I've pretty much wrapped up my kayak trailer makeover/refresh. I was inspired by @Kayak Koz when he upsized his trailer tires. I went with the same size tires as he used, 20 x 65 - 10. Using such a tall tire required that the fenders be relocated and because of the cargo rack. They required me to shorten them a little. I replaced the crusty cargo rack with a new one, replaced the springs and hardware as a preventative measure, and installed a new spare tire carrier. I might do some fine tuning but it's basically done for now. I'm really pleased with the outcome.

Nice! It always feels good to get a “refresh” done. Gives you confidence with one less thing to worry about.

Looks great! Nicely done. And props to you for doing your own work!!!

On 4/19/2026 at 6:52 PM, Motoboss said:

Nice! It always feels good to get a “refresh” done. Gives you confidence with one less thing to worry about.

Yes, it does feel good not having to worry about a failure. Before it's "maiden" tow, I'll retorque everything just to be safe.

On 4/19/2026 at 6:59 PM, Joedodge said:

Looks great! Nicely done. And props to you for doing your own work!!!

Thanks! I'm really pleased with the results. Beyond rechecking my work, I do want to add a GoPro mount on the tongue to video towing without balance beads and with them. I really love doing this type of work. I retired from a very large metal fabrication shop and although I no longer have access to the facility and tools, this was pretty easy once I sourced the parts that I would need instead of making them myself. This plan came together quite well.

22 minutes ago, Crow Horse said:

Yes, it does feel good not having to worry about a failure. Before it's "maiden" tow, I'll retorque everything just to be safe.

Thanks! I'm really pleased with the results. Beyond rechecking my work, I do want to add a GoPro mount on the tongue to video towing without balance beads and with them. I really love doing this type of work. I retired from a very large metal fabrication shop and although I no longer have access to the facility and tools, this was pretty easy once I sourced the parts that I would need instead of making them myself. This plan came together quite well.

I love to hear that!!!

How do you like the ride with the bigger tires?

One thing - be sure the tires are seated properly on the rim. With the first long trip I took I lost air pressure in one of the tires because of that.

I love those tires, but they make the trailer a bit bouncier on bumpy roads. But they have been great otherwise.

PS - I still haven't put my fenders back on despite the brackets you sent me! I promise I'll get to it the next stormy day off that keeps me from fishing!

36 minutes ago, Kayak Koz said:

How do you like the ride with the bigger tires?

One thing - be sure the tires are seated properly on the rim. With the first long trip I took I lost air pressure in one of the tires because of that.

I love those tires, but they make the trailer a bit bouncier on bumpy roads. But they have been great otherwise.

PS - I still haven't put my fenders back on despite the brackets you sent me! I promise I'll get to it the next stormy day off that keeps me from fishing!

I haven't towed it out on the road, but just moving the trailer with the yaks onboard, it moved a lot easier. I used load range B as compared to the load range C you used. I believe the B's will ride smoother than the C's will. I'll find out in a week or so when I get out on the water. That might get delayed depending on the cumulative side effects of the rabies PEP that I'm going through now, (yep rabies). Not fun at all but so far so good. I was bitten by a stray cat and the bite was particularly nasty, so out of an abundance of caution I went for the rabies PEP (post exposure prophylaxis). It's always something, right?

I'm pretty sure you'll want to space your fenders out from the frame. I used 1" stainless spacers and that seemed to position them perfectly.

On 4/24/2026 at 10:38 PM, Kayak Koz said:

How do you like the ride with the bigger tires?

I finally got out on the water and towing with the new tires was a lot smoother. I'm using Load Range B which is appropriate for the trailer load and I ran the tires at 30psi instead of the max of 35psi. I forgot to bring my non contact temp gun with me but the tires weren't even warm when I arrived at my destination. The trailer rode much smoother than the smaller 8" tires I replaced. I'm very pleased with the results.