5200 lb axles

My 5er came with 5200# axels. I asked the mfr. (Alko) what the diff between 5200 and 6000 was. They said same brakes, bearings and axels just different springs. I upgraded my axels to 6000# springs and all is well.

Housted

Thank you Joe
That explains it
Hey joe I used to pass thru Quincy on the old WORLD

bbaker2001 wrote:
what I don't understand is unless hitched up, I actually am over weight on trailer.
12,300 but only 10400 for axles. Should they be made to handle the weight unconnected

There will be more weight on the landing gear when unhitched than there is on the truck when hitched as the landing gear is closer to the center of gravity of the trailer. This means there will be less weight on the wheels when unhitched.

bbaker2001 wrote:
Nope
needing bigger brakes was never an issue. Mine work great. I was just concerned that I was getting close to axle weight ratings, and wondered if bigger axles should be needed,
seems the answer is no.
Thanks
what I don't understand is unless hitched up, I actually am over weight on trailer.
12,300 but only 10400 for axles. Should they be made to handle the weight unconnected

When you're not hooked up, there is weight on the landing gear in front. How much? You would have to weigh your rig on a split scale like a CAT scale with the front legs on one pad and wheels on the other. Most CAT scales frown on unhooking on the scale, however. You may be able to talk to the manager and arrange it ahead of time, however.

bbaker2001 wrote:
Nope
needing bigger brakes was never an issue. Mine work great. I was just concerned that I was getting close to axle weight ratings, and wondered if bigger axles should be needed,
seems the answer is no.
Thanks
what I don't understand is unless hitched up, I actually am over weight on trailer.
12,300 but only 10400 for axles. Should they be made to handle the weight unconnected

Sorry OP, for moving your thread in a different direction! I thought fj12ryder answered your question. The manufacturers determine the weight actually on the axles, when considering which axles will be used. To answer your question, when unhooked from TV, your FW uses the landing legs to support much of the weight, so axles/tires are still adequate.

Many so called 1/2 ton towable FWs have a GVWR of about 10K, but only have 4,400 lb axles installed. These axles have much smaller brake drums/shoes, so an upgrade to 5,200 axles would be a huge upgrade.

Jerry

If your worried about your trailers 5.2k axle system being overloaded I would suggest getting them weighed regardless of opinions expressed.

Some rv trailers can be quite heavy on one side and once the trailer is loaded it can be overloaded on the tires/wheels and springs on that side.
Even max or close to max loaded sitting on a level scale platform one side or the other can run overloaded especially in strong side winds.

Nope
needing bigger brakes was never an issue. Mine work great. I was just concerned that I was getting close to axle weight ratings, and wondered if bigger axles should be needed,
seems the answer is no.
Thanks
what I don't understand is unless hitched up, I actually am over weight on trailer.
12,300 but only 10400 for axles. Should they be made to handle the weight unconnected

If better brakes are the true focus here... consider going disk.

fj12ryder wrote:
Don't forget to take into account pin weight, which is the amount carried by the 5th wheel hitch in the bed. In your case that would amount to about 2,400 lbs.. Now subtract the weight you're carrying in the bed, 2,400 lbs., from the GVWR of 12,300 lbs, and you arrive at about 9900 lbs. that is actually being carried on the axles. So if your axles are rated for 10,400 lbs. you're good. Not great by any means, but trailer builders generally try to get by with the least they can, and still stay legal.

Going to larger axles/wheels/brakes is not a bad idea, but don't do it because you think you're overweight, do it because you want bigger tires, bigger brakes, and better handling.

This thread could have been closed after one of the very first replies!

Stock axles are fine...and of course there is an optional upgrade. There ALWAYS is an upgrade for a cost.

Does the OP need an upgrade? Nope.

This is great info!
I checked eTrailer and they sell the same brake assemblies for 5200, 6K and 7K axles. Hopefully they are the compound for the 7K's and it would be an easy way to hop-up the brakes on my 5200# axles.