Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

As mentioned in the other thread on single wheel trailers, my biggest concern with them is legality.

Beyond not knowing whether every state will register such a trailer (assuming your state needs to), there appears to be a big question about the legality of the 2 point hitch system.

This was on Swivelwheel's website...

A frequent question asked is if the Swivelwheel system is legal to tow in all states. There are basically 22 states that do not allow double trailer towing, which some call "Triple Towing". These states are the entire east coast from Maine to Florida, Oregon and Washington. We consider the system an extension of the fifth wheel chassis frame. We do not consider it a trailer. The system cannot jackknife or fishtail. It is not like another ball mounted trailer swinging from side to side. Some states may not have that same view.

They are suggesting that it's not a trailer because of the fixed, double hitch system which has limited or no movement. Can't speak to other states but, somehow, I doubt that my state would agree with that.

If it has a wheel on the ground and connects to a hitch receiver, they're going to call it a trailer in this state.

Sad, because I actually like the idea. Just have my doubts that I could do such a thing here.

Point is, I guess, to check the laws in your state before doing it.

I don't think the legality of single wheel trailers is an issue. The way I understand things, the legality question comes in when the single wheel is towed behind another trailer, such as a 5th wheel. If it's the one and only trailer behind a TV, that shouldn't be a problem in any state. Opinions?

donrebyct wrote:Single wheel trailers use a two point hitch; they don't pivot except vertically. The single wheel rotates, making them very easy to back up.

The Double Hitch web site has the wheel strut to build your own. They state the trailers can be up to 8 ft long, and can be built with two single wheel assemblies for added load and maybe more stability.

Do a search on single wheels to see what I'm talking about.

Interesting like a shopping cart wheel. I get it. Never saw that before.

The single wheel trailer behind the tow vehicle is fine everywhere.
The problem is attaching it to a 5th wheel trailer as it is considered
another trailer regardless of its non side-to-side pivoting body . The dual
pivoting singlewheels under a trailer body seem like a good idea to me if they
are in the same travel path as [inline with] the tow vehicles wheels.
They should be fine for a modest lighter weight build. Just pay attention
to keep the loads in the correct range and tire maintenance up.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Ok, I obviously misunderstood what they were getting at.

That said, I'm still not entirely sure a single wheel trailer will meet PA's requirements. PA regulations state that trailers MUST have fenders. Not sure how you do that with a single wheel platform?

And, anybody who has ever dealt with PennDot will know that the fact that the application doesn't apply will hardly be considered a valid excuse.

I wonder how much the things inside would be jarred around with such a setup.

I don't know about the jarring factor. I would like to have one to try out. I know of tent campers built on single wheel trailers, but I don't know of any solid wall campers. They are used a lot for carrying motorcycles or cargo.

Have a great evening.