Tires: stock trailer tires, gross vehicle weight, empty trailer

Question
I have a stock trailer that has 2 6000lbs axles.  I use it full with calves and/ or 6 horses.  I am trying to decide which tire is best for it.

Answer
Amy,

There are 2 problems the way I see it:

1)  If you have 2 6K axles, then does the weight of the empty trailer plus whatever you put into the trailer exceed 12K?

2)  What tires are capable of handling 3K each?

Answers:

1)  I've always thought - but can not confirm - that the weight of an empty trailer needed to carry a payload is about 50% of the payload.  Put another way, I think the GVW weight of the trailer is about 1/3 trailer, 2/3 payload.  If I factor in that the hitch should carry about 10% of the load, then the trailer's Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) should be less than 13,200# - which is quite a bit and you should consider the towing capacity of the truck.  

Doing the math, I think that the trailer would have a payload of 8800#.

But since trailers is not my area of expertise, I think you need to confirm the ratio of empty trailer weight to payload.  I did a search on this web site and came up empty, so I guess you'd better do some more research of how this portion works.

2)  I think trailers need to have a 15% reserve (unused) capacity in their tires.  That means that a tire that is capable of handling 3K on a regular basis, has to be rated for 3600#. That means you need to use at least an ST235/85R16 Load Range E at 80 psi.