Heartland North Trail Wide Trax and Tire Size

Punter

Member
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans serif] Hi. I am brand new to the forum. We are considering a Heartland North Trail 27RBDS. We like the layout... But I had a question about the wide trax system (i.e. wider spacing between the axles) and the size tire the camper comes with. First, what are people's impressions of the wide trax system? And second, the trailer also comes with smaller tires than a typical travel trailer of this length (15" rims versus the 16" I am used to). Anyone know why that would be? Should I be concerned about the smaller tires or does the Wide Trax system account for that? [/FONT]
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Punter,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

My recollection over the past 8 years is that we have seen only a few discussions about Wide Trax - and if I remember correctly, they were about how to chock the wheels since the spacing is too wide for X-Chocks. I expecg some owners who have Wide Trax will chime in to tell you what they think.

I'd expect that tire/wheel selection is typically based on the GVWR of the the trailer. Heavier trailers get larger wheels and tires. You might compare the GVWR of the trailer you're considering with the GVWR of others that you see with 16" wheels.
 

Punter

Member
Thanks for the reply. I will keep watching to see if anyone with this system responds. I was mistaken in my original post, the tires that come on the rig are 14", not the 15" I thought. So they are even smaller. I assume it is fine or they wouldn't sell them this way (and you would see more threads complaining about the tiny tires on these trailers). But when I saw he tires, it caught me off guard because they look so small.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Thanks for the reply. I will keep watching to see if anyone with this system responds. I was mistaken in my original post, the tires that come on the rig are 14", not the 15" I thought. So they are even smaller. I assume it is fine or they wouldn't sell them this way (and you would see more threads complaining about the tiny tires on these trailers). But when I saw he tires, it caught me off guard because they look so small.
There should be a plaque on the front of your trailer, off-door-side. It'll show the GVWR and also the tires used on the trailer along with their weight rating at max sidewall inflation. If you add the max weight rating of the tires, it should come to 80 or 85% of the GVWR for the trailer. The rest of the weight sits on the hitch.
 

'Lil Guy'

Well-known member
Love the widetrax stance on the NT we owned. Less trailer sway but I still use stabilizer bar. I believe we went with 16" wheels and tires at the next load rating up for peace of mind.
 

Punter

Member
Lil Guy, do you recommend moving up to the next larger size tire? I assume the tires that come with the trailer can accommodate the weight (probably not with a lot of cushion). I am concerned about wear on the tire because it has to turn more times to go the same distance...
 

JWalker

Northeast Region Director-Retired
Our first North Trail had the Wide Trax. Never had an issue. Did not notice any sway. But we were pulling it with a F250, so maybe the larger heavier truck helped with that also. we had 14" wheels and did not have any issues. You might not need to upgrade to a larger rim diameter, maybe just a better grade of tire?

Good luck. Safe travels.
 

'Lil Guy'

Well-known member
If you have c rated tires, it would certainly help to go with d rated tires. I got away from the low speed tires and went with a better tire. JMO
 

Manzan

Well-known member
I have a 2011 21FBS North Trail with the wide trax and it tows beautifully. Much better than my previous trailer, same length with normal spacing of the axels. Put new tires on it last year and bought the Goodyear Endeavor D rated tires. Can run them a lot faster than I want to tow so offer a lot of cushion if I have to pass someone or necessary to not impede traffic. X choke does offer a chock to fit the extra spacing.
 

Silverado23

Iowa Chapter Leaders
Have had the wide trax and 15"s on both my NT's. very stable and smooth especially with a good weight distributing hitch with sway control such as equal-I-zer .

Check your tire sidewall for speed rating first NT had tires speed rated for 65 MPH, my current NT has tires rated for 75 MPH.
 

Desertsky

Active Member
We have a 2010 NT 26RKS with the 14" tires. We had a couple versions of Blowmax tires and just switched to Carlisle tires. These are load range D and speed rated for 81mph. We were towing with a 2006 Chevy Avalance but the old girl ran out of breath up here in the Rockies so we bought a 2017 Chevy 2500 HD Duramax High Country. What a difference! We use the E2 hitch and never a swaying problem, even the day we brought it home from the dealer with 30-40 mph gusting cross winds. I am also sure the wide trax has something to do with that. We also use the E2 adjustable wheel chock. Works great on gravel or pavement.
 
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