I have a 31ft class c. I have been getting different views from people on what I'm wanting to do. I have a 5x8 flat bed trailer with drop down gate. These are the ones from lowes with mesh bottoms. I would like to tow this trailer with my golf cart on it. Weight is not the concern here. I tow the trailer with the cart all the time with my car. What some people think is this trailer is too small and light to be towed by my camper. Cart weighs 865lbs and trailer I'm guessing is 200lbs. Some of the points brought up are how would you ever know if you had a flat, the trailer will bounce up and down too much with the camper and burn the trailer bearings out etc. Trailer has 12inch tires. Looking for some insight on this thank you.

I have never heard of a trailer being too little for a tow vehicle.You do of course need to keep an eye on it (as with any trailer), and a flat or some other problem may not be as immediately obvious as with a car. I'm not sure why the trailer would bounce up and down any more with a class C than with any other vehicle; the only possible explanation I can come up with would be the longer overhang at the back increasing any lever effect. It's not like you're likely to be towing at speed over washboards, I suspect.I participated in a summer camp canoeing/camping program a couple of years when I was growing up which involved towing a canoe trailer behind the camp bus (originally a school bus) up from New Hampshire to a park in Quebec. I don't recall there being any problems towing that trailer, aside from one time (a year I wasn't on the trip) when the tow ball attachment nut worked loose...but that's not a fault of any trailer size mismatch.

I agree with DrewE. Hook the thing up and enjoy yourself. Look in the rear view mirror once in a while...

I don't see a problem. Be sure the tires are aired up properly and all safety equipment is in place. I have towed trailers of all shapes and sizes and if you stay within the weight limits and speed limits you should be ok. Some people just don't know what they are talking about. Keep in mind those twelve inchers are moving pretty quickly. I would carry two spare tires for the trailer, and a jack and wrenches.

You should have no issues pulling it.I would make sure that the trailer sites level and you have enough weight on the tongue.

If you are worried about the tires going flat why not invest in a tire monitor system. You could get by with a cheaper unit for only 2 tires. I run a 10 tire monitor system on my MH and my toad. This gives me the capabilities of watching all the tires on both. I can check tire pressure anytime I want. You would be able to tell if you lost wheel bearing as this would cause the pressure in the tire to go up because of heat generated. On my system it gives me temps also so very easy to see what is happening. You can sure see which side of the rig is in the sun with the temperatures. The sunny side is always about 10* warmer than the shaded side.Personally I don't like smaller tires on a trailer but that is just me. They seem to work fine for other people just fine. I usually don't like a tire under 14" size and would rather them be at least 15"

Towing small trailer with Class C help. | Good Sam Community

50 Replies

k9-keno
Explorer
Apr 13, 2015
Just a follow up traveled 2400miles round trip with the 4x8 trailer and had no problems at all. I did Grease the bearings every 600miles with the ez lube hub. Wanted to thank everyone for their input and help on this subject.
wbwood
Explorer
Feb 16, 2015
Don't overload the tires more than they are rated and keep them in good shape and you will be good. No matter what size. My tow dolly has 10" wheels. They are 10 ply "E" rated tires that can hold up to 1650 lbs each.
GWolfe
Explorer
Feb 16, 2015
I have a little 4x6 trailer that I use for my ATV that has 12" wheels/tires and have towed as much as 500 miles one way in a day with no problems just watch air pressure and keep the bearings greased and it will be fine. My little Clipper has 13" tires on it an I have had no problems with it, I don't see why one would need bigger wheels/tires unless it is a weight thing or for more clearance.
Butch50
Explorer
Feb 16, 2015
Rolin wrote:
I guess Harbor Freight trailer tires are not highway rated. Will have to look at Firestone or ? for replacements.

Might want to check with Etrailer for tires. I was looking at their site and they have 65MPH rated smaller size.

I think a lot of Harbor Freight tires are meant for things like log splitters and slow speed things like that and not really meant for highway use.
wbwood
Explorer
Feb 15, 2015
mowermech wrote:
wbwood wrote:
k9-keno wrote:
wbwood wrote:
k9-keno wrote:
Thanks for all the input everyone I think i'll give it a go and bring two spare tires and a set of bearings. And yes I do have a back up cam as well. Was also thinking of getting tire pressure system to monitor tires including the trailer.

Lowes sells the tires. I bought a spare and a spare mount for ours. Have had it several years with no problems. They are rated to carry a couple thousand pounds. I did mount boards across mine where the tires sit in order to hold the weight of the cart better. You can see it a little in the picture below..

Is that a 5x8 ???

Yes, it's this one.

The identical trailer is (was) $100 cheaper at Tractor Supply Company. That's where I bought mine.

Mine was cheaper also when I bought it...
Rolin
Explorer
Feb 15, 2015
I guess Harbor Freight trailer tires are not highway rated. Will have to look at Firestone or ? for replacements.
mowermech
Explorer
Feb 15, 2015
wbwood wrote:
k9-keno wrote:
wbwood wrote:
k9-keno wrote:
Thanks for all the input everyone I think i'll give it a go and bring two spare tires and a set of bearings. And yes I do have a back up cam as well. Was also thinking of getting tire pressure system to monitor tires including the trailer.

Lowes sells the tires. I bought a spare and a spare mount for ours. Have had it several years with no problems. They are rated to carry a couple thousand pounds. I did mount boards across mine where the tires sit in order to hold the weight of the cart better. You can see it a little in the picture below..

Is that a 5x8 ???

Yes, it's this one.

The identical trailer is (was) $100 cheaper at Tractor Supply Company. That's where I bought mine.
Butch50
Explorer
Feb 15, 2015
Rolin wrote:
For what its worth, if memory serves me correctly:
Speed rating on the the 8in trailer tires is 45 mph.

Speed rating on the 12in tires is 55 mph.

Speed rating on our 5th wheel ST 15in trailer tires was 60mph.

Our LT 16 inch motorhome tire has a speed rating of (Q)100mph

Have seen people with 8in wheel trailers traveling at 70 mph on the freeway so there has to be quite a bit of over design built in ;-).

Even the smaller tire if highway rated well be 65MPH rating. Just as trailer ST tires are rated for 65MPH.

Per tire rack:

"Industry standards dictate tires with the ST designation are speed rated to 65 MPH (104 km/h) under normal inflation and load conditions. "

Tire Rack
Rolin
Explorer
Feb 14, 2015
For what its worth, if memory serves me correctly:
Speed rating on the the 8in trailer tires is 45 mph.

Speed rating on the 12in tires is 55 mph.

Speed rating on our 5th wheel ST 15in trailer tires was 60mph.

Our LT 16 inch motorhome tire has a speed rating of (Q)100mph

Have seen people with 8in wheel trailers traveling at 70 mph on the freeway so there has to be quite a bit of over design built in ;-).
wbwood
Explorer
Feb 14, 2015
k9-keno wrote:
wbwood wrote:
k9-keno wrote:
Thanks for all the input everyone I think i'll give it a go and bring two spare tires and a set of bearings. And yes I do have a back up cam as well. Was also thinking of getting tire pressure system to monitor tires including the trailer.

Lowes sells the tires. I bought a spare and a spare mount for ours. Have had it several years with no problems. They are rated to carry a couple thousand pounds. I did mount boards across mine where the tires sit in order to hold the weight of the cart better. You can see it a little in the picture below..

Is that a 5x8 ???

Yes, it's this one.