Small temporary wheels?

[KurtS]

I am replacing the original axle on my 1962 Bambi with a new dexter axle. I figure this will raise the overall height of the trailer 3-4 inches and this will be a problem because my garage door is not that high. Now, I let air out of my tires (175/80 13) to get the trailer in and out but with the new height this will not work. There is plenty of clearance once inside the garage. My question is can I use a considerably smaller wheel just to maneuver in and out of the garage? And if so, any advice on how small I can go to get that kind of clearance? (once out of the garage I would put the correct wheels back on) Does anyone know if someone makes a wheel just for this purpose or has anyone else had this problem and solved it?

[HiHoAgRV]

I bought a set of smaller wheels only to discover that they would not fit over the brake drum.

If you have resources, have a set made from steel plates. Simple disks.

[Shacksman]

Hey, I have the same problem except I changed the axle in the garage on my 62 Bambi and have been wondering if I can get it out in the spring. Still have work to do before it needs to go out. Might make a good inside guest room.

[Tom Nugler]

I was thinking along the lines of old/damaged/cheap wheels and some low end dollys from harbor freight.
Vehicle Dollies - 2 Piece, 1500 Lb. Capacity
We use a professional version in our car dealership and 1 man can easily push a "work in progress" around a concrete floor with little effort.

Tom

[Airslide]

Years ago I remember my parents having a small aristocrat trailer.. 16'? maybe
It came with these little steel wheels that had a solid rubber tire. I think that they were just metal discs that would allow you to install and roll in the garage. I think it was called a Lo-liner.

Cool storage idea.

[samb]

I went to the wrecking yard and picked up a couple of extra wheels and put on the trailer. It then fit in the garage with no problem.

Oh! Did I mention I did not put tires on the extra wheels? Sounds much better if you run the wheels on boards or scrap plywood.
Sam

[Protagonist]

You might try automotive "donut" spare tires. They should fit over the drums, if you can find donut spares with the same bolt pattern.

[ventport]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

You might try automotive "donut" spare tires. They should fit over the drums, if you can find donut spares with the same bolt pattern.

I doubt that a doughnut spare would be smaller in diameter then the original 175/80 13 tires.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by ventport

I doubt that a doughnut spare would be smaller in diameter then the original 175/80 13 tires.

You may be right. I don't think they even make donuts for 13-inch wheels. Senior moment there, for not catching the original wheel size in the first post.

But for folks with trailers that have larger wheels, and have similar clearance problems, the idea might be worth checking out.

[handn]

I had the same problem with a new boat. I went around and around about letting the air out of the tires, ect.
Then I started on the garage door. In the end raising the door was not feasible because of the steel beam header above the door.
In the end, I took the radome off to get the boat in the garage. It lowered the height six inches and wasn't that difficult to take off and put on.
Do you have an air conditioner on your AS? Taking it off and putting it back on might offer a solution.

[outofcontrol]

Even if you do find some "garage wheels", I think it would be easier just to let the air out of the tires than swapping wheels.

You don't need to get axles with a higher ride height if you don't want. Unless that's what you're after. You can also check out the Dexter "Airflex" system. It's a hybrid torsion axle and air ride system that will "kneel" 3 inches and then also raise 3 inches if you need some extra clearance. It might only be available for axles too HD for your Bambi. It's also about $2,000 instead of $500-700.

If you got hooked on the idea, I'm sure a hot rod shop could build you something similar. You'd get the low-rider function for camping and getting into the garage. You'd also get a proper ride height for towing. Then you'd have the extra 3" you were looking for in the first place with the new axles.

-Kevin

[mefly2]

Or, borrow / buy two floor jacks with HD metal wheels and simply remove your tires/ wheels and gently position the AS where you want it.

[Shacksman]

I'm thinking of cutting groves in the floor, for the tires, and making a filler to close up the slots when not needed. They would only need to be a few inches deep.

[goshawks00]

Doug that might work depending on how thick your concrete is. I used the wheel dollies made for cars and lowered my Safari on it to move around, I gained 9" by doing so.
Barry

[Shacksman]

Originally Posted by goshawks00

Doug that might work depending on how thick your concrete is. I used the wheel dollies made for cars and lowered my Safari on it to move around, I gained 9" by doing so.
Barry

The concrete in my garage, that the Bambi is in, is very rough so I don't think wheel dollies would roll. I may just dig it all out and pour a smooth floor down a little so it fits through the door. I have a friend that does concrete work.

[KurtS]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Less than 24 hours after posting a problem and getting over a dozen positive replies is pretty cool! A couple of people suggested wheel dollies- would you just lower the wheel drums onto the dolly?

[goshawks00]

I actually blocked my frame up to where the drums were less than an inch from the ground and rolled it out that way. I'm not sure that gave me more clearance, With the old axle it did with the new axle installed and the weight off the axle , it allowed the axle to decompress a bit more. Now then because I blocked to the frame I was able to go to each corner of the frame allowing for better stability.

[Tom Nugler]

Originally Posted by KurtS

..... A couple of people suggested wheel dollies- would you just lower the wheel drums onto the dolly?

I suggested using old wheels because I would be hesitant to load the weight of trailer directly on the lip of the cast brake drum. Its the face of the drum that transfers the weight of the rig through the axle assembly to the wheel and tire. The drum portion is acutally thinner than you would expect and could crack.
Additionally the spread of the dolly cradle might not be narrow enough to fit the drum anyway.

Tom