[copper wing]

Hello,
I just got my Coleman Caboose licensed and all renovated to pull behind our gl1800.
The tires say 60 psi max for load rating.
Trailer says 90 psi max.
But that seems way too high for a very light load...trailer weighs 160 lbs and will have cargo of less than 100 lbs. Trailer is made for loads of up to 900 lbs.
1) Seems like 25 psi will keep the trailer from bouncing so much over bumps....it is safe to go that low with new high-speed rated tires on it?
2) I have seen some people suggest removing some of the l

eafs on the springs to make it more suitable for lighter loads.....does this sound like a good idea to you?
Thanks for all the advice!

 

[DougW]

When I had a small trailer, I removed the extra leafs from the springs so there was only 1 leaf left plus I ran the tires at 20PSI. These 2 combined made a huge difference in the ride of the trailer, much improved. As long as the tires are not smushing out at the bottom and they run cool they should be fine with that inflation, Mine were.

 

[copper wing]

When I had a small trailer, I removed the extra leafs from the springs so there was only 1 leaf left plus I ran the tires at 20PSI. These 2 combined made a huge difference in the ride of the trailer, much improved. As long as the tires are not smushing out at the bottom and they run cool they should be fine with that inflation, Mine were.

Thank you, that is the kind of information I was looking for.

 

[AZgl1800]

the box trailer you see in my Avatar has the same mods Doug described.

the Harbor Freight springs were all removed except for the one leaf that holds the axle in place.

I increased the tire/wheel size to 5.80x8 for increased load capability at the advise of the local Trailer Parts house... they also built a new Custom Axle for it with builtin grease Zerks in the hubs...

Trailer empty is about 150 lbs, I had about 200 lbs in it, and found that about 22-24 psi is the best TPSI

more than that, and it bounces badly. Lower than 20 and the tires begin to show signs of under pressure.

I flipped the axle over for increased ground clearance, the axle builder told me that had to be done in order for the larger tires to clear the fenders.... as it happened, that made the trailer ride better with a slightly down hill pitch to the front. Not much, but a bit.

 

[copper wing]

the box trailer you see in my Avatar has the same mods Doug described.

the Harbor Freight springs were all removed except for the one leaf that holds the axle in place.

I increased the tire/wheel size to 5.80x8 for increased load capability at the advise of the local Trailer Parts house... they also built a new Custom Axle for it with builtin grease Zerks in the hubs...

Trailer empty is about 150 lbs, I had about 200 lbs in it, and found that about 22-24 psi is the best TPSI

more than that, and it bounces badly. Lower than 20 and the tires begin to show signs of under pressure.

I flipped the axle over for increased ground clearance, the axle builder told me that had to be done in order for the larger tires to clear the fenders.... as it happened, that made the trailer ride better with a slightly down hill pitch to the front. Not much, but a bit.

Thank you.....great information!

 

[copper wing]

I took it for a test drive tonight for an hour. Going on the advice of many other forums and trailer threads....I dropped the pressure to 20 psi. Going out we stayed to back roads and the trailer rode much softer....only had a couple lawn chairs inside, the spare, and a few miscellaneous items to add weight to the front of the trailer. Couldn't even tell it was back there, drove super nice, absolutely no weaving or bobbing.
Coming home we took the freeway and cruised at 65 mph...again super smooth with no issues. When we stopped I felt both the tires and bearings, and all was cool....no heat at all.
So at this point I am calling it a success.....thanks for all the input and helpful advice!
Hoping to take it on a 3 hour trip up to northern Ohio this weekend.

 

[MickUpi]

That trailer will bounce 4 feet high with 25 lbs of tire pressure. I run 10 to 15 lbs depending on the load.

 

[copper wing]

That trailer will bounce 4 feet high with 25 lbs of tire pressure. I run 10 to 15 lbs depending on the load.

Well, the highest bounce I've seen over some pretty good bumps is about 4 inches max....but will see if it will run safely lower. Thank you.

 

[Maverick]

Hello,
I just got my Coleman Caboose licensed and all renovated to pull behind our gl1800.
The tires say 60 psi max for load rating.
Trailer says 90 psi max.
But that seems way too high for a very light load...trailer weighs 160 lbs and will have cargo of less than 100 lbs. Trailer is made for loads of up to 900 lbs.
1) Seems like 25 psi will keep the trailer from bouncing so much over bumps....it is safe to go that low with new high-speed rated tires on it?
2) I have seen some people suggest removing some of the l View attachment 323779 eafs on the springs to make it more suitable for lighter loads.....does this sound like a good idea to you?
Thanks for all the advice!

What I would do is to load it as I would normally travel, you can use blocks, bag of sand, water, etc., weighting them first, Start out with say 25 psi, take some white chaulk or white wipe out and make a 4 inch stripe across each tire, go for a ride of about 10 miles or so, check the mark and adjust the tire pressure accordingly. Probably about 1or 2 psi at a time, when you have an even patch across the tire this should be your pressure. This way your tire is not over inflated or under inflated.