Lawn Mower Tires on Mini Trucks?

Greg, I understand that with four wheel drive, I will have to use the same diameter tires front and rear. I believe I am going to have to replace all four tires with 23 inchers to stop the interference at the front. I am looking for 23inch tires with an aggressive, knobby tread and adequate load capacity. There is the AMS Swamp Fox in 23x8-12 and others. I believe my rims are
12x7.

Thanks,

Samurai

 

Did you ever measure the backspace on your wheels ? I curious to know what it is .

Thanks
Bret

 

Sorry, I don't know what backspace is. The wheels are supposed to be Motto (AMS Racing) but I have never been able to find anything on them online.

I have spent so many hours on this. I am tempted to try Rawhide Grip in
25x8-12 on the front and do a little filing on the wheel wells if necessary. These tires would fit on the 12x7 wheels? That way I could use my current wheels and rear tires. Going to 23 inch tires would be safer but would lower ground clearance, even if I could find some suitable ones. I will be using the truck on hilly ground.

Samurai

 

back spacing/offset is the measurement from the mounting plate of the rim to the lip where the bead is seated. I have 12x7 rims with no offset (the plate is centered in the wheel) and they measure 3 1/2 inches from either side when you measure them. a positive off set would measure something like 2" on the back side of the rim and 5" on the outer side. Too much offset will position the tires further out of the wheel wells and possibly cause the body interference that you are experiencing.

You have a good looking truck, too bad someone didn't think this through before they sold it to you like this. Is there an atv or tire shop that you could visit for a little hands on advice. its hard to really help through viewing 2 dimensional pictures. they may even let you try on some different sizes

 

Dan,

I have made many calls to local Nashville tire stores and ATV dealers. They do not seem to carry the tires I need. I will have to order over the Net. I am leaning towards getting two Rawhide Grip tires in 25x8-12. I believe that moving the outside of the tire inwards by three inches will give me the clearance I need. This option allows me to retain the current look of the truck and the current ground clearance. I will be using the truck for hauling on my land but nothing really heavy, I imagine.

I have taken this truck up and down my steep hill twice. The four wheel drive works very well. Coming down the steepest area, I almost hit the front of the truck on the rock creek bed. If I lowered the truck by two inches, I might have a problem.

Samurai

 

You do have a great looking truck . I'm wanting to build a truck similar to what you have .
Measuring the backspace is easy ... just put a straight edge on the back side of the wheel and measure to the bolt flange .
Also make sure of how much lift you have ... I'm curious to know that too .

Thanks
Bret

 

Bret,

From the photos I saw on on eBay, I liked the brush guard, the trailer hitch, the wheels and tires. I was afraid that the camo was a vinyl stick on, but it is paint. The bed has a liner and the seat covers are very good. There is supposed to be a working CD player but I haven't had a chance to check it, nor the heater. I have noticed that the left headlight and the left rear brake light are out. I don't know if this is a fuse or bulb problem. I see no way to check oil level. There is a locking cover on the oil fill opening but no dipstick that I could see. Is it somewhere else? The windshield wipers work.

The plastic front bumper has a broken piece at the left bottom. The brush guard is hefty but heavily rusted in places. Both the guard and the trailer hitch are slightly off-kilter to the body.

In the glove compartment were a number of manuals in Japanese. I was disappointed to find that they are all driver safety books, not details on the truck specifically.

I really like the truck and am impatient to get the tire problem resolved.

Samurai

 

If its just the outer edges of the tire that are a problem, then i think you're right with narrowing. I hope it works for you.

 

Samurai9,

The front tires seem to be spaced a long way out from the truck. Is there a spacer on the wheel? What kind of wheels are those? I would check to see what kind of lift you have and if it is indeed 3". Whoever cut the fenders took out a lot of fender.

Assuming it is lifted 3" then the 8" wide tire in the front should work fine. However some brands of tires will run wider than others. We have put wider tires on the front here but it takes some care to do right.

Things you need to check:

1) Lift Hight
2) Wheel Spacing. You want to know the width of the wheel and the distance from the back of the wheel to where the wheel mounts.
3) Actual tire width

If I know those three things then I should be able to tell you what will work.

 

Cory .. those are the same things I've been trying to ask ........... no answers yet !

Bret

 

I know that I have not answered everyone's questions but some of them I cannot understand, others seem to require taking the wheels off the truck, the tire off the wheel, etc. I am 12 miles away from the truck so I cannot just go out in the yard and look. I will try to get back to all of you on these questions.

I was told that the wheels were Motto and I believe they are 12x7. The truck has obviously been lifted and three inches is the standard amount, right? The seller told me that the CV boot was ripping because the lift caused interference with something under the truck. I have not been under the truck to look for spacers.

I am now doubtful that putting on a narrower tire of the same diameter (25 inches) will help. Rawhide Grip tires do not come in 23 inches diameter for 12 inch wheels. Although going to the narrower tire would pull in the tires three inches towards the truck at the hub, as the tire surface moves up to the top, the reduction in width becomes less and less. The tires are hitting the body between 1:00 and 2:00, as I see it. Not hitting on the side nor on the very top, but along the curve between the two.

I keep looking at Carlisle All Trail but am thrown off by the statement that the tire is for hard surfaces. Most of my surfaces are soft dirt. Many of the tires with aggressive mud tire tread do not have enough load capacity.

Thanks for the interest and suggestions.

Samurai

 

Samurai ..

Rawhide do come in 8" wide thou ! I found some a site http://www.rockymountainatv.com

 

Ak,

I stated several times that I was considering getting Rawhide in 8 inches wide. What I said was that it wasn't available in 23 inches diameter, only in 25 inches.

Samurai

 

More thoughts on this continuing topic (which may be exasperating to some), the Rawhide Grip tires have huge rubber lugs on them. This may make them more likely to hit the wheel wells than other tires which are nominally the same size, yes? It is these lugs that are hitting.

Another thought: instead of replacing the front tires, why don't I trim the lugs that are hitting? What do I have to lose? The lugs are already cut and even crumbling. If I trim some of the lugs, I may be able to preserve the tires. What do you think?

Samurai

 

save them for spares for the rear. try the 8's on the front

 

Tires

Hello Samurai, this will only pull your tires in 1 1\2 inch. You are working from center. I agree with those stating 25x8x12. Also read some about the 3" lifts wearing your drive train out. As if you need something else to worry about. But I would hate for you to tear something up.

 

Matt,

You agree that switching the front tires from 25x11 to 25x8 will solve the problem of tires hitting the wheel well? Some have expressed doubts about this and I am not sure. I prefer to go this route because I can retain the rear tires and the road clearance. There is no problem putting 25x8 tires on 12x7 wheels? I have no knowledge of these things.

I have read about the problems caused by the three inch lift. I asked the seller about this. He told me that the truck was lifted when he got it and that the left CV boot was ripping because it was hitting the strut. He "scrunched" the boot in and had no problems thereafter. He had the truck for only six months. I have no confidence in his statements, but this is all the information I have. I do not intend to remove the lift because it MIGHT cause problems in the future. I will see how the truck works out for me, especially after I get the tire problem solved. I am sure I am going to have to buy a 12x6 trailer and haul the truck to my mechanic one day. When this happens, I will have everything checked out. I just got the truck a few days ago. The Hijet came from southeast Georgia and was dropped off at my rural property 12 miles from my home.

I knew going in that buying this 13 year old truck was risky. All I know now is that the truck starts, runs, and can take me where I want to go on my property. I will be using this vehicle very sparingly, just to run around my land and perhaps to haul some gravel, rocks, or limbs. I have no ability to work on cars and no desire to learn, beyond basic maintenance. I am a handyman around the house but I do not work on cars.

Thanks,

Samurai

 

The 8's will comfortably fit on the 12x7 rims. Thats about as close to a perfect match as you can get.

 

Good to know, Dan.

Samurai

 

Lift

Samurai, search "another lift causing problems" and see if this will help you understand. The CV joints are your axles per say to your front wheels. They are at such a angle that they are working in a bind. As for trailering your truck to the shop, you can pull this with a tow bar if you put the transfer case in nuetral. Hope this helps. I hate to see someone tear up something that could have been prevented.