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trailer axle weight question
JoelP - 13/11/05 at 09:54 PM

just a quick daft question as usual!

Im shortly ordering parts to make a 4 wheel trailer.

Would i be right in saying that you add the two axle weights together to get the total allowed weight, or does each axle individually have to be rated to the total weight?

Im fairly sure that if i order 2 350kgs axles, the trailer will be good for 700kgs, but i thought id rather avoid daft mistakes at this stage

Cheers!

rayward - 13/11/05 at 09:57 PM

yes thats right, but you have to subtract the weight of th trailer from that so if your axles can take 700kg between them, you need to subtract the weight of the axles, steel, hitch+any other bits from that figure.

at that weight, i would use braked hubs aswell, could be a bit of a handful unbraked

got some axles and a hitch for sale if your interested, open to offers now(need them out of the way)

Ray

[Edited on 13/11/05 by rayward]

[Edited on 13/11/05 by rayward]

Rorty - 14/11/05 at 03:44 AM

quote:
Originally posted by rayward
yes thats right, but you have to subtract the weight of th trailer from that so if your axles can take 700kg between them, you need to subtract the weight of the axles, steel, hitch+any other bits from that figure.

at that weight, i would use braked hubs aswell, could be a bit of a handful unbraked

got some axles and a hitch for sale if your interested, open to offers now(need them out of the way)

Ray

[Edited on 13/11/05 by rayward]

[Edited on 13/11/05 by rayward]

You don't need to subtract the weight of the axles, just everything else.
BTW I think you shot yourself in the foot; "need them out of the way" usually means FREE!

britishtrident - 14/11/05 at 01:12 PM

4 wheel trailers can be problems on even slightly rough roads (such as hillclimb paddocks) as all the weight can get dumped on one axle , so you have to over engineer a just bit but not to the full weight.
Keep the axle spacing as close as possible to minimse this very unpleasant effect.

Also a good idea make the draw bar slightly on the long side it greatly improves the motorway stability.

JoelP - 14/11/05 at 01:58 PM

good point there mr trident. I was thinking of putting both axles a little towards the back to help stability, but that might upset the weight balance too much. A long shaft might be just the solution

Rorty - 15/11/05 at 02:25 AM

quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Also a good idea make the draw bar slightly on the long side it greatly improves the motorway stability.

...and makes reversing it easier too.
I agree with everything you say, but would like to add another reason for grouping the axles close together. If you try turning a loaded twin-axle trailer sharply and the axles are further apart than absolutely necessary, the tyres will start peeling off the rims.
With leaf spring axles, it's usually the spring hanger positions that restrict closer positioning of the axles. For that reason, it's best to purchase proper trailer leaves as they are shaped for close axle grouping. Not a problem if you're intending using Indespension units.
You could also group the two axles on a common rocker which will spread the load evenly across both axles. The only thing with a rocker is that it raises the bed of the trailer. If that's a problem for you, you can use drop axles.