Cobra Trailer Fenders

[Patrick McMahon]

Hey all, I trailered a (new to me and a partner) glider from Ontario to Alberta last week and through the trip blew out both trailer tires on the late-80's aluminum Cobra trailer and destroyed the fenders on the trailer through the event.

The first blowout (1:15am east of Madison, Wisconsin) contorted the right fender, the second (10:15pm north of St. Paul, Minnesota) cleared the left fender clean off - not recovered.

We've found the Cobra fenders on W&W, but at $135 per side, shipping and CAD conversion it seems fairly ridiculous. We've found some options on Amazon for off-brand fenders, has anyone used these? Or, are there any used Cobra fenders around? Or other suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Patrick (LS6-b EH)

[[email protected]]

Never tried them, but they look OK.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Fenders/Fulton/F008564.html

[[email protected]]

Do yourself and the trailer a favor and get the good fenders. $135 ea sounds cheap to me considering what the trailer and glider in it are worth.

[joesimmers[_2_]]

I would bite the bullet and get the cobra ones, and then replace your
tires with new ones every 4 to 5 years at most and this
will likely never happen again.

[[email protected]]

On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 5:43:09 AM UTC-5, Patrick McMahon wrote:
> Hey all, I trailered a (new to me and a partner) glider from Ontario to Alberta last week and through the trip blew out both trailer tires on the late-80's aluminum Cobra trailer and destroyed the fenders on the trailer through the event.
>
> The first blowout (1:15am east of Madison, Wisconsin) contorted the right fender, the second (10:15pm north of St. Paul, Minnesota) cleared the left fender clean off - not recovered.
>
> We've found the Cobra fenders on W&W, but at $135 per side, shipping and CAD conversion it seems fairly ridiculous. We've found some options on Amazon for off-brand fenders, has anyone used these? Or, are there any used Cobra fenders around? Or other suggestions?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Patrick (LS6-b EH)

You do get a mud flap and tire chock for that price :-)

[Tango Eight]

Buy the right fenders and get more serious about pre-flight safety. It applies to trailers and tires (specifically) as well.

When you can recover from a mistake like that for less than $300, you've had pretty good fortune.

T8

[[email protected]]

Patrick,

I replaced my trailer fenders with the Cobra product. The Cobra fenders include the wheel chocks. They also use the existing mounting holes.

Also, use trailer tires; they are made for towing.

Raul Boerner
LS6-BWL

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

wrote on 11/23/2019 6:25 AM:
> Patrick,
>
> I replaced my trailer fenders with the Cobra product. The Cobra fenders include
> the wheel chocks. They also use the existing mounting holes.
>
> Also, use trailer tires; they are made for towing.

Be sure they are _radial_ trailer tires, and if you want to tow fast (70+, not
that I recommend it), use LT (Light Truck) tires, which have a much higher speed
rating than the 65 mph trailer tires.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

[Dan Marotta]

Aren't the Cobra fenders just cheap plastic?

On 11/23/2019 6:11 AM, wrote:
> Do yourself and the trailer a favor and get the good fenders. $135 ea sounds cheap to me considering what the trailer and glider in it are worth.

--
Dan, 5J

[2G]

On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 8:12:43 AM UTC-8, Eric Greenwell wrote:
> wrote on 11/23/2019 6:25 AM:
> > Patrick,
> >
> > I replaced my trailer fenders with the Cobra product. The Cobra fenders include
> > the wheel chocks. They also use the existing mounting holes.
> >
> > Also, use trailer tires; they are made for towing.
>
> Be sure they are _radial_ trailer tires, and if you want to tow fast (70+, not
> that I recommend it), use LT (Light Truck) tires, which have a much higher speed
> rating than the 65 mph trailer tires.
>
> --
> Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
> - "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
> https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

LT tires aren't available for that size - use trailer (ST) tires.

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

2G wrote on 11/23/2019 8:40 AM:
> On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 8:12:43 AM UTC-8, Eric Greenwell wrote:
>> wrote on 11/23/2019 6:25 AM:
>>> Patrick,
>>>
>>> I replaced my trailer fenders with the Cobra product. The Cobra fenders include
>>> the wheel chocks. They also use the existing mounting holes.
>>>
>>> Also, use trailer tires; they are made for towing.
>>
>> Be sure they are _radial_ trailer tires, and if you want to tow fast (70+, not
>> that I recommend it), use LT (Light Truck) tires, which have a much higher speed
>> rating than the 65 mph trailer tires.
>
> LT tires aren't available for that size - use trailer (ST) tires.
>
Canada has the LT195/75R14 tires I use on my Cobra trailer. What size is he
looking for?

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

[[email protected]]

Had a similar experience with the last ship I bought. Trailer tires looked great, almost new I thought! Found out later they were the original tires on the Cobra, some 15 years ago! I got about 300 miles on those tires when the right one threw a 12” hunk of tread with one end still attached...............bam, bam, bam, it sounded like a helicopter! Removed the fender as though it was never there! The ship had seldom left the gliderport and tire pressure was down when I got the bird. I figured that 15 long cold winters with tires partially deflated, had weakened the flat spot area. Always seems to happen when a ship is sold and the trailer sees the road for the first time in many years. Tire guy told me those were 2 ply auto tires, he recommended 6 ply trailer tires............no more tire problems!
Cheers,
JJ

[George Haeh]

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/how-to-determine-the-age-of-your-tires#

You might want the seller to send you a photo of the tire sidewall and plan accordingly.

Then there's bearings and brake shoes.

Sometimes the local DOT runs a roadside check on trailers. Do all the lights work?

[2G]

On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 10:55:45 AM UTC-8, wrote:
> Had a similar experience with the last ship I bought. Trailer tires looked great, almost new I thought! Found out later they were the original tires on the Cobra, some 15 years ago! I got about 300 miles on those tires when the right one threw a 12” hunk of tread with one end still attached..............bam, bam, bam, it sounded like a helicopter! Removed the fender as though it was never there! The ship had seldom left the gliderport and tire pressure was down when I got the bird. I figured that 15 long cold winters with tires partially deflated, had weakened the flat spot area. Always seems to happen when a ship is sold and the trailer sees the road for the first time in many years. Tire guy told me those were 2 ply auto tires, he recommended 6 ply trailer tires............no more tire problems!
> Cheers,
> JJ

When I bought my 8 year old ASH26e the first stop I made was at a tire store. No way I was going to use 8 year old tires while trailering across the empty expanses of Nevada. I also had to fix the butchered trailer wiring in a motel parking lot. Fortunately, I came prepared.

Tires deteriorate from the inside out from the compressed air (oxygen is an oxidizer). Much better results if you use nitrogen, but not many tire shops have it.
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging

Tom

[[email protected]]

On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 5:43:09 AM UTC-5, Patrick McMahon wrote:
> Hey all, I trailered a (new to me and a partner) glider from Ontario to Alberta last week and through the trip blew out both trailer tires on the late-80's aluminum Cobra trailer and destroyed the fenders on the trailer through the event.
>
> The first blowout (1:15am east of Madison, Wisconsin) contorted the right fender, the second (10:15pm north of St. Paul, Minnesota) cleared the left fender clean off - not recovered.
>
> We've found the Cobra fenders on W&W, but at $135 per side, shipping and CAD conversion it seems fairly ridiculous. We've found some options on Amazon for off-brand fenders, has anyone used these? Or, are there any used Cobra fenders around? Or other suggestions?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Patrick (LS6-b EH)

Patrick,

I have one Cobra steel fender that came off of an 84 trailer that's in good condition. I'll let it go for cheep, shipping may be expensive. Let me know if you want some pictures. thomasorsini@gmail

Tom

[Tom BravoMike]

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 2:00:28 AM UTC-6, 2G wrote:
> On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 10:55:45 AM UTC-8, wrote:
> > Had a similar experience with the last ship I bought. Trailer tires looked great, almost new I thought! Found out later they were the original tires on the Cobra, some 15 years ago! I got about 300 miles on those tires when the right one threw a 12” hunk of tread with one end still attached..............bam, bam, bam, it sounded like a helicopter! Removed the fender as though it was never there! The ship had seldom left the gliderport and tire pressure was down when I got the bird. I figured that 15 long cold winters with tires partially deflated, had weakened the flat spot area. Always seems to happen when a ship is sold and the trailer sees the road for the first time in many years. Tire guy told me those were 2 ply auto tires, he recommended 6 ply trailer tires............no more tire problems!
> > Cheers,
> > JJ
>
> When I bought my 8 year old ASH26e the first stop I made was at a tire store. No way I was going to use 8 year old tires while trailering across the empty expanses of Nevada. I also had to fix the butchered trailer wiring in a motel parking lot. Fortunately, I came prepared.
>
> Tires deteriorate from the inside out from the compressed air (oxygen is an oxidizer). Much better results if you use nitrogen, but not many tire shops have it.
> https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging
>
> Tom

Considering that sun exposure is such an important negative factor, I can't explain why so few trailers in our gliderports have wheel covers on. I have a second set now and they seem to work very well. The cost is about $20-30/pair.

[George Haeh]

Contractor garbage bags work very well as tire (with wheel chocks) and hitch covers (you don't want to have to replace the rubber bellows) for a very good price.

[glidergeek]

Go to a RV trailer supply buy a pair of steel fenders about $35 each have them power coated attach them the same way. I did it to a 1989 Cobra trailer worked great.

[Patrick McMahon]

A few items, the tires were considered in the purchase, I think 5 years old, pressure checked, sat on concrete patio stones with UV covered when not in heated storage. They were replaced as blown with 155/80/R13's to ensure I maintained a spare - which, will also be upgraded as we get to work with the ship.

The fenders were metal, did have the Cobra mudguard but did not have the wheel chock holder.

This is our most promising solution which would be an upgrade from the rounded metal fenders, and save us some cash toward neo wingtips - https://www.amazon.ca/Mudguard-Trailer-Wheels-Plastic-Fender/dp/B01M72O8P9/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=trailer+fender&qid=1574030128&s=automotive&sr=1-5

The trailer has been updated to LED lights, although my vehicle detected a fault which I could not immediately location (both side markers on both sides and all functions of the taillights worked). Now that I think about it, maybe the bulb for the license plate...

T8 - your math is bad, and your comment is insulting
Thanks Tom, but we'll be looking to replace both for less than the shipping of the one you have
Dan, 5J - seems like it, not much value on the juice:squeeze ratio
Thanks glidergeek, that's the kind of sense I'm aligned with

Sorry I asked.

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

2G wrote on 11/24/2019 12:00 AM:
> On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 10:55:45 AM UTC-8, wrote:
>> Had a similar experience with the last ship I bought. Trailer tires looked great, almost new I thought! Found out later they were the original tires on the Cobra, some 15 years ago! I got about 300 miles on those tires when the right one threw a 12” hunk of tread with one end still attached..............bam, bam, bam, it sounded like a helicopter! Removed the fender as though it was never there! The ship had seldom left the gliderport and tire pressure was down when I got the bird. I figured that 15 long cold winters with tires partially deflated, had weakened the flat spot area. Always seems to happen when a ship is sold and the trailer sees the road for the first time in many years. Tire guy told me those were 2 ply auto tires, he recommended 6 ply trailer tires............no more tire problems!
>> Cheers,
>> JJ
>
> When I bought my 8 year old ASH26e the first stop I made was at a tire store. No way I was going to use 8 year old tires while trailering across the empty expanses of Nevada. I also had to fix the butchered trailer wiring in a motel parking lot. Fortunately, I came prepared.
>
> Tires deteriorate from the inside out from the compressed air (oxygen is an oxidizer). Much better results if you use nitrogen, but not many tire shops have it.
> https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging

The case for nitrogen is very weak, but it causes no harm. I suggest glider pilots
put their money and effort into following the recommendations in the link Tom
provides.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

[Tom BravoMike]

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 11:16:47 AM UTC-6, Patrick McMahon wrote:
> A few items, the tires were considered in the purchase, I think 5 years old, pressure checked, sat on concrete patio stones with UV covered when not in heated storage. They were replaced as blown with 155/80/R13's to ensure I maintained a spare - which, will also be upgraded as we get to work with the ship.
>
> The fenders were metal, did have the Cobra mudguard but did not have the wheel chock holder.
>
> This is our most promising solution which would be an upgrade from the rounded metal fenders, and save us some cash toward neo wingtips - https://www.amazon.ca/Mudguard-Trailer-Wheels-Plastic-Fender/dp/B01M72O8P9/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=trailer+fender&qid=1574030128&s=automotive&sr=1-5
>
> The trailer has been updated to LED lights, although my vehicle detected a fault which I could not immediately location (both side markers on both sides and all functions of the taillights worked). Now that I think about it, maybe the bulb for the license plate...
>
> T8 - your math is bad, and your comment is insulting
> Thanks Tom, but we'll be looking to replace both for less than the shipping of the one you have
> Dan, 5J - seems like it, not much value on the juice:squeeze ratio
> Thanks glidergeek, that's the kind of sense I'm aligned with
>
> Sorry I asked.

Patrick, don't be sorry you asked. Your question gives us all in the soaring community a good opportunity to discuss and get cautioned about how important our trailer tires are, and to get a good advice based on the others' experience(s). I may have a Cobra trailer similar to your 1984, metal fenders), generally well maintained by previous owners. Goes beautifully behind my Mazda CX-5, manual gear. An incident I had with fenders was when one of them was hit by a tire debris on the expressway (saw it too late to dodge it). The fender got bent. An auto-body shop was able to fix it in a great way, and both fender got a nice new red paint. What I noticed, however, is that the paint gets hit by usual gravel and tiny stuff on the roads (have done thousands of miles across the US several times) and gets dented. I think I will put some temporary soft covers for next trips to protect them. Plastic fenders will be less trouble in that respect.

[Tim Taylor]

On Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 3:43:09 AM UTC-7, Patrick McMahon wrote:
> Hey all, I trailered a (new to me and a partner) glider from Ontario to Alberta last week and through the trip blew out both trailer tires on the late-80's aluminum Cobra trailer and destroyed the fenders on the trailer through the event.
>
> The first blowout (1:15am east of Madison, Wisconsin) contorted the right fender, the second (10:15pm north of St. Paul, Minnesota) cleared the left fender clean off - not recovered.
>
> We've found the Cobra fenders on W&W, but at $135 per side, shipping and CAD conversion it seems fairly ridiculous. We've found some options on Amazon for off-brand fenders, has anyone used these? Or, are there any used Cobra fenders around? Or other suggestions?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Patrick (LS6-b EH)

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Fenders/Fulton/F008553.html

[[email protected]]

It hurts to replace tires that look like new, but....
Just buy new tires every five years.
Rubber rots.
All tire manufacturers advise replacing tires at five years.
Much cheaper than new fenders and possibly a new trailer.
Trailer wreck stories are endless and epic.
Sadly most are true and were preventable.

[Tom BravoMike]

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 6:29:31 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> It hurts to replace tires that look like new, but....
> Just buy new tires every five years.
> Rubber rots.
> All tire manufacturers advise replacing tires at five years.
(...)

It is not my in intention to argue about the usefulness or necessity of changing tires every 5 or 6 years - sounds reasonable - but I would like to hear from some independent source, maybe an automobile club like AA or RAC or similar, provided not corrupted by lobbyists. Maybe the German 'Stiftung Warentest'?

https://www.test.de/

Don't smartphone manufacturers suggest we should buy a new phone every 2 years, a new TV set every 4 years. Shouldn't houses be built for just one generation so that the construction industry can go on and on? Isn't it farmers who advertise: Drinka pinta milka day?

[Tom BravoMike]

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 7:51:34 PM UTC-6, Tom BravoMike wrote:
> On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 6:29:31 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> > It hurts to replace tires that look like new, but....
> > Just buy new tires every five years.
> > Rubber rots.
> > All tire manufacturers advise replacing tires at five years.
> (...)
>
> It is not my in intention to argue about the usefulness or necessity of changing tires every 5 or 6 years - sounds reasonable - but I would prefer to hear from some independent source, maybe an automobile club like AA or RAC or similar, provided not corrupted by lobbyists. Maybe the German 'Stiftung Warentest'?
>
> https://www.test.de/
>
> Don't smartphone manufacturers suggest we should buy a new phone every 2 years, a new TV set every 4 years. Shouldn't houses be built for just one generation so that the construction industry can go on and on? Isn't it farmers who advertise: Drinka pinta milka day?

I've just taken a look and found this interesting (German) court decision:
https://www.test.de/Mogelpackung-Autoreifen-1215549-0/

but also this:
https://www.test.de/Autoreifen-Alter-erkennen-17311-0/

I hope Google can help you with translation.

[cdeerinck]

Can anyone tell me the size of tire a Cobra trailer needs, to save me from having to wait until I can go out to check?

[JS[_5_]]

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 7:54:03 PM UTC-8, cdeerinck wrote:
> Can anyone tell me the size of tire a Cobra trailer needs, to save me from having to wait until I can go out to check?

Are yours 13" or 14" wheels?
Mine are P175/70-R14
Jim

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

wrote on 11/24/2019 4:29 PM:
> It hurts to replace tires that look like new, but....
> Just buy new tires every five years.
> Rubber rots.
> All tire manufacturers advise replacing tires at five years.
> Much cheaper than new fenders and possibly a new trailer.
> Trailer wreck stories are endless and epic.
> Sadly most are true and were preventable.

Michelin does not recommend replacing tires every 5 years, but does recommend it
be done by 10 years; in fact, I'm not aware of any that do recommend 5 year
replacement. Some may recommend that some types of tires be replaced in 5 years,
but I not aware of any. Even so, replacing them every 5 is reasonable, I think,
for people putting thousands of miles on their trailer every year.

The epic trailer wrecks I can recall were caused by the trailer becoming unstable.
I have no idea how many were caused by tire failure.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

cdeerinck wrote on 11/24/2019 7:54 PM:
> Can anyone tell me the size of tire a Cobra trailer needs, to save me from having to wait until I can go out to check?

What size are your wheels? What is the loaded trailer weight? Maybe you should
just wait ...


--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

[Tim Taylor]

"The NHTSA recommends that tires be replaced every six years regardless of the number of miles driven. Proper inflation is the Holy Grail of tire maintenance. Too much or too little air in your tires is guaranteed to cause you trouble and uneven or excessive wear over time.Dec 17, 2013"

[2G]

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 5:51:34 PM UTC-8, Tom BravoMike wrote:
> On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 6:29:31 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> > It hurts to replace tires that look like new, but....
> > Just buy new tires every five years.
> > Rubber rots.
> > All tire manufacturers advise replacing tires at five years.
> (...)
>
> It is not my in intention to argue about the usefulness or necessity of changing tires every 5 or 6 years - sounds reasonable - but I would like to hear from some independent source, maybe an automobile club like AA or RAC or similar, provided not corrupted by lobbyists. Maybe the German 'Stiftung Warentest'?
>
> https://www.test.de/
>
> Don't smartphone manufacturers suggest we should buy a new phone every 2 years, a new TV set every 4 years. Shouldn't houses be built for just one generation so that the construction industry can go on and on? Isn't it farmers who advertise: Drinka pinta milka day?

I did post such a reference - go back and read it.

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

Tim Taylor wrote on 11/24/2019 9:42 PM:
> "The NHTSA recommends that tires be replaced every six years regardless of the number of miles driven. Proper inflation is the Holy Grail of tire maintenance. Too much or too little air in your tires is guaranteed to cause you trouble and uneven or excessive wear over time.Dec 17, 2013"
>
The current recommendation is not so strict (2017):

"As tires age, they are more prone to failure. Some vehicle and tire manufacturers
recommend replacing tires that are six to 10 years old, regardless of treadwear.
You can determine how old your tire is by looking on the sidewall for your DOT
Tire Identification Number (TIN)."

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/tires#topic-aging

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

[[email protected]]

I shattered a plastic Cobra fender when my ASW 24 was less than a year old. Not impressed. I replaced them with galvanized steel fenders from (then) Northern Hydraulics. Salvaged the mud flaps from the plastic junk and tossed the wheel chocks in the front of the trailer where no one would walk away with them in a parking lot. I've since lost two tires (we've had the tire discussion many times so do what you like) and damaged a fender both times. I just banged it back out. I do need to replace them now (they're 25 years old and stained/bent) but I'll just get another set of cheap metal fenders. You'll probably have to drill a few holes but no big deal.

Just my opinion. But $300 for a set of plastic fenders that will break the first time you hit debris or blow a tire? Please. I'm willing to baby the glider. The trailer I want to be bulletproof. Poor choice of words. :)

Chip Bearden
JB

[[email protected]]

Something I never knew about tyres - from the Uniroyal website:

"tyres contain anti-oxidising chemicals which significantly slow down the rate of ageing, this wax-like substance is only released when the tyre is in motion. Therefore, if the tyre is not used frequently or is stored away ineffectively, they will age more quickly rendering them unroadworthy when returned to use"

[Tom BravoMike]

> > (...)
> >
> > It is not my in intention to argue about the usefulness or necessity of changing tires every 5 or 6 years - sounds reasonable - but I would like to hear from some independent source, maybe an automobile club like AA or RAC or similar, provided not corrupted by lobbyists. Maybe the German 'Stiftung Warentest'?
> >
> > https://www.test.de/
> >
> > Don't smartphone manufacturers suggest we should buy a new phone every 2 years, a new TV set every 4 years. Shouldn't houses be built for just one generation so that the construction industry can go on and on? Isn't it farmers who advertise: Drinka pinta milka day?
>
> I did post such a reference - go back and read it.

So I did go back and read your posts. I found this link you left:
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging
You don't consider this to be an independent source, do you? I apologize if I'm missing something. Please help.
Happy Thanksgiving, anyway!

[[email protected]]

On Monday, November 25, 2019 at 9:48:01 AM UTC-5, wrote:
> I shattered a plastic Cobra fender when my ASW 24 was less than a year old. Not impressed. I replaced them with galvanized steel fenders from (then) Northern Hydraulics. Salvaged the mud flaps from the plastic junk and tossed the wheel chocks in the front of the trailer where no one would walk away with them in a parking lot. I've since lost two tires (we've had the tire discussion many times so do what you like) and damaged a fender both times.. I just banged it back out. I do need to replace them now (they're 25 years old and stained/bent) but I'll just get another set of cheap metal fenders. You'll probably have to drill a few holes but no big deal.
>
> Just my opinion. But $300 for a set of plastic fenders that will break the first time you hit debris or blow a tire? Please. I'm willing to baby the glider. The trailer I want to be bulletproof. Poor choice of words. :)
>
> Chip Bearden
> JB

If I were to have to replace a fender, I'd go with steel for durability. I'm also set up to paint with good primers and paint.
My perspective.
A blown tire has the following likely costs:
Replace tire- about $125 or so.
Possibly replace fender. About $100 of you replace both fenders with metal. Cobra plastic is more.
If you are towing with a motor home(and no monitoring) it is very likely you will destroy the wheel. Ask Chip how hard they are to find.
After you put the spare on you have to really watch because you now have no spare.
I support 5 trailers for my ships. I'm buying tires for one of them every year. I consider the money to be well spent.
FWIW
UH

[JS[_5_]]

The only problem with a steel fender I've run across was how to bend it back or remove it at the side of the road after the blown tire mangled it.
At least the plastic ones from Cobra are now the "beer friendly" variety.
Jim

[Tango Eight]

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 12:16:47 PM UTC-5, Patrick McMahon wrote:
> A few items, the tires were considered in the purchase, I think 5 years old, pressure checked, sat on concrete patio stones with UV covered when not in heated storage. They were replaced as blown with 155/80/R13's

It would be interesting to know what your tire pressure was.

Useful to know: all tires have a date code molded in.

155s are marginal. Most are SL or 79 load index and that's not enough for the application unless you are going to drive slow (60 mph). If you have enough clearance (almost certainly yes) and 4.5" rims (maybe) you could switch to 175/70-13 (same OD) which will give you a better selection to choose from. I would recommend at least 1100# load rating, at least 50 psi max, S or T speed rating would be good.

North American drivers in 2019 expect performance that wasn't on Cobra's map when your trailer was new.

T8

[2G]

On Monday, November 25, 2019 at 8:23:56 AM UTC-8, Tom BravoMike wrote:
> > > (...)
> > >
> > > It is not my in intention to argue about the usefulness or necessity of changing tires every 5 or 6 years - sounds reasonable - but I would like to hear from some independent source, maybe an automobile club like AA or RAC or similar, provided not corrupted by lobbyists. Maybe the German 'Stiftung Warentest'?
> > >
> > > https://www.test.de/
> > >
> > > Don't smartphone manufacturers suggest we should buy a new phone every 2 years, a new TV set every 4 years. Shouldn't houses be built for just one generation so that the construction industry can go on and on? Isn't it farmers who advertise: Drinka pinta milka day?
> >
> > I did post such a reference - go back and read it.
>
> So I did go back and read your posts. I found this link you left:
> https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging
> You don't consider this to be an independent source, do you? I apologize if I'm missing something. Please help.
> Happy Thanksgiving, anyway!

Yes, I DO consider it to be an "independent source," don't you?

[Dirk_PW[_2_]]

I like the cheap plastic fenders because they act as a weak link when something hits them. They shatter instead of transferring the impact loads to the side of the trailer. If something hits a metal fender, don't be surprised if it bends or wrinkles the side wall of the trailer where it is mounted. Other road debris can slam into the fenders that can do more damage than lost tread.

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Agreed on plastic breakaway fenders. Also, earlier comment about wheel covers...that turns them into awesome rodent dens. I wouldn't unless you're going to disturb them every week.

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I guess this is kind of like the debate over metal vs. fiberglass tops on German trailers. I shattered a plastic fender before my ASW 24 was a year old and installed galvanized steel fenders not long after. The right one has been dented twice in catastrophic tread failures but I just pull it out with a big pair of vice grips. I've never seen any sidewall damage though I'm sure it's possible. I expect to replace them this winter for cosmetic reasons and will probably stay with steel.

Has anyone seen trailer sidewall damage from an impact on the fender that didn't otherwise contact the trailer? The aluminum sidewalls on my 1992 Cobra are pretty robust. They stopped two 9mm jacketed bullets in Texas a year ago. :)

Chip Bearden
JB

[2G]

On Friday, December 6, 2019 at 5:06:07 PM UTC-8, Dirk_PW wrote:
> I like the cheap plastic fenders because they act as a weak link when something hits them. They shatter instead of transferring the impact loads to the side of the trailer. If something hits a metal fender, don't be surprised if it bends or wrinkles the side wall of the trailer where it is mounted. Other road debris can slam into the fenders that can do more damage than lost tread.

I've had both, and, no, I haven't seen any damage transferred to the trailer body (fortunately!). The damaged metal fender had to be replaced. Replace your tires at reasonable intervals; when they blow you will have to replace them anyhow, along with the fender.

Tom

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Original fender used by Spindelberger:
https://www.hood.de/i/al-ko-plus-kotfluegel-anhaenger-tiefgezogen-770x240x335-mm-84664337.htm

The manufacturer is 'Alko'
And the name of the part is 'Kotflügel plus'
A normal club star cobra has black fenders, a better equipped has blue or red ones.

I hope I could help you.

Lukas (LS6a)

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Sorry about contributing to the thread drift but this exchange about the tires themselves is interesting and useful...

When I changed the tires on my Cobra trailer about 6 years ago (yeah, I'm due) I purchased trailer tires that were already mounted on wheels. When putting the tires onto the trailer the tires ended up sticking out a few inches from the fenders. That's when I noticed that the original Cobra wheel had a positive mounting offset while the new wheels had a zero offset. I decided to mount the new tires onto the old wheels. I've not had any problems so far but wondering about the criticality of the wheel mounting offset especially as I go shopping for new tires for the upcoming season.

From the etrailer.com website:
Trailer or automotive wheels can have a positive or negative offset. The offset refers to the distance between the mounting surface of the wheel that touches the hub and the center line of the wheel...
A positive offset will move the tire closer to the trailer, while a negative offset will push the tire further away.
Most of the trailer wheels we offer, including the Americana Aluminum Mod wheel you referenced, part # AM22327, have a zero offset, which means that the the mounting surface is on the same plane as the center line of the wheel. This is done to equalize the weight of the trailer load.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-44405.html

Danny Brotto

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Danny,

You should be fine sticking with the same tire you have if that's worked. If you change, just make sure the overall diameter is about the same (that figure is available for most tires). I'm actually running slightly larger diameter tires intentionally to get more ground clearance at the rear of the trailer.

I'm still shopping for replacement wheels for my older Cobra. It's a 13 x 4 1/2 wheel with a 29 mm positive offset. The bolt circle is 4 holes on 100 mm and the centerbore is 57 mm. Mine are stamped K13S133 and FAD | 4 1/2 JX13H2, which seems to indicate this was a common wheel years ago (the original Komet trailers had wheels that fit the old Open Kadett imported from Germany).

I believe later Cobras went to a 14" wheel, which seems easier to find. I'd be fine with moving up; I'd just use a lower profile tire with about the same diameter as what I have now.

What's proven difficult is that the published wheel specs don't always include values for all of the above measurements. A wider rim would be OK (there's enough clearance between the tire and sidewall now) but as you found out, a significant change in the offset would not. Nor would different bolt circles or centerbores, although there are adaptors out there to shrink a larger centerbore to a smaller size.

I'd rather stay with a cheaper steel wheel since I have to buy three of them and since I've damaged two already in blowouts (the second one running a TPMS that didn't warn me properly--when the tire blew catastrophically and the sending unit got knocked off by flapping tread, the readout continued to provide the PSI/temp that was last reported.)

I suppose one solution is to go with a zero offset wheel if that's common and just get wider fenders. I intend to replace mine anyway.

Chip Bearden
JB