Cargo Trailer Upgrades?

[Voyageur]

I'm in the final stages of purchasing a cargo trailer to use for a base camp on hunting trips. Nothing fancy. Just a shelter from the elements while in camp and transportation for my ATV to and from the hunts. The trailer will have a side window, RV latch door as well.
One option I'm undecided on is tires for the trailer. The "off-road" option offers big aggressive mud tires and 20" of ground clearance. The tires are more aggressive than what I have on my truck. Going with their standard radial trailer tires drops the clearance to 15".
I'm wondering how the mud tires will wear with 99% of their miles being highway travel. Is the upgrade worth it? Any other advantages/disadvantages of one tire over the other?
Thanks.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Mud tires will wear quick. I wound definitely upgrade tires to heaviest ply you can get and for the clearance


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[Kenai_dtracker]

I would not add mud tires to a trailer just for clearance, and would instead get a decent set of thicker walled tires if you feel the need. Or just get a couple of spares for the tires already in there. Percentage wise, a blowout is more likely to happen on the highway vs forest service road.

 

[tdhanses]

I would not add mud tires to a trailer just for clearance, and would instead get a decent set of thicker walled tires if you feel the need. Or just get a couple of spares for the tires already in there. Percentage wise, a blowout is more likely to happen on the highway vs forest service road.

Yeah but isn’t that because 99% of trailers spend 99% of their time on the highway

 

[tdhanses]

I wouldn’t worry about the extra ground clearance, I’d skip the mud tires but they would look cool.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

Yeah but isn’t that because 99% of trailers spend 99% of their time on the highway

Yes, very true. I guess I should have been more clear, that I would worry more about getting a flat on the highway then extra clearence.

 

[Voyageur]

I wouldn’t worry about the extra ground clearance, I’d skip the mud tires but they would look cool.

Exactly where I'm at.

 

[Dos Perros]

I always liked two axles when one would do the job because when you get a flat you can likely get to a good spot to fix it as opposed to along side the highway.

 

[Titan]

I wouldn’t “upgrade” the tires. Except for getting some D rated rather than the C they always put on there.

I put e track all over. Including up high on the wall (7’ ceilings). Bought some cheap wire shelving and mounted them via the 2x4 etrack brackets. Also mounted a single up high where I keep a small 12v battery to run the interior lights when not connected to the truck.

 

[BigNate]

The only way I'd consider mud tires for ground clearance is if they were same size and bolt pattern as my tow rig.

I also have a tandem axle and similar ideas. I was planning on flipping the axles for ground clearance, and sticking with 10 ply trailer tires.

I plan on using the front area for a diesel boat heater, batteries, inverter, and cabinets. Lighting will be leds, and a rack on top will hold solar panels, work lights, and spare tire, etc.

 

[dieselchessy]

Do you need the ground clearance?

I’d go with radial high quality trailer tires rated for more than you plan to haul.
It seems most trailers are sold with cheap tires barely rated to haul a minimum load.

For a while I had a trailer that ran 31x10.50 truck tires. They didn’t wear out fast at all, and they were rated for 2000+ pounds. That’s a fair bit more than most trailer tires.
I’ve also ran commercial truck tires on a trailer. They were 2000#+ as well and rotted before the tread wore out.
It seems getting pulled down a road isn’t as taxing as being a drive or steer tire.

For our trailer we have cable chains as well for ice/hard pack.
Carry an entire extra hub assembly. Plug kit and compressor.

We tend to get flats on the gravel roads from punctures, not the highway.

 

[Voyageur]

Another question:
Trying to find out rear door height necessary to allow a Honda Pioneer 520 to board the trailer. Trailer door is 75.5" tall and the Pioneer height is 71.2". I thought that info answered my question until someone told me they thought the angle of the ramp would create a need for a door height that actually exceeds the height of the SxS. Any truth to that? I've checked with two area Honda dealers and as well as a local cargo trailer dealer and none of them can answer that question for me or tell me what size rear door will actually allow a Pioneer 520 to pass through.
Anyone have firsthand knowledge to share?
Thanks.
Edit:
The 520 is a planned purchase for the future. Otherwise I would just do a trial run before buying the trailer and see if it fit.

 

[Blockcaver]

You need to know the clearance at the door frame which is lower than the barn doors height on my trailer.
I went thru the same dilemma with my trailer purchase to allow a RZR 800 to fit. Bought what was sold as 6'-6" cargo trailer with barn doors to accommodate the trailer and it works well. The 6'6" inside height of the trailer is nice too. Think the door frame clearance is only about 5'-11" on my trailer.

 

[Titan]

Another question:
Trying to find out rear door height necessary to allow a Honda Pioneer 520 to board the trailer. Trailer door is 75.5" tall and the Pioneer height is 71.2". I thought that info answered my question until someone told me they thought the angle of the ramp would create a need for a door height that actually exceeds the height of the SxS. Any truth to that? I've checked with two area Honda dealers and as well as a local cargo trailer dealer and none of them can answer that question for me or tell me what size rear door will actually allow a Pioneer 520 to pass through.
Anyone have firsthand knowledge to share?
Thanks.
Edit:
The 520 is a planned purchase for the future. Otherwise I would just do a trial run before buying the trailer and see if it fit.

Triple check your measurements also. I picked up a Pioneer 700 and knew it would fit my 6x12 (extended height) enclosed trailer. The specs listed online were incorrect. I was 1" too wide and a few inches too tall for the door on my trailer. Ended up getting a 7x14x7.5' (14 really needed for weight up front). I still have to load the bed with some gear or have someone hang on the back to clear the rear portion of the roof. A pioneer 520 shouldn't have that issue since its not a 4 seater. In fact the breakover on the ramp should help you here, not hurt.

Some people let air out of the tires or even slap some plywood "wheels" to load inside a toyhauler. Works, but such a pain.

 

[tdhanses]

Another question:
Trying to find out rear door height necessary to allow a Honda Pioneer 520 to board the trailer. Trailer door is 75.5" tall and the Pioneer height is 71.2". I thought that info answered my question until someone told me they thought the angle of the ramp would create a need for a door height that actually exceeds the height of the SxS. Any truth to that? I've checked with two area Honda dealers and as well as a local cargo trailer dealer and none of them can answer that question for me or tell me what size rear door will actually allow a Pioneer 520 to pass through.
Anyone have firsthand knowledge to share?
Thanks.
Edit:
The 520 is a planned purchase for the future. Otherwise I would just do a trial run before buying the trailer and see if it fit.

You can air down the tires and compress the suspension with ratchet straps if needed for loading and unloading to gain a few inches if needed.

 

[Voyageur]

Thanks for sharing your experiences @Titan
Do you happen to know the height measurement of the rear opening on your 6x12 trailer?
I found a mfg that builds a 7x12 trailer, so I will have plenty of clearance width-wise. Just trying to be sure on the rear opening height.

 

[Titan]

It had the 6" extended height but I don't have an exact measurement of it anymore. My guess was probably 6' opening or so. When I went look at new 7x14 trailers, each manufacturer had up to 3-4" variances on their sizes. Some even measure length from the tip of the v - nose versus to the square front. I actually had one held for me and when I got there they had another 7x14 trailer that had a larger opening but same exterior dimensions.
All that to say, don't trust the online specs. Get and actual tape measure pic of the opening. And then head over to some Pioneer 500 forums and get some real world height measurements. Make sure you are good with and without a roof, larger tires, etc. Don't do what I did - HA. I literally showed up to pick up the unit and couldn't get the front tires through the cables on the door.

 

[AKDoc]

I'm in the final stages of purchasing a cargo trailer to use for a base camp on hunting trips. Nothing fancy. Just a shelter from the elements while in camp and transportation for my ATV to and from the hunts. The trailer will have a side window, RV latch door as well.
One option I'm undecided on is tires for the trailer. The "off-road" option offers big aggressive mud tires and 20" of ground clearance. The tires are more aggressive than what I have on my truck. Going with their standard radial trailer tires drops the clearance to 15".
I'm wondering how the mud tires will wear with 99% of their miles being highway travel. Is the upgrade worth it? Any other advantages/disadvantages of one tire over the other?
Thanks.

Sorry Voyager...I'm late to the discussion but want to add another vote to forget the mud tires, and focus on getting thick-walled (high rated, multi-ply) tires. Not sure what that will do regarding your ground clearance concern, but it has definitely helped me decrease the number of flats, and I value that when pulling a trailer. The flats I've had when running with cheap tires have always surprised me...that is, while driving I never felt the flat until the tire was slapping against the trailer, and by then it's a mess. BTW, I also always run with two spares on rims.

 

[Voyageur]

Narrowing my choices down and getting closer to making a decision.
One of the trailers I'm looking at uses Uply for the interior sidewalls. As I understand it, Uply is a plywood underlayment used in the flooring industry. Does anyone have any experience with this...either used in it's intended form as flooring underlayment, or as interior sidewalls in a trailer?
Thanks.

 

[Titan]

Sounds like it’s just the thin wall coverings most trailers use. 1/4” paneling. I think mine has some 3/8” or so plywood. Still not really thick enough to mount anything to it. I always mount everything to the steel supports every 16”.

I probably wouldn’t pay anything extra to upgrade the walls, unless it was to make them waterproof. Plywood thick enough to actually use is almost a waste of weight capacity to me.