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-   -   how many inches can you safely gain by deflating tires? (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=800056)

austin 09-22-2013 5:13 PM

how many inches can you safely gain by deflating tires?
 
Can anyone tell me how many inches can be safely gained by letting air out of the trailer tires? I'm about 2.5-3 inches away from getting the boat into winter storage. I don't think I can gain very much from a drop hitch because the high point is not very far in front of the dual axles. Anyone know how to tell when you need to stop deflating the tires to keep them from coming off the rims?

antoddio 09-22-2013 5:25 PM

Buy some old dirty rims without tires, swap them and back it in. Might want to protect your floor if it's something fancy.

3 inches seems like a lot to flatten a tire

WheelerWake 09-22-2013 5:30 PM

If you have a dual axle trailer, pull the tires off one axle (make sure you keep it connected to the tow vehicle). The extra weight on one axle might compress the springs and tire enough.

Pad1Tai 09-22-2013 5:34 PM

I let mine down to 10 psi.. just the back axle.. once the led tower anchor light cleared... the front axle was ok.. But once in, you need to jack the trailer and put jackstands under the back axle.. you don't want the weight sitting on the under inflated tires.. Did this once a week for a while..

rallyart 09-22-2013 8:20 PM

Three inches and you run some risk of a bead coming loose on a rim That will make getting air back in tough.

wakebordr11 09-22-2013 8:28 PM

I usually just fill all my ballast bags, makes the trailer squat down enough to get it in.

SkySki 09-22-2013 10:35 PM

I have to deflate and inflate every time I get in and out of my garage. 3 inches is easy if you have the right tires. You didn't mention what size you have or if you have to make a turn once in. If you have low profile tires, not going to work. I have 14 inch tires and I can't remember the size tires. I make sure once I clear the door that I inflate the tires again. I wait until I get in or out before making my turn.

bjames 09-23-2013 12:46 PM

If you have 18's.. maybe an 1 to 1.5 inches. Otherwise I would be very careful not to damage the tires.

boardman74 09-23-2013 1:01 PM

3 inches seems like a lot to be without worrying about damaging the tire or breaking the bead.

trayson 09-25-2013 8:05 AM

Yeah, what size are your tires? if they're the typical 14's or 15's then you could certainly go down to 10psi without throwing a bead. Also the idea of getting some smaller diameter wheels is an idea.

A cool implementation would be to swap in airbag suspension to your trailer!!! (yeah, not practical price wise though)

broncofan 09-26-2013 2:39 PM

I did the one tire an axle thing and it worked great to get my boat in the garage. Worked great:D

scott 10-01-2013 9:37 PM

I had the same problem! If there is a handle on the roll up door! Take it off. My tower barely scrapes the rubber now. I did let air out of the tire, but it takes way to much to get any change in height.

will5150 10-03-2013 1:26 PM

there is no way that letting the air out of your tires on a 14-15 inch rim will give you 3 inches of clearance without seriously jeopardizing the integrity of your tires, their sidewalls and the bead on the rim. they make a tongue jack that is electric and you can walk the trailer in- it would allow you to let the bow down almost to the ground- that still may not get you 3 inches- but it's a lot safer for your trailer than letting the air out. if it's a long-term problem, you may want to look at a lower profile trailer.


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