The bolt pattern for the new spare rim (5 X 4.75) fit onto our hubs OK, the only problem was that the offset wasn't as pronounced as on our original U-Haul rims (which we believe is about 2 to 2.5 inches positive). The lower offset on the new spare rim resulted in placement of the tire too close to the outside edge of the wheel well, where it had less than 1/2 inch of clearance when the trailer was unloaded. We agreed with the sales representative that the spare tire would rub the outer edge of the fiberglass wheel well when the trailer was loaded and underway. Bummer! We were all disappointed and our search goes on.
So far all of the 5 X 4.75 lug pattern rims that we can find on the various websites are for larger wheel sizes (14", 15", 16", 17" etc.) and the 14" rims only have a moderate offset that will not fit inside the outer portion of the wheel well on our trailer. The 14 in rims will probably work if you can find them with enough positive offset. So we're now looking at our existing 13 in U-Haul oddball rims with a new sense of value, and we are scratching our heads to figure out how to obtain one more for the spare. This search has been quite a learning experience for us, and thanks are due to Brian for making all these tire/rim complexities much more understandable!
TOM, CHECK YOUR E -MAIL. I MAY BE ABALE TO SEND YOU A RIM. I BOUGHT SEVERAL AT AN AUCTION SOME YEARS AGO AND I MAY BE ABALE TO MATCH ONE UP FOR YOU.
YOU MAY HAVE THE RIM FOR FREE, JUST PAY SHIPPING. HOPE I CAN HELP.
WILL SMITH
SORRY FOR THE SPELLING IN THE PREVIOUS POST.IT'S LATE AND ONE TOO MANY JOHNNIE WALKERS.
ANYWAY, TAKE YOUR RIM TO A LOCAL TIRE SHOP AND HAVE THEM PUT IT ON THEIR SPIN BALANCER TO MEASURE THE OFFSET, RIM WIDTH, DIAMETER, AND CENTER HOLE DIAMETER. ALSO ASK THEM TO TELL YOU THE LUG PATTERN MEASUREMENT.
GET BACK TO ME VIA E-MAIL.
Our progress so far in finding a spare tire and rim for our 1985 U-Haul 13 ft Camper Trailer...
Steve measured our existing U-Haul rims and drew up this diagram to help illustrate the dimensions, backspace, and offset. We thought that it might be helpful to someone else trying to find a replacement 13" dia rim for their U-Haul CT.
Our most promising lead came from Bill at Diamond Racing Wheels, an internet rim dealer, who told us that the late model Chevy Corvair had a 5 X 4.75 bolt pattern and 13" dia wheels with a large backspace. Used Corvair rims are available for sale through internet dealers, however the rim we located had a width of 7" compared to our 5 1/2" and the offset was 1 3/16" positive compared to our 1 7/8" positive. So rather than risk ordering the questionable rim and paying for out-of-state shipping costs, we set off to search the salvage yards for a Corvair or other compatible rims (i.e., Chevy II / Nova). We also made a bolt pattern gauge from plywood and 7/16" bolts to help us find the 5 X 4.75 rims in the salvage yards.
a plywood bolt pattern gauge
At our first salvage yard we DID find a late model Corvair, right out in front! It's good we talked to someone before removing the wheel though, because it turns out that it was the owner's prized car. Bummer!
the junkyard Corvair
At the second salvage yard we found a late 1960's Rover 2000 TC whose wheel looked like a great match - 13" rims with a large positive offset, but the 5 bolt metric pattern was just a little bit off.
the Rover 2000TC
We also found many, many compact temporary spare tires at the salvage yard, and many of these were in pretty good shape. Steve realized that despite the small backspace, their narrow widths meant that they would be able to fit on our U-Haul's hub without getting too close to the outer edge of the fiberglass wheel well. One of the larger ones had a universal 10 hole pattern (that accommodates the proper 5 X 4.75 bolt pattern) and it was equipped with a new Goodyear tire. We also discovered that its dimensions are very similar to our original rim. The compact spare has a 23" diameter, and the tire is 5" wide with a 1600 lb. load rating. We took it home and it fits great! Plenty of room to rotate inside the fiberglass wheel well, even when the trailer is loaded. We think that the compact spare will work well in a pinch for short distances in an emergency situation. We're still in pursuit of a real spare tire, but until then we can go camping with our temporary spare!
our original tire and rim (13 in rim dia, overall dia 24 in)
our new temporary spare tire and rim (16 in rim dia, overall dia 23 in)
I understand that the bolt pattern on your hubs are totally unique to U-hail. Are the axles also unique or could you switch out the hubs to accept "normal" rims? Has anyone pulled the hubs and tried replacing them? You probably have, but sometimes people overlook an easy solution.
I understand that the bolt pattern on your hubs are totally unique to U-hail. Are the axles also unique or could you switch out the hubs to accept "normal" rims? Has anyone pulled the hubs and tried replacing them? You probably have, but sometimes people overlook an easy solution.
The problem has been getting the right combination of four elements - the bolt pattern, rim width and diameter, and enough backspace. Of these, the hardest things to find have been rim width and enough backspace. (The original rims are 5 1/2" wide, and have a backspace of 4 1/2 in.) We did consider changing the hub to a 5 X 4.5 bolt pattern, but I think we would have still had trouble getting a narrow enough rim with enough backspace... Changing the axle would have made life easier, but much more expensive. Plus, both these options mean we suddenly have to buy three new rims/tires instead of just one.
We too would be very interested to hear the details from someone that has switched to a hub with a more common bolt pattern. What part numbers, etc did you use? Did the new setup change the way your U-Haul handles on the road?
We forgot to thank Andrew for posting this helpful link - it shows there are alot of cars/trucks with the 5 X 4.75 bolt pattern, although finding any with the right combination of rim width, diameter, and enough backspace proved to be more difficult.
Trailer: 2000 Casita 17 ft Spirit Deluxe ('Millenium Eggloo')
Posts: 203
Wow, lot's of fun on this topic.
Question??, is there a code of any kind stamped on the steel wheel that is on the U-Haul example might be 5.25J13 H2 ET1.875 Supposedly there are standard codes that match wheel sizing in a manner similar to matching tire sizing. I used a code stamped on the rim of a 1974 Trillium to order a spare wheel. The tire shop was able to reference it in a catalogue of replacement winter rims.
Have you tried contacting Ray Horner at the U-Haul Travel Trailer site. I have seen him selling off a lot of his spare parts lately on e-bay. If he doesn't have what you are looking for, I am sure he can point you to where to look.
Below is what I used on my Bigfoot.... They are made by American racing and are 14X6 5 on 4.5 centers but they are available in 14X6 with 5 on 4.75 but the downside on the 5 on 4.75 is they have a 'neutral' offset. They also have available a chrome "smoothie" in a 14X6 with a 5 on 4.75 center with a 6 offset. I will try to post a photo of these also...the one on the right is the smoothie... it is American racing series 31 and the part # is 31-4604 if interested. A little chrome on the U-haul would look nice!
Below is what I used on my Bigfoot.... They are made by American racing and are 14X6 5 on 4.5 centers but they are available in 14X6 with 5 on 4.75 but the downside on the 5 on 4.75 is they have a 'neutral' offset. They also have available a chrome "smoothie" in a 14X6 with a 5 on 4.75 center with a 6 offset. I will try to post a photo of these also...the one on the right is the smoothie... it is American racing series 31 and the part # is 31-4604 if interested. A little chrome on the U-haul would look nice!
Chuck - Thanks for the tip about the American Racing wheels. They look great on your Bigfoot, and I agree that the chrome smoothie would certainly make my U-Haul look alot better! I searched the Am. Rac. website for smaller (13 & 14 in.) rims with a 5 on 4.75 bolt pattern, but I couldn't locate any with the right amount of backspace (4.5 in) and sufficient offset (my U-Haul rims have an offset of 47 mm). I'll have to keep looking...
Question??, is there a code of any kind stamped on the steel wheel that is on the U-Haul example might be 5.25J13 H2 ET1.875 Supposedly there are standard codes that match wheel sizing in a manner similar to matching tire sizing. I used a code stamped on the rim of a 1974 Trillium to order a spare wheel. The tire shop was able to reference it in a catalogue of replacement winter rims.
Have you tried contacting Ray Horner at the U-Haul Travel Trailer site. I have seen him selling off a lot of his spare parts lately on e-bay. If he doesn't have what you are looking for, I am sure he can point you to where to look.
Charlie, you raise two very good points! We're in the midst of a promising lead that we got from Ray Horner's U-Haul site, and will report back on that when we find out whether it pans out or not...
I would have sworn that there wasn't a code stamped onto the rims of our U-Haul, but after reading your post I went out to take a closer look. It's subtle, but the number 0419513 is stamped into the rim. When we tried to get a replacement rim at two tire shops we had the original rims with us, but neither store tried to look for the number on the rim. They just searched their catalogs according to the tire diameter and amount of backspace. We'll pursue this more if the U-Haul lead doesn't work out. Thanks for the tip!
Lee, your Corvair wheel link is very interesting. It includes the following table, showing other cars/trucks whose wheels can be used in a late model Corvair (which has the same bolt pattern as the U-Haul, and also has a fairly large backspace):
Late models use 5 lugs on a 4 3/4" circle, other cars include:
Buick: Regal, Century, Special (most mid-size) '64-'80's
Chevrolet: most RWD, including 1/2 ton vans and trucks (includes 4WD) '49-'89
Corvette all
Oldsmobile: 442, Cutlass, F-85, Toronado (most mid-size) '60's-'80's
Pontiac: GTO, LeMans, Firebird, Grand Prix (mid size) '64-'80's
This list will be very helpful to us if we aren't able to get the rim through U-Haul. Thanks!
Jeanne and Steve
If you can't get a 13" wheel, don't forget to use the tire size calculator I posted earlier in this thread to figure out an equivalent tire size for the larger diameter wheel. As long as the load capacity is sufficient, there's no problem with using a larger wheel and shorter tire. I'd try to stick with a 14" if you can, so the sidewalls don't get too short which would probably have a negative effect.
Trailer: Former U-Haul and Casita owner (now Class C Motorhome)
Posts: 30
thanks for all the help on the rims, i don't have the orginal uhaul rims on my uhaul they were replaced with weld racing rims, they are a bit pricy at $180.00 per rim. i've been on vacation to georgia and went to the rally and meet susan n her brown egg, she was great and showed me her handy work, i've got a couple great ideas from her, ty susan!!!! so now that i'm back in florida i'll start looking for new rims to replace the ones on the uhaul. thanks again for all the imformation and help!!!!!!!!!
As someone mentioned before UHaul is getting rid of the 13in rims. You might find them at a larger UHaul center. Last year while slumming in Tampa I hit a curb and blew out a tire. I used the spare until I stumbled across a UHaul center South of Tampa...Naples I think. They called the tire guythey use to check to see what they had. Bingo. they sent me right over and I got a new Goodyear not for sale uhaul property tire mounted on my rim for $50 i think. Now again, being that they are getting rid of the 13's. You might find some rims w/tires at a larger center. One of my older tires had to be replaced in Salem, Or. this past March....I couldn't find a 13 at any Uhaul center. They had changed over completely. Also some of the smaller Mom and Pop shops off the beaten path might have something lying around.
Trailer: Former U-Haul and Casita owner (now Class C Motorhome)
Posts: 30
i've ordered a 14in 4.75 lug rim off of ebay, i was told if would fit my uhaul, cost 23.82 plus 9.50 for shipping, i was told they have 100 of them. i'll get it in a few days n if it fits i'll order 2 more, wish me luck, i need it
hi all, its me again, my 84 uhaul needs a spare rim and tire, they are 14 inch tires 5 lugs, are they hard too find or pretty standard at most camper or rv business? this is my first travel trailer so i'm clueless. thanks
Hi I have a 1985 uhaul 16 ft, we found a rim and tire at our local uhual dealer. We also found tires for it at the goodyear dealer in Akron ohio. These tires actually say uhual on them, so he told us to keep our receipt to prove that we bought them. Check at your uhaul dealer you may get lucky like we did. Maggie
1984 Casita 
to figure out how to obtain one more for the spare. This search has been quite a learning experience for us, and thanks are due to Brian 
for making all these tire/rim complexities much more understandable!
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