3/4T Manac trailer tires

[chris vickery]

I have a 1981 Manac trailer ex-CF that is starting to show her age.
Used up my last decent spare tire as my original tires are getting pretty bad.
Wondering if anyone has a source for these tires or could offer up an option that might be more obtainable?
I understand that the CF spec’d these trailers to be towed behind a 5/4 pickup, hence the smaller truck type tires and rims as opposed to the regular 9.00-16s used on most M101 3/4 trailers.
I believe the rim size of 16.5 makes replacement tires difficult to find.
I would however love to find a set of originals if anyone had a set laying around?
Alternately, is there another rim that would swap straight or even a hub/rim replacement that would work?
Trying to be frugal as this trailer is used only as my GP trailer and I don’t have lots of dollars into it to begin with...

[rob love]

STA in the US has the 9.50-16.5 tires in bias ply that will fit the bill perfectly. However, they will run you over $200 a tire, and I, personally, had a bad experience with them as they all severely cracked within 6 months. https://www.stausaonline.com/tires/sta-super-traxion/

There are also many chinese brand 16.5 trailer tires available off ebay, but they will have more of a car/bus type tread so look a little out of place. Here is a link to some firestone commercial tires that will fit for $205 each delivered in Canada: https://www.partsengine.ca/189820-vp...SABEgIXEfD_BwE

The part number for the rims for the manacs were actually a bit later than the 5/4 ton, but I believe you can use most 8 bolt rims of that generation in 16", and they will work out. That will likely include Ford 3/4 tons and possibly Dodge.

The brakes and hubs are commercial trailer, so you could change the hubs for possibly 6 bolt, but the 8 bolt is plentiful and cheap....perhaps you are best off going that route.

[chris vickery]

Thanks Rob, I knew you would be lurking...
For whatever reason, perhaps misinformation, I was under the impression that the Manac bolt pattern and rims were something special.
Ill have a look at 8 bolt 16" rims. As you know, my son is a mechanic who works for a large tire shop so perhaps we can find a deal somewhere.
I did see the STA ties but at over $200USD a pop and negative review, [I]'d be better off to stay with the crapped out, cracked tires that I already have.

[rob love]

We had a discussion on them years back here on MLU, and I was always under the impression that the rims were just 5/4. But the part number was in fact for trucks from 1978 onwards (IIRC). Now if that has something to do with offset, or clearance, I have no idea....it could just be that those were the rims available at the time the trailers were being built. But for a trailer. which does not have calipers, I suspect there should be no problem installing most common sizes of 16" rims.



If you have (as most grown men in this hobby will/should have) a Dodge diesel 3/4 ton in the driveway, try one of the tires from that onto your trailer and see how the fit is. That should give you an idea of the fit. Heck, even a lowly Ford or Chev could work. Of course, owners of the latter will try and jealously insult the Dodge owners.



My money says you could also use some of those cheap 8 bolt rims that you buy for trailers.

[chris vickery]

With this new information I'm sure my son can find something out in the scrap stack out back. You'd be surprised how many customers scrap perfectly good tires and even rims in favour of something else. I've even seen him pull new tires for replacements and customers say scrap them....
I'll forgive your Dodge comment as we all know Dodge guys are like Ford guys on a budget...

[Robin Craig]

Chris I have a pair on rims, let me look at them again, they are dry stored.

I am sure we can come to an agreement on price or fair trade exchange when you visit the tropics down here in the coming months. They are one step away from our disposal pile.

Robin

[maple_leaf_eh]

Here is an alternative.

I'm on a Quebec HMV group on Face Book and there is a current post offering 9.00 R16 XL and 9.00 R16 XZL unmounted Michelin tires. I think they are LSVW tires.

Rob identified the bolt pattern as an issue, but it you could get beyond that, there are any number of LS parts, wheels, pieces etc in circulation.

The group is called, Vehicules Militaires du Quebec. I travel to Quebec often enough that if you get a deal on something, I can get it to Ottawa. The usual overland voyageur canoe, portage and pack mule routes could get items upriver to Nippissing.

[Paul Singleton]

If I recall the bolt pattern on trailers we had at work was eight studs on 6 1/2 bolt circle. This was the same as our 3/4 ton trucks until the trucks went to metric bolt pattern in the 2000’s. The only problem using truck wheels was the offset. On some trailers the tires would rub on the inside. Your trailer should be okay as the 16.5 wheels were quite wide. The 16” rims should fit with no problem.

[rob love]

Personally, I would stay away from the ex-LSVW Michelin Radials. They are a bit baloonish as well as usually needing a lot of weight to balance. Any decent 235-75R16 tire would be a lot better.

[cmp truck]

Chris,
I had one of these trailers. It came with 8 bolt, 16" rims and tires. I was told this was to match the 16" wheels and tires on the CUCV trucks. I also thought the trailer was a 5/4 ton not a 3/4 ton. It had been modified to carry a generator, than reverted back to a cargo trailer.
It came with Michelin tires installed on the rims. I thought it was a 16.5" wheeled trailer modified for compatibility with the 16" wheels on the CUCV.
Ian

[rob love]

I had a set of those michelin radials on a set of the 16.5 tires. Pretty sure they were just someone's last ditch effort to keep using the 16.5 rims by using some rubber off an old motorhome.

The trailers were purchased to compliment the gas 5/4 ton fleet. The idea was that you didn't have to carry a spare, but rather could use the spare from the truck. Later, we started installing spare tire brackets and spares on the older M101 trailers. Both fleets of trailer stayed in service until the mid 90s, at which time the manacs were around 17 years old, and the oldest of the M101s were around 40 years old.

[chris vickery]

I was fortunate when I purchased my trailer that it had a rudimentary spare mount and a spare tire on rim. I had carefully tucked this away until a couple years ago when one of the original tires was finally at the end of its road. Main issue was simply sidewall cracking that stopped it from holding air no matter what.
Here I am fast forward, my decent spare is close to finished as is the other remaining original tire on the other side.

[Tony Smith]

Don't mean to be rude, but seeing as the rest of only barely know what a Dodge 3/4 ton is, let alone a Manac 5/4 ton trailer CAN WE HAVE SOME PICTURES?

[super dave]

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

Don't mean to be rude, but seeing as the rest of only barely know what a Dodge 3/4 ton is, let alone a Manac 5/4 ton trailer CAN WE HAVE SOME PICTURES?

Here is a picture off the net I believe is what they are referring to as the M101A2 3/4 ton trailer with 8 bolt wheels and surge brakes.

[Ed Storey]

I don't have any record of Canada using M101A2 ¾ Ton Trailers although Canada has employed the M101CDN from CFR years 1951, 1952, 1953, 1968, 1969,



the M101A1CDN from CFR years 1968, 1969,



the Manac M101CDN1 from CFR year 1981 and



the DEW CDN1 from CFR year 1996.

[Robin Craig]

Chris I looked at ours on Monday late and they are not safe for road going and will likely go for recycling in the next off island dump run, sorry

[rob love]

Ed
As far as I can tell, the Manac is the equivalent of the US made M101A2. The only real variance that I can see is the use of the 5/4 ton type tires.

Also, the Manac has the wheel wells widened slightly on the outside to accommodate the wider tires. I am not sure the US ones have that feature. As well, the tie downs on the Manac sides are a short piece of scalloped angle iron with a D at the end, vice the usual U shaped hooks.

[chris vickery]

My trailer is as pictured by both Ed and Dave. I will double check my date plate nomenclature and get the CFR. I'll have to go back through the posts as I believe that I might have posted about my trailer way back when It was first purchased.

[dan clements]

I have the last trailer in the last image

the DEW CDN1 from CFR year 1996.

Attachment 111909[/QUOTE]

I AM LOOKING FOR RIMS, BOWS (AS THE LAST OWNER CUT THE DOWN) AND THE TARP

ANYONE READING WANT TO POINT ME TO A SOURCE THAT WOULD BE GREAT

I BELIEVE THE BOLT PATTERN IS ODD NOT THE CHEVY ONE YOUR TALKING ABOUT
6 X 6.5

MY TIRES ARE LT255/85/R16 ON THE STOCK RIM

THANKS
DAN

[rob love]

You have a version that is based on the LSVW tire. The LSVW tires are quite heave, and the tires large, which results in a lot of unsprung weight. This can be a problem if you are trying to tow with a normal vehicle.



The good news is you can replace the hubs and drums with something more commercial. Take your hub/drum to a decent trailer place, or do your homework online, and you can put on something that takes a more normal wheel pattern. If you are trying to keep the trailer as it is, then you are on the hunt for LSVW rims. You will want to be finding whomever is buying the scrap ones out of Petawawa, or perhaps someone on this forum might have some squirreled away.



The bows and tarp are the same that were used on the earlier manac, and will have been on the late American trailers as well. The army will quite often throw the bows and sideracks into the scrap bin as well.



Trying to find a decent tarp may be a problem. The tarp is essentially the same as any of the 3/4 ton trailers, but the company that was making tarps for the trucks and trailers, both in Canada and the US, went out of business a couple years ago, and at this point the supply of new ones is pretty much exhausted. I see a few sellers on ebay selling new tarps for between $325 and $375 USD. Search for M101 tarpaulin. By the time you get that into the barn, the tarp will run you almost $600 Cdn.