In reply to Keith Tanner :
Is that the same style axle that Airsteam trailers use ?
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Is that the same style axle that Airsteam trailers use ?
alfadriver said:Tom1200 said:I have a single axle tilt trailer and it tows fine. I typically don't go over 65 mph but regardless I keep quality tires on it. I also have light cars (640lbs & 1650lbs).
I've stuck with the single axle trailer for two reasons:
1. I have limited space at the house.
2. My tow vehicle (campervan) is heavy (7300lbs) and underpowered (210hp) and I prefer a lighter trailer. My single axle trailer is only 800lbs.
And my double axle is 700... You can get really small dual axle trailers.
Alfadriver, where? I haven't found anything. Do you have a pic?
What I really wanted was a single axle carrier no more that 14" but Superior Trailer didn't want to change their carrier, but were willing to alter the utility trailer. Their carrier is 7x16 and I want 6x 12 or 13 or 14. I'm pretty convinced now that I will go tandem axles and will go talk to them Monday and see what we can come up with.
17x6
Below is Steve Hoelscher's 16' carrier and weighs 1,300 lbs. He suggested going with smaller than 3,500 tandem axles (2,000?). He mentioned a friend built an 800lb. tandem axle carrier.
In reply to Hasbro (Forum Supporter) :
Trailex aluminum trailers.....far from cheap though
Small Sportscar Trailer (CT-7031) (trailex.com)
It seems that aluminum trailer manufacturers are more likely to make smaller car haulers. R&R is another one who offer multiple sizes. I don't know why steel trailer manufacturers don't. That picture I posted above is from an ad for aused R&R from 2010. Seller is asking $4975.
californiamilleghia said:In reply to Keith Tanner :
Is that the same style axle that Airsteam trailers use ?
The torsion beam? Dunno, but it has some really nice packaging if you're trying to keep the CG and load height low. On mine, the deck was pretty much level with the middle of the wheel.
I built a single axle car hauler a few years ago using a FB Marketplace 7,000 lb Dexter torsion axle. It matched the bolt pattern on my 1500HD Silverado as a bonus. I was all-in under $700 by the time it was done.
It towed noticeably better than any dual axle car trailer I've ever towed. Stability was great but the biggest improvement was that I didn't feel every bump and movement the trailer made like you typically do with a dual axle trailer. Unfortunately I never weighted it but I always thought it was somewhere around 800 lbs. I bought UTV ramps that worked great, I think they were rated in the neighborhood of 3,000 lbs.
Edit: Perimeter frame was 3/16" 2x3 tubing, tongue was 4" C-channel, crossmembers were 2" angle. Coupler was 10,000 lb rated from Harbor Freight. Light and wiring were all Amazon or eBay purchases.
In reply to Hasbro (Forum Supporter) :
Once this hockey game is done, I'll see if I can find pictures. But it's not made anymore, which is way I was wondering if anyone knew someone with a big brake. My friend has the last one made was about 20 years ago....
These are old pictures, but seeing the Alfa on it should provide some good perspective of the size
In reply to WillG80 :
Similar to the one I have. Pulls great. Works as a level platform for alignments too.
In reply to alfadriver :
I have a contact that's a trailer manufacturer in the middle of Missouri that has large/long press brakes. I don't know if the location is too big an obstacle, but if we can reverse engineer this thing, it would be fun. I'm sure there are any number of more convenient fab shops much closer to Motown that this podunk MO-town I know of.
I never felt the slightest stability issue with my Echo single axle, from 35mph winding canyon roads up to passing bursts over 80mph on the interstate. I suspect it would've been even more sweet if I hadn't been tongue weight limited with the Grand Caravan and could've loaded the car all the way forward.
A ramp note: the aluminum ones shown in my last post were 1600lb units from the farm store; I assumed they had a factor of safety built in and would be fine with 1800lb or so. They must have been quite overrated, they were not happy at all loading a car. Had to fix several broken welds and they were permanently bent after about 6 uses.
In reply to ClemSparks :
Maybe in the spring, I can find someone around here who can take measurements. Right this moment, it's covered in wood- which will get deeper as I clean out my garage- the remants of the camper rebuild.
For sure, I'm willing to let someone borrow it to understand it. And I'll see if I can dig up the receipts from it to find out if the maker even exists- probably does, just does not make this. They could have charged more, and easily gotten it.
It's for small cars- like Miata and smaller. Which covers a lot of people here. And the 700lb weight came from the shipping weight to send it to me.
FWIW there's a Dively ET184B-102 listed on a DC-area board I frequent. Dual torsion axles, 7000lb capacity, 1500lb weight, $1300.
https://dorkiphus.net/porsche/showthread.php?t=41381
NMNA, but dorki are generally solid.
In reply to paddygarcia :
That's the bargain of the week right there.
In reply to alfadriver :
Is the tire tread deck and the full length fender all bent from one piece of aluminum ?
Keith Tanner said:
If I could tip my trailer up like this and roll it beside my shop for storage that would solve a LOT of problems for me. My trailer is probably a bit heavier but very similar design.
How heavy was that trailer and how did you get it up like that?
DeadSkunk (Warren) said:In reply to alfadriver :
Is the tire tread deck and the full length fender all bent from one piece of aluminum ?
Yes, it's all one piece on each side- it's the main strength of the trailer.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:Keith Tanner said:
If I could tip my trailer up like this and roll it beside my shop for storage that would solve a LOT of problems for me. My trailer is probably a bit heavier but very similar design.
How heavy was that trailer and how did you get it up like that?
Could easily build a tray with wheels to roll it into then roll it out of site.
chandler said:Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:Keith Tanner said:
If I could tip my trailer up like this and roll it beside my shop for storage that would solve a LOT of problems for me. My trailer is probably a bit heavier but very similar design.
How heavy was that trailer and how did you get it up like that?
Could easily build a tray with wheels to roll it into then roll it out of site.
I never weighed it, but as you can see there's not a lot of material :) I'm 90% sure I just grabbed the side rail and lifted it up on the wheel to do wiring repair. It was a very easy trailer to live with overall.
ShawnG said:Single axle trailers give me the heebie-jeebies.
They're not as stable when towing and if you have a blowout, you're almost guaranteed to have a bad day.
A lot of them come from the factory with tires that are barely adequate for the load they're carrying. My travel trailer only had 50lbs of wiggle room between the max weight of the trailer and the max capacity of the tires. I put better tires on it very quickly.
I was towing. My Jaguar race car with a Buick and had a single axle trailer cruising along the Utah salt flats at 100+ mph when the cheap recaps I was using had a blow out.
I gradually lifted the throttle and slowed down to a stop. The "mag" wheel I was using had a bent rim but at a place in Salt Lake I was able to buy another cheap used recap and have the wheel straightened. No muss no fuss.
If you load your car so you have proper tongue weight and align the trailer wheels then single axle trailers won't sway or give you problems.
As others have said single axle trailers are easy to live with.
Single axle trailers have always stressed me out.
DeadSkunk (Warren) said:In reply to Hasbro (Forum Supporter) :
Trailex aluminum trailers.....far from cheap though
Small Sportscar Trailer (CT-7031) (trailex.com)
It seems that aluminum trailer manufacturers are more likely to make smaller car haulers. R&R is another one who offer multiple sizes. I don't know why steel trailer manufacturers don't. That picture I posted above is from an ad for aused R&R from 2010. Seller is asking $4975.
A friend of mine has a Trailex trailer to tow his Mini. He bought the middle version, despite it being more than he really needs. Apparently it's "the" trailer for the P-car crowd, so if he decides to sell it some day it shouldn't be hard. No... wasn't cheap.
This is our 16' single axle tilt car hauler. We've dragged it around for the past couple summers. The p.o. dragged it back and forth to the Carolinas for 5 years. It's legal for 5000lbs payload and pulls super straight and easy behind a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee with 500 lbs of tongue weight. I do wish it was lighter. That car weighs 2650lbs and we probably have 1000 lbs of gear and parts when we go racing. I find it ironic that all the guys with actual experience with single axle trailers haven't had any real issues. The guys that never pulled one are adamant that they are unsafe hmmm. Hope to see more pictures of other guys single axle trailers.
I never did include a picture of mine. As you can see it also fits in the garage. For local events I load up the night before and put the car in the garage.
I've always made my own trailers. One thing I'm very careful to do is make sure the race car is as low as possible.
Lately for single axle application I'm using the torsion bar suspension arrangement. That allows me to attach the assembly just above dragging the pavement. In fact it will drag if I go up a steep entrance ramp or something. I put wear plates on the back corners of the trailer for that reason.
That way the angle off the trailer onto the ramps is shallow making loading g and unloading fast and easy. Sometimes I don't even need to use ramps if there is a curb I can back up to.
The real advantage is the lower the race car is the more stable it is.
In reply to frenchyd :
Do you find having slope on the trailer affects it at all? The only thing l would like with ours is if it was a little lower. Even with it being a tilt our race car barely clears the oil pan. I has a straight overslung axle in it now with springs. So l could go with a 4" drop axle or a torsion axle to drop it a bit. It will mean l have a minimum 3" slope front to back. I would prefer to not have much if any drop on the hitch. Just because the factory hitch on the Jeep doesn't inspire confidence in me even though it's well under the limits Jeep suggests. I'm a little leery about changing too much just because it pulls so good now. Thanks for any tips.
You'll need to log in to post.
