Is at this a bad idea?

I have a jon boat that has been sitting on its trailer under my deck for too long, the tire are about shot. My bad, I should have done the smart thing and put the trailer on stands and put the tire in my basement. Now I am looking at the 12" tires I think they are and have determined the 5 lug pattern is virtually the same as several automobile wheels. I am thinking of trying a set of "donut" spare tires (buying complete wheels and tires from a junkyard) on my boat trailer. Has anyone tried this? Is it a bad idea?

Donut tires aren't designed for everyday driving although you see a ton of people doing it. They are also designed for low speeds, just to get you off the road/highway. I don't think I would use those. Go to a camper place and price tires.

Yeah, kinda a bad idea. Trailer tires are a different animal then auto/truck tires. Here's a short blurb about them ~

http://www.championtrailers.com/tire_art.html

You can buy a set of those 12" trailer tires at Wal-Mart (tire + wheel) pretty cheap. Read what it says on the old tire sidewall and replace with same.

Uncle Jesse, you might be teetering on that line between frugal and cheap. Don't use emergency tires for daily wear and tear. The aren't made for it. If nothing else, consider the leverage that would give a litigation attorney if your trailer were to be involved in an accident.

Ed

Wally world sells mounted tries and wheels very reasonably and by doing it that way you do get trailer rims and tires that last a long time and won't break the bank.

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Originally Posted by EdD

Uncle Jesse, you might be teetering on that line between frugal and cheap. Don't use emergency tires for daily wear and tear. The aren't made for it. If nothing else, consider the leverage that would give a litigation attorney if your trailer were to be involved in an accident. Ed

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Ed,

I've known I was cheap for a long time. It seems to me that a tire designed to last up to 50 miles at a time (they don't tell you to discard it after 50 miles) with a few thousand miles on it should do nicely on a boat trailer with a few hundred pounds on it. It would be a larger diameter than the 12" trailer tire currently on it. Actually it looks like cost wise trailer tires are probably cheaper.