axle placement for a standy TTT

[aggie79]

Don't tell my wife, but I've been putting together ideas for build #2. It will be a standy or semi-standy TTT. My target is something like the Sierra Nomad that Doug Hodder built.

Is there a general rule for horizontal axle placement for a standy TTT like there is for a TD?

I know it varies depending upon the floor layout and furnishings. It does seem that most of the shorter (10-12 foot long shell) standies have the axle near the midpoint.

Thank you,
Tom

[aggie79]

Lots of lookers but no responses, probably because there is too much variablility in the layout of a standy.

Let me see what I can put together.

[angib]

I would say the starting point is with the axle (or the wheel spindles, if it's a torsion axle) at between 40% and 45% of the body length from the back of the body. You would modify this number depending on your design's features - if you have heavy equipment like fridges and batteries up the front and nothing much in the back, then you want the axle nearer 45% if the tongue weight is to be kept reasonable. Conversely if you are putting heavy stuff behind the axle, you will want to go towards 40% so that the tongue weight is at least 10% of the trailer weight.

[aggie79]

Thank you Andrew.

Your description confirms what I had gathered from the tiny travel trailers in your design library and what my eye had gauged from pictures.

[bobhenry]

I always worked with the 60 /40 rule as well and it seems to fall in well with andrews balance spread sheet.

60% of the body length in front and 40% of the body length in the rear of the centerline of the spindles.

If you are building your own frame and can make provisions for placing the axle in multiple positions I would choose 65/35 60/40 and 55/45 so you can dial in the best towing set up after completion!

[aggie79]

Thanks Bob,

Right now, I'm in the thinking mode. I still need to finish build #1, before I start the standy.

I'm fortunate to have a local welder that did my first frame at a very reasonable price, so I'll go the custom frame route again. Most likely, I'll use a Flexiride axle so I can dial in the height and use some type of bracket system so that the axle can be moved for and aft to help with tongue weight. (I'll not build the wheel opening/skirt until I finalize the axle placement/height.)

Tom