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slowmover · 02-05-2012, 02:20 PM

The classic anecdotal story (and of my experience as well) is the half-full Dixie cup left out in the trailer accidentally . . and arriving to find it in place and unspilled.

Quite a change from closets dumped out and drawers out of whack.

Make the suspension like new and balance the rotating mass.

.

casa3805 · 02-05-2012, 08:29 PM

And if you paint them before you install them, in your favorite color of course, then they will show thru the wheels with just a little pop of color.... I'll try to get a pic of them with some sun hitting the wheels. (just did it today...)

It's all fun

ROBERTSUNRUS · 02-05-2012, 08:48 PM

Hi, my Centramatics came painted black and my drums are black, but I like your blue.

Inland RV Center, In · 02-06-2012, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REDNAX

The classic anecdotal story (and of my experience as well) is the half-full Dixie cup left out in the trailer accidentally . . and arriving to find it in place and unspilled.

Wonder if a "Texas cup" would stay in place??

You know, everything in Texas is "bigger".

Most owners appreciate the balancing, as well as the trailer, but there are still those that don't care because they don't ride back there.

Andy

ck21084 · 02-06-2012, 08:32 AM

I do not own Centramatics however I have left a 1.75 bottle of grey goose vodka on the counter and after 600+ miles found it in the very same place. After this my sister decided that she would try a water bottle 1/4 full with no lid. After 150 mile trip home the bottle did not even move. I do have our wheels and tires balanced every year.

Inland RV Center, In · 02-06-2012, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ck21084

I do not own Centramatics however I have left a 1.75 bottle of grey goose vodka on the counter and after 600+ miles found it in the very same place. After this my sister decided that she would try a water bottle 1/4 full with no lid. After 150 mile trip home the bottle did not even move. I do have our wheels and tires balanced every year.

Many owners do indeed keep the running gear balanced.

It makes the trailer and the owner, happier.

Proper maintenance is always the nig key to longevity.

Andy

tvanwave · 02-07-2012, 05:38 PM

All the tires on my truck and AS are balanced and I have centramatics on all wheels. They are well worth the price even if measured just in terms of a smooth ride. Less wear and tear on tires and AS ascribes even more value.

perryg114 · 02-07-2012, 05:54 PM

I want to put a data logger in my trailer and measure actual g-forces. I have everything at work accept a g-sensor.

A before and after Centramatics would be good data. It looks like putting Centramatics on my 81 with stock aluminum rims is going to be a pain. I think it will require spacers to make them work.

Perry

tvanwave · 02-08-2012, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perryg114

I want to put a data logger in my trailer and measure actual g-forces. I have everything at work accept a g-sensor.

A before and after Centramatics would be good data. It looks like putting Centramatics on my 81 with stock aluminum rims is going to be a pain. I think it will require spacers to make them work.

Perry

Sounds like an interesting experiment

I bought my centramatics from Inland RV and I'll bet they can answer the rim/ fit question.

FC7039 · 02-08-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perryg114

I want to put a data logger in my trailer and measure actual g-forces. I have everything at work accept a g-sensor.

A before and after Centramatics would be good data. It looks like putting Centramatics on my 81 with stock aluminum rims is going to be a pain. I think it will require spacers to make them work.

Perry

Most "smart" phones have an accelerometer. There may be an app to pull the data.

Inland RV Center, In · 02-08-2012, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perryg114

I want to put a data logger in my trailer and measure actual g-forces. I have everything at work accept a g-sensor.

A before and after Centramatics would be good data. It looks like putting Centramatics on my 81 with stock aluminum rims is going to be a pain. I think it will require spacers to make them work.

Perry

Perry.

The question in terms of fit, is how big of a flat surface is on the back side of the wheel.

That dictates which balancer will fit, if at all.

Andy

perryg114 · 02-08-2012, 04:27 PM

When I get a chance, I will measure the ID of the back side of the rim where the balancers would fit.

Perry

desertair27 · 02-08-2012, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perryg114

I want to put a data logger in my trailer and measure actual g-forces. I have everything at work accept a g-sensor.

A before and after Centramatics would be good data. It looks like putting Centramatics on my 81 with stock aluminum rims is going to be a pain. I think it will require spacers to make them work.

Perry

My trailer had kodiak disc brakes and the aluminum wheels with 1/4 spacers already installed when I got my trailer. The centramatics I ordered from Inland RV Andy luckily fit.
Good luck on your research.

Bob Thompson · 02-09-2012, 09:09 AM

I'm a little surprised by the unwillingness of people to ride in their own trailer. What do they expect it to ride like? For the record, it rides just like a motor home without the engine noise. I DO NOT suggest you ride in the trailer frequently or for long periods, but I DO suggest that if you find yourself on a very quiet, safe, and very low traffic piece of road, put your significant other in the trailer or ride back there yourself for a couple miles so you get some real life imput into what goes on back there. We did it recently while traveling from Savannah to Jacksonville. Between Woodbine and Kings Island there is Hwy 17 which parallels I-95. We take Hwy 17 because it is a very good, very smooth, low traffic road. I saw a portion of it as a perfect place to check the ride back there, so I had the wife go back and ride in the trailer for about 5 miles.

We used the walkee-talkees to communicate. She found it to be very much like riding in a motorhome without the engine noise. Really, we should have expected that! Other than that, there was no detectable shimmy from the tires in speeds up to 65 mph. None was expected as we have the Centramatics. There was the usual squeeks and flex noises you would hear in a motorhome. Actually, it was quite serene with the exception of a rattle from the stovetop cover. We placed an old towel over the burners and put the lid down. Problem solved. My wife also noted firm bumps when the trailer tires would encounter a transition from roadbed to bridge. I dropped the trailer tire pressure from 50psi to 40psi and that smoothed it out quite nicely. We're running LR E tires on the trailer and I was curious if there stiffness was having any impact on the ride back there. Maybe a little stiff at higher tire pressures, but not a problem otherwise.

desertair27 · 02-09-2012, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Thompson

I'm a little surprised by the unwillingness of people to ride in their own trailer. What do they expect it to ride like? For the record, it rides just like a motor home without the engine noise. I DO NOT suggest you ride in the trailer frequently or for long periods, but I DO suggest that if you find yourself on a very quiet, safe, and very low traffic piece of road, put your significant other in the trailer or ride back there yourself for a couple miles so you get some real life imput into what goes on back there. We did it recently while traveling from Savannah to Jacksonville. Between Woodbine and Kings Island there is Hwy 17 which parallels I-95. We take Hwy 17 because it is a very good, very smooth, low traffic road. I saw a portion of it as a perfect place to check the ride back there, so I had the wife go back and ride in the trailer for about 5 miles.

We used the walkee-talkees to communicate. She found it to be very much like riding in a motorhome without the engine noise. Really, we should have expected that! Other than that, there was no detectable shimmy from the tires in speeds up to 65 mph. None was expected as we have the Centramatics. There was the usual squeeks and flex noises you would hear in a motorhome. Actually, it was quite serene with the exception of a rattle from the stovetop cover. We placed an old towel over the burners and put the lid down. Problem solved. My wife also noted firm bumps when the trailer tires would encounter a transition from roadbed to bridge. I dropped the trailer tire pressure from 50psi to 40psi and that smoothed it out quite nicely. We're running LR E tires on the trailer and I was curious if there stiffness was having any impact on the ride back there. Maybe a little stiff at higher tire pressures, but not a problem otherwise.

I always thought it was illegal to ride in a moving trailer! I'll be mounting a video camera in mine to record part of my next trip.
Tire psi is a matter of preference but again I've read manufactures max tire pressure to be preferred by most.
Everyone's different and whatever works for ya!

perryg114 · 02-09-2012, 09:35 AM

It is illegal if you get caught. So is breaking the speed limit which most of us do on a regular basis. Tire pressure is a big factor in ride. Tires absorb all the little jolts and other high frequency stuff. Suspension can't bounce up and down that fast as a result of the mass of the wheels , and drums and spindles etc. There is a happy medium between too much air and not enough. Making temperature measurements across the face of the tire is a good way to determine proper pressure not the max inflation on the sidewall. Putting higher load range tires on your trailer than it needs and higher pressures that it needs is just going to beat your trailer to death. Proper balance is essential as well. Also the more pressure in the tire the more potential energy is going to be released if it blows. A tire with 50psi in it is going to do a lot less damage than one with 70psi in it when it blows.

Perry

Bob Thompson · 02-09-2012, 10:06 AM

You'll be surprised to find that riding in the trailer is perfectly legal in a number of states. I used to have a listing which shows the states where it is legal, but can't put my hands on it. Here it is:
http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm

Ride in travel trailer is over on right side. By my count: 13 states. Surprised? Makes me wonder, there is a YES but the list doesn't show the NO's just blanks.

Gene · 02-10-2012, 08:44 AM

Bob, that's a pretty old list. It still shows lots of states that don't allow trailers wider than 8'. The other stuff on the list may be wrong too.

Gene

tkasten · 02-10-2012, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Thompson

I dropped the trailer tire pressure from 50psi to 40psi and that smoothed it out quite nicely. We're running LR E tires on the trailer and I was curious if there stiffness was having any impact on the ride back there. Maybe a little stiff at higher tire pressures, but not a problem otherwise.

Bob, do you have concern that 40lbs. might be too soft for load range E tires?

Thanks for sharing,

perryg114 · 09-24-2012, 01:17 PM

I said I would post the dimensions of my wheels a while back to see if anyone could tell me if the Centramatics would fit my wheels. Here is a drawing of what the inside of my wheels look like. I made this drawing to see if I could use disk brakes with my wheels and the answer is no, they won't fit without some spacers. The question is if the centramatics will fit. If the Centramatics are bigger than 11.5 inches they won't fit.

http://www.motorcycleproducts.org/AS...Rim%5B1%5D.pdf

Perry