Caravan tyres

The only reason to have AT tyres on a trailer is if you have identical wheels and tyres on the trailer and the tow vehicle.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Sidewall protection maybe?
LTs might also have a higher ply rating making them stiffer. Question best directed at a tyre shop.

Broodie.
To me, the issue ISN'T to have the same wheel/tyre combination, that is secondary.
I don't think it is for sidewall protection much either. I regard a 23' van either dual axle or single axle has all terrain or even open tread is; for WHEN OFF ROAD and the conditions are slippery.
For instance, cornering on mountain roads, braking in loose stuff and ESPECIALLY if negotiating DOWNHILL on a clay surface as is found on offroad situations, I want as MUCH GRIP as possible so the 23' van isn't shunting the vehicle, ie, out of control, read no ability to brake, or trying to perform sideways overtaking of the tow vehicle and at least has some ability to grip, sometimes, so a degree of control CAN BE MAINTAINED. Smoother, road tyres will almost instantly be skating and severe loss of braking ability and loss of sideways control and render any stability system in modern vans to be useless. If only ON road then something which acts like SLICKS in the poor conditions may be OK, for some.

I see things differently to many! Think what the open tread can do if required to perform, and it may even self clean the tread mud to some degree when rotating. ON Road tyres won't.
I agree they are cheaper. All depends on usage and safety level you require.
I did have a Tvan for 10 years and it would be alarmingly sideways in slippery stuff but the open tread and design held it from more than 45Degrees sideways. Slicks won't!

Different load rating might be in play ??

Insurance ?

Cheers
Gazz

I always put the same rims and tyres on trailers as I have on the tow vehicle. Worst case scenario you can ditch the caravan and take the rims and tyres to get out of trouble.
On the other hand skinny road tyres have less rolling resistance and that will save fuel. Wont last for shit on a rough rocky road though.

Hi Broddie H3,

Tyre choice come down to a few parameters.

Firstly, the type of roads you will be travelling on. If only highway with the occasional gravel, a highway tread pattern in a Light Truck construction would be a suitable choice. If, on the other hand you intend to do a lot of gravel roads and some sand then an AT in Light Truck construction would be a better choice. If you intend to take your van on some of the more extreme off road tracks (not sure why you would), then a more aggressive Mud Terrain in Light Truck construction would be more suitable. If travelling on any muddy, or sandy roads, tyres with good “side biter” tread blocks will help keep the van going where you want it to go.

Secondly, the weight of the load that the tyres will be supporting, and whether or not you will need to run them at lower pressures. Light Truck construction generally have more belts and stronger side walls. This allows you to run at lower pressures where the sidewall may bulge out making them more vulnerable to potential punctures from sticks and rocks etc. and also the main surface in contact with the road, the stronger side walls will also allow for a little more flexing.

There is no doubt that a Light Truck tyre is a stronger tyre, the tread pattern is really the other main consideration. The more open the tread pattern, the more traction you should have, we’ll that is the theory. Of course the offset to more traction is more noise and greater wear, particularly on hard surfaces such as bitumen. Personally, I do not see a need for me to use Mud Terrain tyres on my van.

There are a couple of manufacturers that produce a tread pattern that is in between an All Terrain and a Mud Terrain. Coopers, Mickey Thompson and Toyo come to mind.

Macca.

Broodie.
So, what is the decision for your use? I am surprised many don't ever think of braking ability, grip and stability issues as important for their van. Perhaps they never think into it deeply enough or ever realize much at all.

Other countries get trailer specific tyres with big grooves for going in one direction - we of course aren't that lucky. A delivery van style tyre would be the closest we get which is a heavy construction with not much rotational resistance. As the name suggests, any highway biased tyre is going to perform better there than an AT/MT. I have had them on boat trailers for years and dragged them underinflated up beaches etc without issue. My trakshak had a set of Cooper highway terrains on it for 10 years and did some awfully difficult things without incident. As others have said, if you intend to get out of level and off camber in mud then there is only one choice and the more aggressive the better. All depends on your needs and weights. My current trailer has MT's because that's what it came with.

Your van is 23ft..probably dual wheeled..so you would be pushing between 2500kg to 3000kg ATM, so you would need a tyre for the maximum ATM ie load rating and the speed component of approx 120kph.
Personally..I would stick to a good quality LT AT tyre..for you will be the load rating, speed component and durability / mileage you will need for both sealed and unsealed roads.