball you are in luck. They are by far the best trailer tires I have bought in my 20 plus years of selling trailers. I never mess with Bias tires tough, radials only and in 13", 14", 15", and 16" sizes.

Chris

HOMASTER Trademark Details

Found better info that Homaster is Green Ball brand.

Seems like the Homaster brand is like 25 years old.

 

[Diamondpilot]

HOMASTER Trademark Details

Found better info that Homaster is Green Ball brand.

Seems like the Homaster brand is like 25 years old.

Good deal. I am guessing the Homaster brand, said Home Master, is a line of products geared toward the mobile home market.

Chris

 

[CrashandBurn]

I have a 16 ft utility trailer with mobile home axles, and when the supply of MH tires dried up I bought some Towmaster 14.5 X 7 (made in china) DOT tires.
So far, so good...........On the interstate I try to stay under 60. I was glad that the sidewalls said trailer use and not mobile home as I had heard tales of the highway patrol giving guys a hassel over that...

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I had heard the US had moved away from "mobile home" tires but was surprised they had moved to light truck rating with a LR of F. There is nothing on these Homasters that mentions any "trailer only" but are high speed rated nylon bias tires.

Well now our old trailer has tires good of 17K pounds (2835 pounds each at 100 PSI) which is more than we should need. From the RV trailer users I have heard positive remarks in general about Green Ball tires but some are down on ANY China tire.

I was reading the remarks from one China tire builder who said the bad press from the USA is to be expected because 80% of all USA trailer tire orders are placed for their lowest quality/jprice tires they produce period.

I am sure the source for these new like tires/rims are pulls from new mobile homes after they are set up. The cheapest price for this same tire that is new which I have seen online was $67.

 

[brokenot]

Are you sure they're not "LPT" tires instead of "LT"?

14.5s are typically designated with the LPT label, which means "low platform trailer".

I posted this link because it has a pretty complete listing of the designations and what's available under each one. Note that the "Light Truck" and "LPT" areas are separate:

Wedge Tire Co. - Product/Services

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Are you sure they're not "LPT" tires instead of "LT"?

14.5s are typically designated with the LPT label, which means "low platform trailer".

I posted this link because it has a pretty complete listing of the designations and what's available under each one. Note that the "Light Truck" and "LPT" areas are separate:

Wedge Tire Co. - Product/Services

Products

All I can tell from Green Ball is this info. Ours are the F load rated ones. Not sure who made the trailer use only or MH use only tires go away. I am sure these are pulls off of new MH's after they are set up. If the industry could get away with lower quality tires I am sure they would still be doing if they had a choice.

 

[brokenot]

Not sure who made the trailer use only or MH use only tires go away.

They didn't go away.

They probably changed the labeling somewhat on the tire itself, but even the link you posted is still calling them mobile home tires. The "trailer use only" labeling on 14.5s has always been unnecessary as far as I can tell because you just don't see them in steer axle or drive axle applications. Which pretty much leaves, well....trailers as their only use.

I suppose somewhere along the line, somebody might have wanted to use them on a budget tag-axle for a truck or something, but since the steer tires and drive tires would then still be different....that would be sort of silly as well.

So basically, 14.5 = trailer tires...whether they actually put that label right on the tire sidewall or not.

Ask the manufacturer, they'll tell you the same thing.