ATV Trailer

[Gerdo]

I need to build a trailer to tow behind my ATV (it is actualy a side by side UTV, Polaris Ranger 6x6). I use it for work and need to haul equipment, about 2000 lbs.

There is one that I have used but it weighs about 600lbs, empty. Way too much. I'm sure I can build one that is half the weight.

This is the concept.


It is based on ATV tires. It will be 6x4.

I want to use torsion axles. I want full axles but it may be hard to get 40" wide axles. I may need to go with stubs but I'm not thrilled about them offroad. I'm afraid that they will want to rotate. I may need to weld them in place. ATV wheels don't fit trailer flanges so I need to go with DOT trailer wheels and mount ATV tires on them. I'm thinking anout a 10" wheel and a 25" ATV tire. I may need to go with 14" wheels. I like the thought of the 10" wheel because it'll have more shock absorption.

I'm looking for any thoughts that anyone has.

[jss06]

I say keep it simple. Have you ever seen the farm trailers they carry hay and such on. Front axle has a pivot. the rear is fixed. The trailer caries all of the load so the tow vehicle is just providing thrust. Leaf sprung axles will carry a load better then the torsens and will last longer.

[angib]

A few thoughts:

- are there trailer wheels wide enough to take ATV tyres? - it seems doubtful;

- you will need a lot of offset in the wheels (which rules out trailer wheels) if you are going to stick with the torsion axle manufacturer's limit on overhang;

- let us know if there really is a minimum axle width for full axles;

- individual half-axles aren't any problem for strength, but clearly you need to design their mountings to be strong enough;

- it would seem easier to do this with leaf-sprung axles, where you could use over-spec'ed axles to get more overhang - but probably not with the manufacturer's blessing.

Andrew

[Gerdo]

What do you mean by "overhang"?

I was thinking of torsion for simplicity.

The trailer wheels that I'm thinking about are 10"dia x 6" wide.

With an ATV tire like 22x8x10.

I could go with a trailer tire setup like This But I would like something less "road like" and more offroad and agressive. (this is the same rim I'm thinking about for the ATV tire) I'm sure these would work but I'm in a buisness that things have to look the part.

[mechmagcn]

If you have an ATV salvage yard in your area, check out some wheels for an earlier Kawasaki 3-wheeler, they are 4 lug and bolt directly onto an axle hub. I have a pair on the traler I built for yard work.

[Gerdo]

If you have an ATV salvage yard in your area, check out some wheels for an earlier Kawasaki 3-wheeler, they are 4 lug and bolt directly onto an axle hub. I have a pair on the traler I built for yard work.

Good tip.

[brian_bp]

The 10" wheel/tire diameter is fortunate, because that's the diameter of those really wide little trailer tires, so 6" wheels are available. The 20.5x8.0-10 tires (the only 10" size at Carlisle, for instance) need a 6" wide wheel, so that's the width which is available (again, at Carlisle it's the only width of 10" wheel).
but
does the rim/bead profile match? That is, does an ATV tire mount properly on a trailer wheel?

The "overhang" is the distance from the axle mounting point (leaf spring mount or torsion axle mounting bracket) to the hub face. If it is too large, the axle beam is subject to too much bending force, but it has to be long enough to reach into the middle of that wide tire from the frame. That does seem like a problem for the typical torsion axle.

[brian_bp]

I say keep it simple. Have you ever seen the farm trailers they carry hay and such on. Front axle has a pivot. the rear is fixed. The trailer caries all of the load so the tow vehicle is just providing thrust.

This is a "full trailer", and while it certainly has some advantages, I wonder if some tongue weight might be desired to give the towing ATV traction to provide that thrust, and traction to control the trailer, especially off-road.

Leaf sprung axles will carry a load better then the torsens and will last longer.

I don't know what is meant by an axle carrying a load "better", so I don't know how to respond to that. As for lifespan, owners of moulded fiberglass travel trailers (which have traditionally had rubber-sprung axles) seem to find about a quarter-century to be a reasonable lifespan for the rubber, and that's likely enough.

[jss06]

I say keep it simple. Have you ever seen the farm trailers they carry hay and such on. Front axle has a pivot. the rear is fixed. The trailer caries all of the load so the tow vehicle is just providing thrust.

This is a "full trailer", and while it certainly has some advantages, I wonder if some tongue weight might be desired to give the towing ATV traction to provide that thrust, and traction to control the trailer, especially off-road.

Leaf sprung axles will carry a load better then the torsens and will last longer.

I don't know what is meant by an axle carrying a load "better", so I don't know how to respond to that. As for lifespan, owners of moulded fiberglass travel trailers (which have traditionally had rubber-sprung axles) seem to find about a quarter-century to be a reasonable lifespan for the rubber, and that's likely enough.

I was not talking about a fullsize trailer but somehting along those lines.

As for the axles- how much weight do you carry on that trailer and over what type of terrain. It looks like its primarily off-road which means you want to build a trailer that can carry the weight you need and still survive in the condition it was being used. this is why i recommened leaf sprung axles. You can get heavier axles and the leafs will carry a load better then torsen especially if you are cycling the suspension regularly. Why do you think heavy duty pickups still come with leaf sprung rear axles when coils ride and handle better.

Yes, torsion axles will get the job done. I just don't feel they are up to the type of abuse they will probably see.

[Gerdo]

It looks like I can get ATV wheels in either 4 on 4" and 5 on 4.5". That is what most trailer axles come in. It does look like a leaf sprung axle may be the way to go. I can spec the length of the axle by the inch. The spring perches are not welded on so I can set them where I need to. I may even buy the springs localy so I can spec their length and capacity. Everything is sold separately so I can mix and match.

[PanelDeland]

I know Northern Tools carries a stub kit where the spindle part of the axle is machined with a square solid bar for the opposie end.If you were to use these you couls use square tube to make an axle any length you needed.The stubs would slip into the tube then could be welded in or maybe have a bolt run thru the tube and stub.Then whatever weight springs were needed.

[brian_bp]

Leaf sprung axles will carry a load better then the torsens and will last longer.

I don't know what is meant by an axle carrying a load "better", so I don't know how to respond to that. As for lifespan, owners of moulded fiberglass travel trailers (which have traditionally had rubber-sprung axles) seem to find about a quarter-century to be a reasonable lifespan for the rubber, and that's likely enough.

...

As for the axles- how much weight do you carry on that trailer and over what type of terrain. It looks like its primarily off-road which means you want to build a trailer that can carry the weight you need and still survive in the condition it was being used. this is why i recommened leaf sprung axles. You can get heavier axles and the leafs will carry a load better then torsen especially if you are cycling the suspension regularly. Why do you think heavy duty pickups still come with leaf sprung rear axles when coils ride and handle better.

Yes, torsion axles will get the job done. I just don't feel they are up to the type of abuse they will probably see.

I know that an answer was probably not expected to the highlighted question, but I just noticed it and think an answer is appropriate...

I think pickups have leaf springs because they are cheap. I notice that heavy highway trucks typically don't have leaf springs anymore, and the coils have been used in some heavy-duty vehicles - including the Unimog and a number of military designs - for a long time. For military examples, look at the HMMWV (the real Hummer) and the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT).

In pickups the leaf springs obviously work adequately, but to me they seem to be there to meet a cost target, not a durability requirement.

Of course, the coil-versus-leaf question is not the same as the rubber-versus-steel question. I'm sure rubber springs do have a more limited cycle life than steel, although it's hard for me to see that being an issue for a recreational trailer... maybe it is.