I was wondering if any knowledgeable folk on here might know anything about Smith Wheels UK. I have 10" wheels on my trailer and have been cleaning and repainting. Stamped into the wheel is Smith UK and I think 360x10 but cant be totally sure of the 360 bit. It occurred to me that it would be good to establish the rim capacity as sometimes I do chuck a load of weight in. Try as I might I cannot find reference to Smith UK wheels on the net. Does anyone know anything about smith or indeed about the weight carrying capacity of 10" trailer wheels. The tyres I had fitted are D rated at 475 kg and S Rated at 500 kg which seems gobbledegook to me. I guess the capacity of the trailer is c 900kg although when it was sold to my sister it was to,carry a pallet of bricks which I guess exceeds this.

As its towed by the Panda I suppose I should stay below 800kg so a load of about 500kg. It would be nice to know what the rating is for the wheels though.

Any ideas?

How long is a piece of string? You can get 10" wheels/tyres that can go from not a lot to 1300+kg per axle.

Is the trailer braked? If not, then the absolute max weight of the trailer would be 750kg (and the max towing weight of an unbraked trailer is likely to be a lot less than that for a Panda).

If your wheels are the camping trailer type, then 750kg would be your absolute lot IMO.

I built my own small (5ft x 3ft load bed) two wheeled unbraked trailer over 20 years ago and still use it today. I built it on one ton suspension units - so, in theory, I could carry a ton in it - and used Reliant Robin (same as old mini) 10" wheels.

About 10 years after I built it I got all worried about it's legality after a couple of friends had been stopped by the police with their trailers and one was ticketed. I got it checked over by a trailer company and they thought it was all ok but advised me to plate it at half a ton and get it weighed so I would know how much I could put in it before reaching the limit.

It weighed in at 114 Kg. I mostly use it to transport gardening stuff when I go to garden at my boy's houses so I put my petrol lawn mower and petrol brush cutter in it and reweighed it. Remember the trailer itself is included as part of the weight you must include. It now weighed in at 148 Kg.

This chart may be useful: https://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-make-model/fiat/

My Panda is rated for 400 Kg unbraked (If you're unsure about your's it should be stated on the V5 document I think?) so even with the mower, brush cutter, hedge cutter, leaf blower, hand tools and other odds and ends, I'm still well inside my limit.

The heaviest single thing I've had in it was a Ford Sierra 1.6 Pinto engine complete with all it's ancillaries - manifolds, carb, alternator, etc. I don't actually know what that weighed, but it towed very nicely. I've never had a moments problem with the wheels or tyres which are standard Mini radials.

The only thing I got slightly wrong was to use the one ton suspension units. When heavily laden the trailer tows beautifully but when only lightly laden or empty it bounces around like a pogo stick because of the lack of "give" in the suspension. Using half ton units would probably improve this but on the other hand I'm never going to suffer from the bent suspension arms you often see on wee cheap trailers which have been, at some time, overloaded. (excessive negative camber on the wheels is a dead give away for this)

Not knowing exactly what your trailer is I hope some of that is helpful?
Regards
Jock

I was re-reading what I wrote above and I suppose the point to be made is that a wee trailer (as it's likely to be on 10" wheels?), especially if it's unbraked, is most unlikely to ever be legally loaded to the point where the strength of the wheel itself becomes a problem?

It was bought 20 years ago or so, new. Supplied on the 10" wheels its about 7 by 4 foot. but with 1 ton suspension like yours, it too gets exciting if you forget when its empty. I shudder to think the weight it has carried over the years. About 18 months back it was clanking awfully over every bump . I thought is was just old age and took no notice. Eventually I realised the chassis was in two and the rotten floor holding it together!

Its now a reinforced frame that's 4 times as strong, all new body, new mudguards bearings and spanking new fitted cover which was £90 from a local firm so it no longer gets wet. I have also just added a spare wheel carrier and refurbing the wheels will see it finished. I don't like the mini hubs but I suppose they should be enough for what the Panda will legally pull. I think its probably done 50 thousand miles by now so OK value. My sister gave it me when she moved to France about 15 years ago.

You make a few good points and I will get it weighed so I can work up my useable payload, and also investigate getting it plated too. The engineer who did the repairs and reinforcement reckoned it would be fine for a ton and well over in strength terms.

It does now get a detailed check every year and I record and take photos.

Thanks for your reply. Hope your still well.

PS Had to tow the caravan off a site that was being over run by a river a while back as the Bravo had just expired. It towed a load of about 1200kg fine at 50mph. Caravan was on its very last journey as it happened so I should have left it where it was and got the insurance. The towing up performance of the Panda was astounding and it pulled out of a flooded field a 30 degree slope without breaking sweat. The car is clearly limited by its kerb weight not its ability.

chaos said:

How long is a piece of string? You can get 10" wheels/tyres that can go from not a lot to 1300+kg per axle.

Is the trailer braked? If not, then the absolute max weight of the trailer would be 750kg (and the max towing weight of an unbraked trailer is likely to be a lot less than that for a Panda).

If your wheels are the camping trailer type, then 750kg would be your absolute lot IMO.

Click to expand...

The wheels are not camping trailer but not car either hence the discussion. Looking today they are clearly stronger than the mini hubs they are fitted to. I normally stick to 400kg or there abouts out of concern for my insurance but like to know what the limits are in case of shifting timber or similar off road. Getting older means I can't lift the rocks and tree trunks I used to so overloading is much less of an issue... Good point about the max unbraked load at 750.

Pugglt Auld Jock said:

I was re-reading what I wrote above and I suppose the point to be made is that a wee trailer (as it's likely to be on 10" wheels?), especially if it's unbraked, is most unlikely to ever be legally loaded to the point where the strength of the wheel itself becomes a problem?

Click to expand...

Brings back memories of my first trailer. It finally expired when loaded with turf. I was alarmed by how twisted the trailing arms were after towing at rather high speed... I can remember that at 90 degrees to teh car going round a roundabout on a wet road. That REALLY made me jump! Thankfully I am a lot more sensible now!

They are almost certainly specific trailer wheels, so good for a 750kg trailer. That means they will handle that load without being stressed, including during cornering when the load is temporarily not evenly spread between them.

You should use trailer or van tyres, not ordinary car tyres. These have stronger sidewalls to handle the different forces.

I had a small box trailer for many years (at least 20). Built from a kit by a friend's father, passed to me when he died and the family had no use for it. Early 2000, when changing cars, a towbar for the new Seicento was nearly £200, to tow a trailer maybe 3-4 times a year, 4 miles to the tip. didn't seem viable. So last trip to the tip and sell the trailer. On the way home, towing it behind my classic Panda, a guy pulled out of a side road and hit the trailer, making it slightly diamond shaped. Whilst surveying the damage, and he looking at it suggesting it was repairable, and offering to do that, I found his towball, and attached the trailer to it. I explained that I was about to sell, and that he had just bought it. I had thought £50. He emptied his pockets, including his 10yr old son's pockets, and came up with £48 and a bit of change. I took it, shook him by the hand and we parted happily.
Saved the hassle of selling it.