Trailer axle wheel mating surface....wtf???

[mofugly13]

My cousin and I are putting new (old) axles on a trailer we bought together. Looking at the mating surface, there are what seem to be rivit heads, and a locating stud(?) sticking out. It looks like these rivit heads will interfere with mounting wheels flat to the mating surface. And what is with the stud sticking out? Are there some special wheels we will need for this? Obviously we're missing a lug stud or two...

 

[4X4HIGH]

Most wheels are not completely flat on the mount surface and the rivets wont matter BUT the locating pin will matter unless you have the factory steel wheels that were used on that axle. Now you could just remove the rivets and the locating stud and be done with it and use whatever wheel fits the lug pattern. The rivets are only there to hold the drum to the hub as the drum centers on the hub.

 

[black dawg]

old trailer house axle. The wheels that came on that axle have a hole for that stud. I have drilled standard wheels (just for the stud) and they mount up fine.

 

[Stomis]

Yeah alot of times the trailer wheels will have a depressed pattern clocked the same as the bolt pattern between the holes.