Axle location

[dusouth]

I am getting closer to starting a build.
I wish to use the Northern Tool trailer.
Anybody have any input about moving the axle?
I want to move it back about a foot, to more closely resemble an old Kenskill design

[Redneck Teepee]

As long as you have 60% of the cargo area (forget the tongue, non relevant) in front of the axle it will pull like a dream. Mine is a Kenskill platform that I will measure and get back to you for your reference.

[felixx]

what he said!
Put your wheels behind your doors otherwise they are hard to open I believe

[dusouth]

Thanks guys

[rowerwet]

what he said!
Put your wheels behind your doors otherwise they are hard to open I believe

And locate the doors correctly so there is no sliding or crawling to get in and out. It should be like getting in bed at home.

[Poorlytiedfly]

I am just getting ready to kick off my "NOMAD" project and have an axle placement question... I purchased this custom trailer originally built to haul a dune buggy. It is 128" long (build area/not including tongue). Currently my axle is sitting at 37" from the rear (29%) - should I move it forward to approx. 35%? I do plan to have a very robust galley area and expect it to be on the heavier side. My build incorporates tires/wheels partially recessed into the body so moving the axle later isnt an option.

Love to get your thoughts.

Here is my trailer as it sits today and a picture of my design.

[les45]

I used the NT 5X8 on my Super Bee weekender and left the axle in its stock position. I had no problems towing or backing or getting 10% tongue weight. If you are going for a certain look, then move it to wherever you think achieves that look. The side rails are solid so moving it is a fairly easy job.

[KCStudly]

You can use the trailer balance spread sheet to try and estimate your trailer's end balance better; but that would only be as good as your ability to determine accurate weights and locations in advance. Still, most people find this to be fairly accurate, so it is worth looking at. http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/tear81.htm

Some things to consider are your TV's ability to handle tongue weight, and where you plan to locate heavier items, like heavy battery(ies). I opted to locate my lead acid battery in the tongue box, so my axle didn't end up very far back compared to yours, even though I also plan to bring some CI cookware and store my portable solar panel (among other things) in the galley.

Just to eyeball it, w/o any info other than you plan to build a "heavy" galley (assuming your battery will also be in the rear), it doesn't look too far out of whack to me. On the other hand, IIRC you said in another thread that your TV is a Subaru, so you probably don't want to overload the tongue.

I'm assuming that, at 10ft 8in, there is no need to hang the cabin off the back at all (i.e. cabin will not be cantilevered). On the other hand your tongue looks kind of short from the angle of that shot. If you are building a 10 ft cabin and still want plenty of room for a TB, you might want to look at hanging the galley off the back a little. You wouldn't want your TB to be in the jack knife zone and you want plenty of room between the tongue jack handle and the TB so that you can crank easily w/o busting your knuckles.

[Poorlytiedfly]

Thanks. I am actually towing with a 2010 VW Touareg V8 with 710lb tongue limit. Also, what is "TB" and how far back should the trailer build be to avoid the "jackknife zone"?

[Graniterich]

I will guess tb is tongue box? Tight turn may cause box to hit back bumper

[KCStudly]

Yup, that's exactly what I was getting at.

[Alan_H]

...... how far back should the trailer build be to avoid the "jackknife zone"?

Measure from your hitch ball to the side of your vehicle, or 1/2 overall vehicle width. I would add another 6" to that to account for backing into off angle driveways and such that put the vehicle at a different angle than the trailer is sitting.

[KCStudly]

Some people like a single member tongue and the ability to back the trailer up to 90 deg for maneuvering in confined spaces. With an A-frame or composite tongue you probably won't be able to get that far anyway, but you at least want to make sure that things never come together while driving forward at full lock. Wheelbase and turning radius play a factor in this, at least while driving forward. You can always jack knife in reverse and it would be better for the cabin and tongue box to not be involved.

If you know your vehicles turning radius, wheelbase and some other relative dimensions this can be modeled or worked out using geometry; or you can just hook the empty trailer up to your to rig, go out and do some typical maneuvering and get out and measure the limits of your clearance.