Single Axle vs Tandem Axle

[CHMLEON]

After reading a bunch of horror stories about single axle trailers swaying and losing control, I want to get some feedback from those that have finished their conversations and have put some miles on their rig. I am looking to build a rig that is 3500# gross vehicle weight or less.

Some questions I have about your conversion:
* Size?
* Overall Weight?
* Tongue Weight?
* Single or Tandem?
* Why did you choose Single or Tandem?
* Brakes or No Brakes?
* About how many highway miles have logged?
* Any towing problems?
* Any regrets to your cargo trailer choice?

Thank you for your help and feedback.

[nunrleft]

My conversion was done to a new steel, H&H tandem V nose trailer. 14 x 7 box with a 30" V nose. Overall length (including the tongue) is 19'-10". Weight was 2050 before the conversion. It has brakes. The conversion added approximately 700 pounds and I'll haul two motorcycles in it adding another 900 pounds. Giving the approximate weight of 3650 pounds. I haven't weighed the trailer or tongue weight as the labels on my trailer state to carry the load in front of the wheels. My pickup is rated to tow 6,000 pounds as is my hitch with a tongue weight of 600 pounds. My trailer ball is rated at 20,000 pounds. I have less than one inch sag of my truck's rear suspension when the trailer is hooked up.

I chose a tandem for a few reasons. #1 I wanted a 7 foot wide, 14 foot long V nose trailer. Nearly all of them are tandem. I could get a 7 x 12 or 6 x 14 in a single, but not a 7x14. #2 I didn't want to be pushing the limits of a single axle trailer, #3 I had an enclosed 8.5 x 12 single axle snowmobile trailer which carried approximately 1500 lbs of snowmobiles. This trailer, as most single axles, had no brakes. While my pickup (2012 Silverado 1500 4x4 crew cab) would easily pull it, I did notice it drastically increased my stopping distance.

With my cargo conversion I've logged approximately 1,000 miles. It tows better than my single axle snowmobile trailer did. Stopping distance with the tandem trailer is actually shorter than if I had no trailer (I run quite a bit of boost on my brake controller). Plus, if I have a tire go flat on the trailer, I can still pull the trailer on the other 3. I have no regrets on my trailer choice. Other than one unnerving 1/2 second shimmy from a 40 mph cross wind while traveling at 70 mph (6'-6" interior height) I haven't had any towing issues.

My suggestion is for you to get something your tow vehicle, hitch, ball, is rated to pull, in the size you need. Whichever you get, invest the money in trailer brakes and a good brake controller. Less wear and tear on your tow vehicle and much safer.

[MtnDon]

6x12 with 48"deep vee nose; sort of gives the interior space of a 6x14. 6'6" interior height.
Wheels inside the body width. See the link in my signature for photos.
Single axle (3500 lbs) with electric brakes
Approx 2500 lbs with 350 lbs tongue weight
Tows straight as an arrow even with crosswinds
Single axle chosen because I only wanted two tires on the ground for less rolling resistance. Less expense. Less weight.
My philosophy is if I don't need the extra axle to carry the weight, I don't want the extra axle. Period.
Approx 3500 miles so far

IMO, trailers sway not because of having a single or tandem axle, but because the trailer isn't balanced correctly. Load a tandem axle too light on the tongue and it will sway and drive you nuts and maybe kill you just as readily as an improperly loaded single axle trailer will.

G/L with yours

[Padilen]

Post above is my thoughts also.

[Rocky5000100]

After reading a bunch of horror stories about single axle trailers swaying and losing control, I want to get some feedback from those that have finished their conversations and have put some miles on their rig. I am looking to build a rig that is 3500# gross vehicle weight or less.

Some questions I have about your conversion:
* Size?
* Overall Weight?
* Tongue Weight?
* Single or Tandem?
* Why did you choose Single or Tandem?
* Brakes or No Brakes?
* About how many highway miles have logged?
* Any towing problems?
* Any regrets to your cargo trailer choice?

Thank you for your help and feedback.

-7x12. I thought this was a good compromise between a 6x12 and 7x14. I also opted for the 6.5ft interior height.
-Current weight is about 2950lbs loaded. It was about 1900-2000 empty.
-Tongue is about 400lbs (13%).
-Single axle
-I chose single axle because I didn't want the extra weight of the second axle. My max tow on my 2002 4runner is 5000lbs, so a 7000lb trailer was unnecessary. It tows very nicely. No problems with wind or stability. I was thinking when I bought it that I'd need a Weight Distribution and sway controller hitch, but so far I have had no need.
-BRAKES. I can't imagine towing without them. I'm so glad I got them. Most 7x12 single axles come with them. It makes the trailer so stable under braking, and puts less wear on my tow vehicle, which has subpar brakes as it is (most people upgrade the 4runner to Tundra calipers/rotors for better braking). I went with a Prodigy P2 brake controller, and the different settings are great. I like turning on the brake boost to B1, so when I brake, the trailer brakes activate harder sooner. It translates to good control while braking.
-About 500 highway miles.
-No towing problems, but I'm definitely not setting any land speed records. I can do 65mph at 2900rpm, and maintain that for most places. O/D is turned off. I get 10-12 MPG. My transmission temperatures are good, but I will be adding a transmission cooler soon. A more powerful tow vehicle would be nice, but not necessary.
-Not really, but I have thought about upgrading to a 5000lb axle. It wouldn't be too much, and it would allow me to carry another two motorcycles if necessary.

[lrrowe]

6 x 14 single axle
Barn doors
Extra 6" interior height
Upgraded to 5200# axle
Electric Brakes
Torsion Axle with extra 2" clearance
Plywood on outside
Had dealer add factory model brake controller to F150
Had the door threshold mounted 2 inches higher then normal so I could build a subfloor for insulation.
Approx. 1800 lbs unloaded weight
Loaded weight - unknown yet as not finished.

Have not towed in much yet, about 800 miles empty and loaded Did not notice any sway yet.
Not worried about issues should I get a flat. Have new spare.
Can run at legal speeds with my F150 Ecoboost but yes as expected, gas mileage drops to about 13 mpg. I try to keep it at 55 or a little higher.
My main complaint now is that the front jack is too far forward and my tailgate hits it when lowered. This will require moving the jack or replacing it with a side mount. I am not fond of either choice.
My main regret is that I added the 2 extra inches to the ground clearance. I would rather not have the height issue when dealing with the air movement while traveling. And the door height requires an extra step for me to make.

[hankaye]

CHMLEON, Howdy;

Some questions I have about your conversion:
* Size?
6X14 with the extra 6" of height, Barn Doors
don't expect to acquire a 4 wheeler.
* Overall Weight?
5600# had axle upgraded so as to get elect. brakes
and has 2 7/8" hitch.
* Tongue Weight?
Un-sure at the present it's not complete.
* Single or Tandem?
Single,
* Why did you choose Single or Tandem? easier to
maneuver and expect to travel on Forest Service roads in the mountains.
* Brakes or No Brakes? Brakes!
* About how many highway miles have logged? 1820.5
* Any towing problems? Never knew it was there ...
* Any regrets to your cargo trailer choice? NONE!
I bought an Interstate in Murrey, Ut. Looks like this one except mine has the barn doors
is a 14 footer and I opted to go with Springs and a straight axle instead of the torsion axle.
http://www.trailersplus.com/Utah/Murray ... XFK054127/

hank

[CHMLEON]

Thank you for your responses nunrleft, MntDon, Padilen, Rocky5000100, lrrowe, and hankaye.

I'm going to be using a Jeep Liberty 4WD as my tow vehicle, but since it is a manual transmission the manufacturer says my tow capacity is 3500#. (Even though I have pulled a 2.5 ton loaded utility trailer on city streets before without problems.)

I don't mind carrying a spare tire or two, in order to save the weight of another axle.

[lrrowe]

If it were me and if I were towing with a Liberty 4x4' I for sure would have electric brakes on it. As a matter of interest, my house is down a very steep driveway and even with the larger F150, I still feel tthe trailer "pushing" me down the drive. The brake module allows me to make extra use of the CT brakes so they act like a anchor.

[CHMLEON]

If it were me and if I were towing with a Liberty 4x4' I for sure would have electric brakes on it. As a matter of interest, my house is down a very steep driveway and even with the larger F150, I still feel tthe trailer "pushing" me down the drive. The brake module allows me to make extra use of the CT brakes so they act like a anchor.

Good to know. I intend to take at least one-two trips a year to the Smokey Mountains.

[Padilen]

Thank you for your responses nunrleft, MntDon, Padilen, Rocky5000100, lrrowe, and hankaye.

I'm going to be using a Jeep Liberty 4WD as my tow vehicle, but since it is a manual transmission the manufacturer says my tow capacity is 3500#. (Even though I have pulled a 2.5 ton loaded utility trailer on city streets before without problems.)

I don't mind carrying a spare tire or two, in order to save the weight of another axle.

I was more concerned with length and stopping than weight.
I bought my 7x12x7 -1540lbs empty, to be towed with my Liberty. Tow ratings on the Liberty are a bit confusing. I towed my CT about 45 miles home and it's been parked in my pole barn. So I really can't say how it would be. I did tow unloaded 6x12- no V no brakes about 200 miles and then returned some what loaded. No problems. Did feel pushing from trailer when stopping but plan ahead and it's not a problem. I also noticed a pull when pushers passed - flat nosed rear engine RV -buses Trucks. Those are the only time I noticed I was not just in my Jeep.
Since you have a Liberty you know how small the foot wells are. I have physical problems that my KK aggravated. I hated trading it in I still had plans for mods. I had 5 more payments and my KK would have been paid off! But I stopped in to check out a pickup. And ended up getting it. Integrated brake controller - great now I have 2 new unused brake controllers.

[chukarchaser]

Read the casita forums. Tire blow outs are the single biggest problem with casitas. All due to single axle.

From a former casita owner

[lrrowe]

Without reading the Casita forum posts and without trying not to be a smart-a__, i would like to know more about the tire size, rating and brand factor between the Casita tires and the load range D 15 " ones on my 5200 lbs axle? Again, without doing more research on this, could heavier duty tires on the trailer make for a secure set-up less prone to blow outs?

[snapper388]

heavier duty quality tires properly inflated will always have less blow outs than less quality light duty tires.

[khigh]

When I realized I wasn't going to be anywhere near pushing the weight limit of a 6x12 CT used as an RV camper, it came down between two things:

DA: easier to change tires.
SA: Better mileage and easier to maneuver

Since I hope to be pulling it and maneuvering it a WHOLE lot more than changing tires, I went with the latter.

I'm a big fan of overkill. A lot of people asked "Why'd you get brakes on a 6x12 SA?". Hey - can't have too much braking. But as far as axles, I was in a position to enjoy "less is more". Of course once you start getting a little bigger, or if you want it to double as a true hauler, you need to start looking at weight and the need for DA