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1990 Ellis Trailer Rehab Questions

Cdog

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So my trailer is in need of a face lift. I’d like to start with wheels & tires. Currently it has 14 inch rims with 5 on 4.5 BP that are fugly. I’ve seen quite a few Schiada/Howard/Hallet boats towed on some pimped out trailers. I’d like to lift the trailer/increase the ride height about two inches if possible. Where can I find a decent selection of rims? Will I need to make a change to the wheel wells, change leafs or anything else? What is the ideal tire rim size? I assume 15’s is all I’ll be able to squeeze on there?

Current tire size is 205/65/14
 
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AzGeo

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So my trailer is in need of a face lift. I’d like to start with wheels & tires. Currently it has 14 inch rims that are fugly. I’ve seen quite a few Schiada/Howard/Hallet boats towed on some pimped out trailers. I’d like to lift the trailer/increase the ride height about two inches if possible. Where can I find a decent selection of rims? Will I need to make a change to the wheel wells, change leafs or anything else? What is the ideal tire rim size? I assume 15’s is all I’ll be able to squeeze on there?


How about showing some examples of what you are trying to achieve .

Rim sizes, tire heights and widths, depth of wheel/offset/fender clearances, and the over all "vibe" of what you are trying to do , would help .

Most boat trailers with 14" wheels are "Ford/Mopar" 5 on 4 1/2" bolt patterns . IF the fender placement (bolted on fenders only), is secondary to the LOOK of the wheels/tires, then find some custom wheels you like on the net . Once you have a couple of wheel designs in mind, find out if they offer the correct "bolt pattern" for your use, and what "rim widths and offsets" the wheel comes in .

Then look over all the tires available for the wheels you have chosen . Get their "actual height and width", then you can look at where your fenders must be mounted, to not strike those tires/wheels on a bump .

Bolt on fenders can be easily moved or replaced, weld on "not so easy", but anything can be done to a simple trailer frame at minimal cost . (at honest shops)

Just remember that when you "raise the boat height" you will need to back the tow vehicle and trailer deeper into the water . UNLESS ! You extend the front of the trailer for the added boat height .

Make it CUSTOM, make it your own ....................
 

rivrrts429

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If it’s a real Ellis it should be laid out flat and widened with fat ass fenders like a true Ellis was meant to be. The big brother flatty Ellis trailers is where I’d be looking for ideas.
 

Cdog

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How about showing some examples of what you are trying to achieve .

Rim sizes, tire heights and widths, depth of wheel/offset/fender clearances, and the over all "vibe" of what you are trying to do , would help .

Most boat trailers with 14" wheels are "Ford/Mopar" 5 on 4 1/2" bolt patterns . IF the fender placement (bolted on fenders only), is secondary to the LOOK of the wheels/tires, then find some custom wheels you like on the net . Once you have a couple of wheel designs in mind, find out if they offer the correct "bolt pattern" for your use, and what "rim widths and offsets" the wheel comes in .

Then look over all the tires available for the wheels you have chosen . Get their "actual height and width", then you can look at where your fenders must be mounted, to not strike those tires/wheels on a bump .

Bolt on fenders can be easily moved or replaced, weld on "not so easy", but anything can be done to a simple trailer frame at minimal cost . (at honest shops)

Just remember that when you "raise the boat height" you will need to back the tow vehicle and trailer deeper into the water . UNLESS ! You extend the front of the trailer for the added boat height .

Make it CUSTOM, make it your own ....................


Looks like I can go with
205/65/15 at 25.5 tall/8 inch wide
225/60/15 at 25.6 tall/8 inch wide

Is there a preferred easy to find size between these two options? Is there a minimum clearance I should be working with from tire to tire & tire to fender?

These increase the height by approximately .5 inch over the current tire while keeping the 8 inch width. The hub bolt pattern is 5 on 4.5 as you mentioned. I should be looking at a 1/2 inch increase per side for clearance between fender & tire.

Can I install a block or perch between the leaf & the axle to increase the remainder 1.5 inch? Between the tire and perch lift I’ll get the increased ride height I’m looking for while maintaining the current fender location. Welding and fab are no problem. The trailer has an extended length tongue for jet ski pads on each side of the bow that I’m going to cut off.

Here’s an example of a rim I like.
http://recstuff.com/trailer-tires-w...t08-black-matte-w-machined-lip-t08-56545mbml/

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Cdog

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If it’s a real Ellis it should be laid out flat and widened with fat ass fenders like a true Ellis was meant to be. The big brother flatty Ellis trailers is where I’d be looking for ideas.

According to the title it is. Where can I find “fat ass fenders” to fab up? Hahaha?
 

rivrrts429

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I’d get ahold of Roke Trailers or Mike Livingston at Livingston Trailers. He’s the Ellis guru but he’s moved his operation to Idaho.

Both know the Ellis lineage really well.
 

Cdog

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I’d get ahold of Roke Trailers or Mike Livingston at Livingston Trailers. He’s the Ellis guru but he’s moved his operation to Idaho.

Both know the Ellis lineage really well.

Roger that. Thanks!
 

AzGeo

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Take a look at "fenders n more" on the net . They have or can make a custom size at reasonable direct prices .
 

skifaster

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I just went through the same thing on my 1995 Ellis Trailer with wheels and tires. I ended up putting 17's on with 225/50/17 tires. The only issue I had was with the width of the new tires we had to weld tabs on the main rail for the wood board that goes behind the fender. Didn't have any issues with the clearance on my fenders.

Not sure where you are located, but Frank's Trailer Repair in Havasu is who welded the tabs and also repainted the front section of the main rail after a big scuff from road debris. He was more than reasonable to work with and will use him again. His number is nine-two-eight, 225-1833.
 

Cdog

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I just went through the same thing on my 1995 Ellis Trailer with wheels and tires. I ended up putting 17's on with 225/50/17 tires. The only issue I had was with the width of the new tires we had to weld tabs on the main rail for the wood board that goes behind the fender. Didn't have any issues with the clearance on my fenders.

Not sure where you are located, but Frank's Trailer Repair in Havasu is who welded the tabs and also repainted the front section of the main rail after a big scuff from road debris. He was more than reasonable to work with and will use him again. His number is nine-two-eight, 225-1833.


I’m in Scottsdale AZ. This is also what I’m looking for. I’ve seen trailer wheel/tire combos that have a shorter sidewall but they look like truck/suv tires. Playing with the rim & tire aspect ratios but also keeping in mind the bolt pattern and back space availability. It gets complicated quickly. Here in AZ tires take a beating and dry out fast. Trailer tires seem to be made the cheapest of them all. Seems a LT tire will be more durable and last longer. Between 3 autos, 2 race cars,1 race car triple axle trailer, a toy hauler and this boat trailer I’m up to 34 tires. So bang for the buck is important to me LOL!

So what was your reason to go with the 17’s over 15’s or 16’s? Do you have a big heavy boat? Did your trailer originally come with 14’s? Looks like the over all height on the 225/50/17 tire is 25.9 inches. Is your tire a LT tire?

Do you have a link to the rims you used on this project? Pics? Luckily I'll be able to weld anything I need myself.

Thanks for your input!
 

skifaster

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I have a 22' foot boat. I went with 17's simply because I like the look of the larger rim and also went with a wider/lower profile tire. So no, it isn't a trailer tire but a lot of trailer tires suck anyway :). I don't have pics at the moment but I am happy with how it turned out. The center cap wouldn't fit because of the bearing buddy is the only problem. I went with the Ridler 645 Chrome Wheel. Called a bunch of places and Discount Tire in Havasu was the best place price wise. You can google Ridler 645 and you will see they have a bunch of styles/finishes that will work with your trailer. The 3.30 center bore fit fine. Like I said, the only issue was the center cap won't fit over the bearing buddy but it would've covered up the bearing buddy anyway. Below is a link to the wheels.

https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/20160093/00337
 

Cdog

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I have a 22' foot boat. I went with 17's simply because I like the look of the larger rim and also went with a wider/lower profile tire. So no, it isn't a trailer tire but a lot of trailer tires suck anyway :). I don't have pics at the moment but I am happy with how it turned out. The center cap wouldn't fit because of the bearing buddy is the only problem. I went with the Ridler 645 Chrome Wheel. Called a bunch of places and Discount Tire in Havasu was the best place price wise. You can google Ridler 645 and you will see they have a bunch of styles/finishes that will work with your trailer. The 3.30 center bore fit fine. Like I said, the only issue was the center cap won't fit over the bearing buddy but it would've covered up the bearing buddy anyway. Below is a link to the wheels.

https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/20160093/00337

They look pretty cool. Do you know the offset and and width you used?
 

Outdrive1

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I did 225/50r15’s on my old Ellis.
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Outdrive1

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Looks pretty good. Way better than the 14’s I have on mine.

Those are an old set of Alcoa’s I had on my baby blue DCB.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Cdog

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I just got off the phone with Mike Livingston. Real nice guy. Looks like I can go up to 18’s with no problem so now I just need to find a wheel tire combo.
 

rivrrts429

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I just got off the phone with Mike Livingston. Real nice guy. Looks like I can go up to 18’s with no problem so now I just need to find a wheel tire combo.

Solid work, best in the biz to get advice from on an Ellis.
 

=River Perfection=

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I just got off the phone with Mike Livingston. Real nice guy. Looks like I can go up to 18’s with no problem so now I just need to find a wheel tire combo.
View attachment 606355 View attachment 606356 View attachment 606357 View attachment 606358 View attachment 606359 View attachment 606360 View attachment 606361 So my trailer is in need of a face lift. I’d like to start with wheels & tires. Currently it has 14 inch rims with 5 on 4.5 BP that are fugly. I’ve seen quite a few Schiada/Howard/Hallet boats towed on some pimped out trailers. I’d like to lift the trailer/increase the ride height about two inches if possible. Where can I find a decent selection of rims? Will I need to make a change to the wheel wells, change leafs or anything else? What is the ideal tire rim size? I assume 15’s is all I’ll be able to squeeze on there?

Current tire size is 205/65/14


Cal Jason Rouse. He just finished one for me. Very nice work!!
 

Cdog

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Update! So I cut the jet ski mounts off yesterday with a sawzall. Clean cuts so if in the future I need them I can add them on with a receiver & pins.

Looks better already.
 

Cdog

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Where can I buy trailer parts like the rear posts & bumper to aid in putting the boat back on the trailer? Also would like to add a spare tire carrier that mounts under the trailer like I had on my shockwave trailer. I found the galvanized boat guide arms & receivers on Pacific trailers site.

Underside spare tire mounts seem to be a little tougher to find.

After I do all this work I’m gonna do a strip & paint. Is there a epoxy paint or preferred product that the pros use?
 
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rpmsrup

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How wide are your fenders and where did you get them? What tire/rim size/backspace do you have there?

Thx!
The fenders were 10" wide and i got them from a guy riverdad on another forum but he biulds trailer ROKE is the name of the trailers, and wheels are 17x9 with a +1 back space
 

Cdog

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Good news is I have 10 inch wide fenders already. Tires and rims need some love though....:eek:
 

Cdog

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I have a 22' foot boat. I went with 17's simply because I like the look of the larger rim and also went with a wider/lower profile tire. So no, it isn't a trailer tire but a lot of trailer tires suck anyway :). I don't have pics at the moment but I am happy with how it turned out. The center cap wouldn't fit because of the bearing buddy is the only problem. I went with the Ridler 645 Chrome Wheel. Called a bunch of places and Discount Tire in Havasu was the best place price wise. You can google Ridler 645 and you will see they have a bunch of styles/finishes that will work with your trailer. The 3.30 center bore fit fine. Like I said, the only issue was the center cap won't fit over the bearing buddy but it would've covered up the bearing buddy anyway. Below is a link to the wheels.

https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/20160093/00337


Do you know the back space & offset you used? Did you go with the 17X8 wheel?
 

J DUNN

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Just a tip here for tire and wheel size help. Check out www.tiresize.com they have numerous calculators and diagrams that show everything from offset to diameter and side by side comparisons with dimensions of what you have to what you want to go to and the incremental steps you can go up or down in size. Great site with tons of info. I check it out before I buy tires for any vehicle or trailer. Hope it helps OP or any reader of this thread.
 
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