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

[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.