Will this tow combo work well?

[bullfrog]

I agree with Itripper. I don’t do any slow speed in town driving so my MPG is all highway speed based. I was just thinking about the sixties when small block V8 engines were really popular that if You told me one day I would be able to afford an aluminum block, overhead cam, fuel injected engine with individual coil on plug from the factory I would have thought you were crazy!

 

[Travelmonkey]

I thought most trailers over a certain weight or length required brakes... I wonder if it is difficult or costly to add if you are set on this particular trailer.

With brakes I would think you are fine as long as you don’t add too much weight to tongue of trailer.

 

[highdesertranger]

"I thought most trailers over a certain weight or length required brakes."

depends what state you are in.

some trailer axle do not have the brake mounting bracket install. so adding brakes get costly on these.

highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

You need more weight on the tongue than behind the axle or you will get tail wag. It won't end well. About a 60/40 ratio.

 

[NctryBen]

I witnessed a truck pulling a dual axel travel trailer in Nevada a couple weeks ago that must have blown a rear tire on the trailer. Not only was he continuing to drive 70 miles an hour, the back end of the trailer was dragging. I hope he has a tent with.
I don’t think the tandem axel would be a big deal. But brakes? Yes! And make sure they work and the brake away work.

 

[B and C]

The break away feature requires a small 12V battery on the trailer and is a great safety feature. The life you save may not be your own. Even my little motorcycle trailer has it. I did put a full size battery in it though as I have interior lights and an electric tongue jack. The jacks wheel sucks all the way up inside so no worries about dragging it off.

 

[wayne49]

I witnessed a truck pulling a dual axel travel trailer in Nevada a couple weeks ago that must have blown a rear tire on the trailer. Not only was he continuing to drive 70 miles an hour, the back end of the trailer was dragging. I hope he has a tent with.
I don’t think the tandem axel would be a big deal. But brakes? Yes! And make sure they work and the brake away work.

The tire probably blew out because the driver was doing 70+. Last year a pickup towing a large travel trailer blew past me on NB US-95 between NV-160 and Amargosa Valley. After it went by me, I saw, and smelled, tire smoke on the right side of the trailer. I started braking. The rig was stopped on the side of the road as I drove past. Not as completely stupid as your driver.

They probably think because tractor-trailers can do 70+, they can as well, but commercial truck trailers have higher rated tires.

 

[B and C]

Weekenders use trailer so rarely that the tires were probably way out of date but looked good. May have been as innocent as a nail or other puncture. A friend of mine drags his trailer at 70-75 with his diesel pickup all the time

 

[bullfrog]

A lot of dual axle trailers arrive here on three wheels because they have had two flats or a wheel bearing go out miles from replacement parts. They simply remove the wheel, chain up the axle so it doesn’t drag and limp in slowly. Impossible to do with a single axle.

 

[NctryBen]

A lot of dual axle trailers arrive here on three wheels because they have had two flats or a wheel bearing go out miles from replacement parts. They simply remove the wheel, chain up the axle so it doesn’t drag and limp in slowly. Impossible to do with a single axle.




my thinking was at least with a single axel you know right away you lost a tire and you can change it right away. I have a thirty foot camper I lost a tire and didn’t know right away. The tire shredded and messed up the water lines that were near by. It’s now a bunkhouse at the cabin where I live. I did fix the waterline and such, but my parents had taken it to Alaska and as fancy as that trailer was, it didn’t fair we’ll on the Alaskan highway. I’m all about simple and the trailer you get, keep it simple as you can. On the side I haul canoes and kayaks coast to coast. So I have to run under DOT regs. I obviously go through tires and such. Being a van and in your case a trailer dweller you won’t be putting on the miles like I have. But with a trailer no matter what you decide tandem vs single axel, regular maintenance on bearings and brakes is important. One thing with tandem axles too is turning the tires fight each other a bit and they wear a little faster. Also if you like toll roads that extra axle will help you contribute more there. I agree totally on the benefits of the tandem, but there is things to consider. When I was 20 I bought a used 14’ travel trailer single axle. It was a great trailer I could take anywhere. And whatever you do. Have a jack that will get under the trailer axel when the tire is flat. That axel can be pretty low at that point. And the frame can be a tad high for a bottle jack. Since I started running better tires and watching them closer I haven’t had a flat. But boy you see a lot of people on the side of the road changing tires.

 

[roadniuu]

Good thing I found this thread. I'm planning to tow soon and the trailer weight and payload concerns me. I was advised to install dually wheels to be able to handle the load and have more stability when hauling. I haven't started working on my build so I'm currently looking for more references and insights.

 

[bullfrog]

You need to give us a lot more information and start a thread asking one question, that way we can help you get the information you need.

 

[highdesertranger]

you can't just install dually wheels and convert to a dually. duallies have special hubs for clearance of the dually wheels. dually wheels will not work on a 3/4 ton they will not fit. highdesertranger

 

[barleyguy]

My stepfather put dually wheels on a cargo van once to tow a race car. He went all the way from the center out I believe. New gear ratio, new hubs, new wheels, and wider fenders. Not a minor project.

Also, the legal tow capacity of a vehicle is determined by the manufacturer sticker. Adding duallies, or suspension, or air bags may improve your handling, but if you get pulled over and checked for weight, your legal capacity is still what the manufacturer said it was.

 

[bullfrog]

There are lots of crazy things that get done that may or may not work. Aftermarket kits used to be available to mount an additional standard wheel onto single 6 lug drum on Toyota and Datsun trucks to widen the stance and look like a dual wheel. They simply used spacers and extended lug stud/nut assemblies, basically a wheel adaptor on top of a standard wheel to mount a second wheel. They tended to break/bend/wear out parts rapidly. Most people went with a heavier duty rear axle and wider wheels after experimenting with the after market kits. There is a lot of engineering that goes into a vehicle by manufacturers, if it isn’t factory or offered by the manufacturers there is a good chance it isn’t a good idea.

 

[highdesertranger]

if you somehow put dually rims on the rear what about the front? now you would have 2 totally different wheels and would be forced to carry 2 spares. I realize they make kits to add duallies to the rear, IMO these are a mickey mouse way to it, some of these kits are down right dangerous. if you want a dually, buy a dually. highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

^^^ times two what he said. There are really quite a few factory dually trucks out there, why not just get the whole truck?