Thanks for the info and thoughts on your tires and experiences with them Mr.T. So though these are a class C rating they are higher than a 55mph tire? Since you have driven with them at above 70mph I guess so. I thought all class C's were for lower driving speeds. my knowledge on tires is showing. LOL. I like your ideas about lifting too. I think I'll not do a life for the reasons I've already stated. Mr. T, did you stay with the stock rims? I'm back and forth on my thoughts about getting different rims. I have thought about upgrading, but another poster suggested to stay with the old classic look. I need to decide that when I get tires. Another question I'd like your advice on, whether when I get the new tires would it be okay to keep the present standard size tire just for a spare? Just to use it if one of the others have a issue, only used it temporarily? Not having to buy all three. The tires that's on my trailer now are less than a year old, and around 1,000 miles on them. They are the same as what somes on the new Scamps.
Thanks for the info and thoughts on your tires and experiences with them Mr.T. So though these are a class C rating they are higher than a 55mph tire?
Details from Maxxis are in this post, but the condensed version is that ST tires are rated at 65 mph and higher speeds require more air pressure (or less weight) per the formula in that post. At the time I did a lot of research, but one caveat: That info is from over a year ago and Maxxis has a newer version ST tire out. On a side note, I don't trust the higher speed ratings common now with the lessor known brand ST tires -- There's relevant articles at rvtiresafety.net but be prepared to spend a few hours geeking out on the subject. Much of what I think I've learned about ST trailer tires is from there...
Since you have driven with them at above 70mph I guess so. I thought all class C's were for lower driving speeds. my knowledge on tires is showing. LOL.
The C or D rating has to do with maximum cold inflation pressure: C is 50 psi and D is 65 psi. Naturally 65 psi in a tire can carry more load than 50 psi. But if the capacity is too much beyond what the real weight load is, the ride gets rough and braking tends to skid the tires. Having 10% to 30% more tire capacity than max weight on each tire works well, and that's after de-rating the load for 85 mph.
For example, my 13' Scamp with 185/80-13 tires: Actual max axle weight 2000 pounds, 1000 per tire. Multiply that 1000 pounds by 1.3 for 30% extra margin: 1000 x 1.3 = 1300 pounds per tire. 1300 pounds crosses to 40 psi on the load inflation table, but add 10 psi per the formula for up to 85 mph. So now that's 50 psi, which is also the max cold inflation pressure, with a 1300 pound capacity, an actual maximum load of 1000 pounds (per tire), and a max speed of 85 mph.
As I write the above, it's easy to see why the tire industry should begin (or is) moving away from this whole ST tire speed rating scheme -- It's too unusual and complex in a country that often has 70+ mph speed "limits". In any case, there isn't some huge innovation that suddenly made the same size tire capable of more speed at the same load, same pressure, and the same lifespan.
I like your ideas about lifting too. I think I'll not do a life for the reasons I've already stated. Mr. T, did you stay with the stock rims?
Yes, but I almost got a set of HWT aluminum rims. Aluminum looks nice, but the classic white looks good too.
I'm back and forth on my thoughts about getting different rims. I have thought about upgrading, but another poster suggested to stay with the old classic look. I need to decide that when I get tires. Another question I'd like your advice on, whether when I get the new tires would it be okay to keep the present standard size tire just for a spare? Just to use it if one of the others have a issue, only used it temporarily? Not having to buy all three. The tires that's on my trailer now are less than a year old, and around 1,000 miles on them. They are the same as what somes on the new Scamps.
I'm really risk averse when it comes to trailer tires, so I bought all three. But the slight difference in diameter isn't going to matter much in a spare tire situation. It's more about wanting the spare to be as high a quality as possible because there's nothing left for backup after the spare is used. Part of the reason for all this risk aversion is traveling on 2-lane highways with 70 mph limits, with the real average speed being much higher.
Had about 2K miles on my factory tires before swapping them out. Never had a problem either, even with some 70 mph use.
However, there seems to be a lot more blowouts with trailer tires than car or light truck tires. It has that feel of questionable quality control with small foreign manufacturer's that don't have much at stake regarding brand reputation. Trailers that have little to no extra tire load capacity are another reason. A really bad situation would be all the above, plus old tires and a long high speed drive on a hot day.
After reading our info and input Mr.T, I'm going to stay with the 13" wheels. Going to the size and brand of ties you have too. Yes, getting all three. I am looking at getting the baby moon stainless steel cabs though. I've mentioned my wife wanted new aluminum wheels, I was all for keeping the classic look. so we compromised on getting the caps. They will cover the center and lugs. She good with it. Happy wife...LOL.
Not doing the lift. She's old and short. Well, I'm older but taller. LOL. But we're both happy not needing a step. I don't plan to do rough off road traveling, maybe a park road unpaved, graveled, but not outback trails.
I bought from Scamp last year a cross member for the rear that is welded between the frame rails and has a 2" receiver on it too. I did it mainly to add two stabilizers on the back. They are HD, 5,000# rating each. I can also level the trailer using these when needed. I can use these to lift the camper and it's tires off the ground/pavement. I have done that and trust them. I'm using them right now to lift the trailer taking pressure of the springs and tires while winter storing. Just leaving the tires touching the pavement somewhat. These work so well, keeps the camper very stabile when we're in it.
Having a hitch receiver brings up another question. Has anyone ever used a cargo carrier on a 13' Scamp? I have a carrier I used on my motor home. I thought I'd use it on my Scamp. Just for light weight items, like the ground mat, outdoor chairs, my small camping stove, odds and ends that's light weight. I tired it, drove the short distance to the interstate, then drove slow, under fifty.When I got a bit over forty it started to sway. Well darn. I added a small sway bar to the front, it didn't seem to help much. The first time out I had a light load in the carrier, the next time after the sway bar added, it was empty. It still seemed to me it swayed. Maybe I was to overly cautious. But I didn't try it again. The carrier is a bit heavy. it's one I got off etrailer, steel, it has the plastic enclosure to keep things dry. It also has lights and it slides away from the rear of the trailer. So if on a car or suv you can get to the hatch. Or get to the spare tire like on a camper like our Scamp. So it's not just a flat carrier. I really was hoping to use it. It's been suggested to me if I add weight to the front, like a second battery and another propane tank, maybe that would help. I have a 100# 3,800 watt gas generator I have thought about adding to the front on a raised rank. Maybe that would do the trick? Any ideas for me on how to use the cargo carrier safely anyone?
So, you think if the cargo carrier and it's cargo makes the front weight at the hitch under a certain weight that's the problem? If so I need to add weight to the front to use the carrier and any supplies? Can I over load the front to where that causes a problem too? Or as long as the hitch weight is below the suggested amount for my vehicle I'm okay?
Thanks Mr.T.
It needs at least 10% (~200 pounds) on the hitch to be stable, but should be less than or equal to the tow vehicle's hitch weight rating. Personally, a bit over on this is a rounding error if it insures >10% on the tongue.
The trailer weight needs to under the limits per the label on the trailer tongue. So it's all about where to put the weight and still be within the limits. All this requires putting the trailer on a scale. It's easier to loose the carrier ;-)
Yes, I decided after all the efforts last fall to forget putting the carrier on the rear. It's a great cargo carrier, I hate to just let it set so I'm going to try to sell it. Probably with a big loss but it isn't doing me any good. I thought about keeping in case I needed it using it on my Pilot when traveling w/o the camper. But with just being the two of us we have plenty of cargo space w/o needing it too. I thought about a roof top carrier when towing the Scamp for extra space for those things like chairs and ground mats, but I don't think I want to bother lifting thing up and down from there. My wife likes not having the floor of the Scamp loaded with items so she has the space to move around, not having to move things to do things like using the necessary items if need be when traveling. Happy wife is important.:-)
We did some long trips, pre-covid years. Then as we got into our seventies and thought we might be ready to back off traveling camping in a RV. RV's increased in value and we sold the motor home just before the fuel costs went up. It didn't take long for us to realize we wanted to at least camp in our state parks and nearby states. But I wanted to down size, both for expense and work upkeep that a big RV requires. I have liked the idea of a small fiberglass camper for some time. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and saw this 2013 Scamp. It was in great shape inside and out, new tires and battery, though a bit pricy, but isn't all used Scamps these days. At our age we don't do the five year plan like we used to, never know what can happen in five months. LOL. But after this year, if all goes well, we hope to at least do short state park trips, just to enjoy getting away and being out in the woods. We don't live in a city, we're in West Virginia, but a rural community not crowded at all. It's quiet here, but it's not in the woods.
After as much research as I could stand I have decided to order the 3 1/2" lift, 205/75R14 load range D tires and the 2" weld on hitch for my 2013 13' Scamp. I'll have to update ya'll after it's all installed. Thanks for your thoughts and input!
Thanks for the info and thoughts on your tires and experiences with them Mr.T. So though these are a class C rating they are higher than a 55mph tire? Since you have driven with them at above 70mph I guess so. I thought all class C's were for lower driving speeds. my knowledge on tires is showing. LOL. I like your ideas about lifting too. I think I'll not do a life for the reasons I've already stated. Mr. T, did you stay with the stock rims? I'm back and forth on my thoughts about getting different rims. I have thought about upgrading, but another poster suggested to stay with the old classic look. I need to decide that when I get tires. Another question I'd like your advice on, whether when I get the new tires would it be okay to keep the present standard size tire just for a spare? Just to use it if one of the others have a issue, only used it temporarily? Not having to buy all three. The tires that's on my trailer now are less than a year old, and around 1,000 miles on them. They are the same as what somes on the new Scamps.
Thanks for anyones input on my questions as well.
asfizer
Details from Maxxis are in this post, but the condensed version is that ST tires are rated at 65 mph and higher speeds require more air pressure (or less weight) per the formula in that post. At the time I did a lot of research, but one caveat: That info is from over a year ago and Maxxis has a newer version ST tire out. On a side note, I don't trust the higher speed ratings common now with the lessor known brand ST tires -- There's relevant articles at rvtiresafety.net but be prepared to spend a few hours geeking out on the subject. Much of what I think I've learned about ST trailer tires is from there...
The C or D rating has to do with maximum cold inflation pressure: C is 50 psi and D is 65 psi. Naturally 65 psi in a tire can carry more load than 50 psi. But if the capacity is too much beyond what the real weight load is, the ride gets rough and braking tends to skid the tires. Having 10% to 30% more tire capacity than max weight on each tire works well, and that's after de-rating the load for 85 mph.
For example, my 13' Scamp with 185/80-13 tires: Actual max axle weight 2000 pounds, 1000 per tire. Multiply that 1000 pounds by 1.3 for 30% extra margin: 1000 x 1.3 = 1300 pounds per tire. 1300 pounds crosses to 40 psi on the load inflation table, but add 10 psi per the formula for up to 85 mph. So now that's 50 psi, which is also the max cold inflation pressure, with a 1300 pound capacity, an actual maximum load of 1000 pounds (per tire), and a max speed of 85 mph.
As I write the above, it's easy to see why the tire industry should begin (or is) moving away from this whole ST tire speed rating scheme -- It's too unusual and complex in a country that often has 70+ mph speed "limits". In any case, there isn't some huge innovation that suddenly made the same size tire capable of more speed at the same load, same pressure, and the same lifespan.
Yes, but I almost got a set of HWT aluminum rims. Aluminum looks nice, but the classic white looks good too.
I'm really risk averse when it comes to trailer tires, so I bought all three. But the slight difference in diameter isn't going to matter much in a spare tire situation. It's more about wanting the spare to be as high a quality as possible because there's nothing left for backup after the spare is used. Part of the reason for all this risk aversion is traveling on 2-lane highways with 70 mph limits, with the real average speed being much higher.
Had about 2K miles on my factory tires before swapping them out. Never had a problem either, even with some 70 mph use.
However, there seems to be a lot more blowouts with trailer tires than car or light truck tires. It has that feel of questionable quality control with small foreign manufacturer's that don't have much at stake regarding brand reputation. Trailers that have little to no extra tire load capacity are another reason. A really bad situation would be all the above, plus old tires and a long high speed drive on a hot day.
After reading our info and input Mr.T, I'm going to stay with the 13" wheels. Going to the size and brand of ties you have too. Yes, getting all three. I am looking at getting the baby moon stainless steel cabs though. I've mentioned my wife wanted new aluminum wheels, I was all for keeping the classic look. so we compromised on getting the caps. They will cover the center and lugs. She good with it. Happy wife...LOL.
Not doing the lift. She's old and short. Well, I'm older but taller. LOL. But we're both happy not needing a step. I don't plan to do rough off road traveling, maybe a park road unpaved, graveled, but not outback trails.
I bought from Scamp last year a cross member for the rear that is welded between the frame rails and has a 2" receiver on it too. I did it mainly to add two stabilizers on the back. They are HD, 5,000# rating each. I can also level the trailer using these when needed. I can use these to lift the camper and it's tires off the ground/pavement. I have done that and trust them. I'm using them right now to lift the trailer taking pressure of the springs and tires while winter storing. Just leaving the tires touching the pavement somewhat. These work so well, keeps the camper very stabile when we're in it.
Having a hitch receiver brings up another question. Has anyone ever used a cargo carrier on a 13' Scamp? I have a carrier I used on my motor home. I thought I'd use it on my Scamp. Just for light weight items, like the ground mat, outdoor chairs, my small camping stove, odds and ends that's light weight. I tired it, drove the short distance to the interstate, then drove slow, under fifty.When I got a bit over forty it started to sway. Well darn. I added a small sway bar to the front, it didn't seem to help much. The first time out I had a light load in the carrier, the next time after the sway bar added, it was empty. It still seemed to me it swayed. Maybe I was to overly cautious. But I didn't try it again. The carrier is a bit heavy. it's one I got off etrailer, steel, it has the plastic enclosure to keep things dry. It also has lights and it slides away from the rear of the trailer. So if on a car or suv you can get to the hatch. Or get to the spare tire like on a camper like our Scamp. So it's not just a flat carrier. I really was hoping to use it. It's been suggested to me if I add weight to the front, like a second battery and another propane tank, maybe that would help. I have a 100# 3,800 watt gas generator I have thought about adding to the front on a raised rank. Maybe that would do the trick? Any ideas for me on how to use the cargo carrier safely anyone?
asfizer
Suggest using a bathroom scale and a wood block under the hitch to measure the weight. Then add the cargo carrier + cargo and see the difference.
So, you think if the cargo carrier and it's cargo makes the front weight at the hitch under a certain weight that's the problem? If so I need to add weight to the front to use the carrier and any supplies? Can I over load the front to where that causes a problem too? Or as long as the hitch weight is below the suggested amount for my vehicle I'm okay?
Thanks Mr.T.
asfizer
It needs at least 10% (~200 pounds) on the hitch to be stable, but should be less than or equal to the tow vehicle's hitch weight rating. Personally, a bit over on this is a rounding error if it insures >10% on the tongue.
The trailer weight needs to under the limits per the label on the trailer tongue. So it's all about where to put the weight and still be within the limits. All this requires putting the trailer on a scale. It's easier to loose the carrier ;-)
Yes, I decided after all the efforts last fall to forget putting the carrier on the rear. It's a great cargo carrier, I hate to just let it set so I'm going to try to sell it. Probably with a big loss but it isn't doing me any good. I thought about keeping in case I needed it using it on my Pilot when traveling w/o the camper. But with just being the two of us we have plenty of cargo space w/o needing it too. I thought about a roof top carrier when towing the Scamp for extra space for those things like chairs and ground mats, but I don't think I want to bother lifting thing up and down from there. My wife likes not having the floor of the Scamp loaded with items so she has the space to move around, not having to move things to do things like using the necessary items if need be when traveling. Happy wife is important.:-)
asfizer
I'll second that! On a related side note: We're getting even more into less is better, even though we've had some 1 month trips.
We did some long trips, pre-covid years. Then as we got into our seventies and thought we might be ready to back off traveling camping in a RV. RV's increased in value and we sold the motor home just before the fuel costs went up. It didn't take long for us to realize we wanted to at least camp in our state parks and nearby states. But I wanted to down size, both for expense and work upkeep that a big RV requires. I have liked the idea of a small fiberglass camper for some time. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and saw this 2013 Scamp. It was in great shape inside and out, new tires and battery, though a bit pricy, but isn't all used Scamps these days. At our age we don't do the five year plan like we used to, never know what can happen in five months. LOL. But after this year, if all goes well, we hope to at least do short state park trips, just to enjoy getting away and being out in the woods. We don't live in a city, we're in West Virginia, but a rural community not crowded at all. It's quiet here, but it's not in the woods.
asfizer
After as much research as I could stand I have decided to order the 3 1/2" lift, 205/75R14 load range D tires and the 2" weld on hitch for my 2013 13' Scamp. I'll have to update ya'll after it's all installed. Thanks for your thoughts and input!
Scamplife
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