The ace of FT truck campers tells all: Pt. II

BigBlockFord wrote:
BKA0721What a wealth of info in Part I & II; I'm in the process of spec'ing an enclosed trailer to haul the family extras that seem to get stuffed in @ the last minute. Much smaller scale than yours, with a different purpose- great info. just the same.

I do have a question though. What was the reasoning behind moving from the factory 19.5" Alcoa wheels to Ricksons of the same diameter?

Was wheel width change required/preferred for the 245 width tires you mentioned in part I? Factory skins are 225's if I'm not mistaken. Thanks for taking the time and sharing your approach.

BBF

Thanks!

Have fun with that enclosed trailer. They certainly provide many benefits for the compromise in having one along. Many use them as bunk houses for additional family members, too. Many threads on customizing trailers can be found on this forum.

From almost the start, I was pushing the limit of the capacity of my OEM tires. I was within 400 lbs. of the tire’s spec’d capacity. But, the sidewalls were bulging such that it made me uncomfortable with possible tire damage, from the rocks I encounter traveling on backroads. There are two camps, one that will say it is safe to go to a wider tires on the OEM wheels and those that advise that it is unsafe. I opted to follow the advice to go to a different rim ($$$ decision) for that added safety, by swapping to a larger width wheel. By selling my OEM rims/tires I saved a lot of $$$ for this wheel/tire swap. I also have the option to going to the 265 series, if I desire, as well, with these new wheels.

I also talked about this issue in a recent Truck Camping Magazine article; Clicky for Truck Camping Magazine Article


Safe travels!

b