[porkchop401]

Ok fellas , here is the dilemma, I have a 18' tandem axle flatbed trailer that I built 5 years ago with a set of tandem equalized leaf sprung 2k axles that I acquired second hand from a old boat trailer . The trailer was originally built for 2 rzr's. They have given up and I will be replacing the axles soon. I am considering replacing the axles with a single 7k axle . I have pulled tandem trailers on trips exceeding 3k miles and weighing in excess of 7K lbs. and have had my share of blowouts and problems associated with trailering . I recently had to replace 5 tires on a 3 horse trailer while traveling to Colorado elk hunting(2500 round trip). I will seldom exceed 4k on this trailer
Here are some of the pro's and cons of trailer axles I have observed.

Tandem equalized axles (leaf springs) :
PRO's
tongue height is not critical (deck angle)
handles uneven terrain well
-moderate priced

Con's
Tire wear from worn or damaged suspension parts (lead and follow miss alignment)
Cost of 4 of every thing
Tires are easily damaged while twisting ( U turns )

Single Axle ( Leaf springs)

Pros
least expensive to purchase
inexpensive to maintain
Not sensitive to bed angle.
U turn friendly
Cons
Additional weight rating required for equal load as a pair of tandems


Torsion axle single

Pros
low deck height
inexpensive to maintain

Cons
price
suspension is not practical to repair ( must be replaced )


Tandem torsion axels
pros
Can run with one or 2 wheels removed in an emergency
low deck height
Con's
Tongue height and bed level is critical for even distribution of weight on all tires
poor equalization in off road terrain
tires are easily damaged making u- turns
Pricey to buy
suspension is not practical to repair (replace)

I have herd the argument that you can limp in with a flat on tandems , I tried it once and it wasn't pretty. you can remove a wheel on a tandem torsion axle and run but I would not go to far .
Any how let me know what you folks are trailering with.

 

[Deeyoh]

Load little one's Raptor 80, the YXZ1000r and the Wolverine in a 24' enclosed tandem torsion axle cargo trailer. That's about all that'll fit. Still need to put cabinets in and so forth. LOL we just throw all the other stuff in front v-nose and along the sides. It's 8.5 wide 7' high so there is room to move around inside when loading/unloading and plenty head space. Full length etrak and use tire bonnets was a nice addition.

 

[porkchop401]

Sweet hauler, have you had any tire issues , It seems to be issue getting a 15" trailer tire that will hold up. I have herd maxxis is the best .

 

[Big Dog Daddy]

Nice rig. Awesome.

 

[PA.GRIZZLY]

Time to mod the trailer, I can help you spend money here.

http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o527/PAGRIZZLY/3-21-201272415PM.jpg

http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o527/PAGRIZZLY/3-21-201270915PM.jpg

Told you I could help.

 

[FordTruckMan]

Sweet hauler, have you had any tire issues , It seems to be issue getting a 15" trailer tire that will hold up. I have herd maxxis is the best .

It seems like you may need to try different tire pressures, or driving habits, or both. I have run tandem trailers at work and at play for years and years and never had any issues with uneven tire wear. From the sounds of it, your tire wear is from a home built trailer, which means you likely had the axles ever so slightly out of square with each other, which would cause the troubles you are seeing.

FWIW, I don't think I would EVER run a long trip with a trailer hauling anything more expensive than a box of girl scout cookies unless it was tandem axle lol. I picked up a nail on the way to hatfield 3 years ago, blew out my left rear trailer tire, I saw the smoke(didn't feel it in my big ass truck lol) and pulled over. I had given my spare to my father in law because he was running a single axle snowmobile trailer, and he didn't have a spare. So I ran a ratchet strap up under the axle with the blown tire on it, and removed the wheel and threw it in the bed. I ran the entire rest fo the way down like that, had the blow tire patched on the way back up and all has been well since. I did however, purchase a second spare, so my father in law would have one lol.

Now, what would have happened if the tire blew and it was a single axle? My wheel would have been trashed, because all of the weight would have been on that one side by itself, and it would have been harder to get changed on the side of an interstate, assuming I still had the spare. Something else to keep in mind, I try my best not to push the trailer to it's max payload, just as a precaution in case I do have blowout. I also try to balance the load properly, going for about 10% tongue weight. Tire pressures make a huge difference, if i am loaded up, I run the pressures to the max recommended or near it, and set all tires to the exact same pressure. Making sure tires are in good condition before the trip is important too; look for sidewall cracking and dry-rotting, bulges, uneven wear, etc. If you are at the point of uneven wear, and you have not run improper pressures, then you either have an alignment issue, or the trailer was not loaded properly, and weight is unevenly distributed.

All of this being said, millions of single axle trailers exist on the road, and don't have issues. It is just my personal preference to run a tandem when hauling my precious cargo. There are certainly more tandems out there than singles, especially when you get into the toyhauler or camper concepts.

Hope this helps.

 

[porkchop401]

It seems like you may need to try different tire pressures, or driving habits, or both. I have run tandem trailers at work and at play for years and years and never had any issues with uneven tire wear. From the sounds of it, your tire wear is from a home built trailer, which means you likely had the axles ever so slightly out of square with each other, which would cause the troubles you are seeing.

FWIW, I don't think I would EVER run a long trip with a trailer hauling anything more expensive than a box of girl scout cookies unless it was tandem axle lol. I picked up a nail on the way to hatfield 3 years ago, blew out my left rear trailer tire, I saw the smoke(didn't feel it in my big ass truck lol) and pulled over. I had given my spare to my father in law because he was running a single axle snowmobile trailer, and he didn't have a spare. So I ran a ratchet strap up under the axle with the blown tire on it, and removed the wheel and threw it in the bed. I ran the entire rest fo the way down like that, had the blow tire patched on the way back up and all has been well since. I did however, purchase a second spare, so my father in law would have one lol.

Now, what would have happened if the tire blew and it was a single axle? My wheel would have been trashed, because all of the weight would have been on that one side by itself, and it would have been harder to get changed on the side of an interstate, assuming I still had the spare. Something else to keep in mind, I try my best not to push the trailer to it's max payload, just as a precaution in case I do have blowout. I also try to balance the load properly, going for about 10% tongue weight. Tire pressures make a huge difference, if i am loaded up, I run the pressures to the max recommended or near it, and set all tires to the exact same pressure. Making sure tires are in good condition before the trip is important too; look for sidewall cracking and dry-rotting, bulges, uneven wear, etc. If you are at the point of uneven wear, and you have not run improper pressures, then you either have an alignment issue, or the trailer was not loaded properly, and weight is unevenly distributed.

All of this being said, millions of single axle trailers exist on the road, and don't have issues. It is just my personal preference to run a tandem when hauling my precious cargo. There are certainly more tandems out there than singles, especially when you get into the toyhauler or camper concepts.

Hope this helps.

I agree with most of your assessment, The 5 tire incident was on a 3 horse slant trailer that I borrowed from a buddy, the tires were about 4 years old and was no match for 80 mph and 100 degree desert heat. I typically only tow between 65 and 70 on the interstate but against my better judgment I pushed on to stay up with our party and the first blowout was in down town FT Worth ,TX and was replacing the last of them in Abilene TX. They to blew out on tire and upon inspection discovered their trailer had 2 tires that had became out of round and were on their way to blow.
I only recently noticed wear on my utility trailer tires after loaning it to a friend who was going to hall a small tractor which turned out to be a ford 3000 tractor ( I guess small compared to some ) . After inspecting it was obvious the hub face is leaning back and though only slight it is causing miss alignment and is obviously weakened.
I have been researching trailer tires on the Rv / camper forums and many have issues with 15" trailer tires( ST ) and have been replacing there tires with 16" wheels and LT tires . I am considering a 7k single axle with 10 ply 16" tires.