Ken Ward wrote:
what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

Trailer tires should be the non-steel belted variety, because these
other nylon? belts withstand the excessive side loading better and do
not cause the belt to come out of the sidewall of tires like the steel
belted car tires will.

Also since the trailer frequently sits in one position on the tire for
long periods, it can cause a deformation in the steel belted variety
that the non-metal belted variety are more resistant to.

Bigger tires = less rotations for a given distance which also save wear
and tear on the rubber and more importantly, the bearings.

Be sure your bearings are good before long trips.....I had to replace
an entire axle/bearing/tire assembly on my tow from St Pete's FL to
Riverside, CA.....3500 miles (picking up a Monerai glider).

Unfortunately my right side bearing died a hundred feet from a Welcome
Center in Louisiana about 3 miles from a trailer repair
place.......lucky me...I decided to replace the entire axle/bearings
assembly(Champion Trailers) and a pair of Walmart trailer tire/rims for
under $250 and about 4 hours of driving, waiting and replacement work
at the rest stop......and the rain held off until I had time to put
everything away and get cleaned up......more lucky!

Ray