Toyhauler with single axle bad idea?

STANG23L wrote:
I've had 7x16 & 8.5x16 enclosed trailers. I've dumped them both for an 83" x 14' PJ to haul my toys. I put well over 10K miles on both the enclosed and have a little over 4K on the PJ. The 7x16 and PJ have torsion springs the other leaf. After all that I'd never go back to leaf springs for 3500-7K lb trailers. I feel they ride and track better with less tire wear.

Regardless your adding dirt roads or worse to the mix. Can't help you there. So I would suggest you look at all the trailer builds on Expedition Portal.

Thanks. Expedition Portal is where Iv read about torsion axles failing more than leaf spring when used off-road. The aussie's have proven that and you don't see torsion axles on their serious off-road trailers. There's a discussion there between a dexter rep and a few aussie trailer builders which convinced me not to use one even though I was happy with the pair I had on my 24' TH
https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/torsion-axle-for-camping-trailer.74901/

I think the leaf springs get a bad rap because of the extra moving parts that do wear out and need replaced every few years. Most of the Australian's are independent but trailer suspensions do not need to articulate imo. Independent also allows the trailer to sway allot more.

If I built a custom suspension, it would be airbag over a straight axle on a free moving 3 link (bushings on the trailing links and a wishbone upper to eliminate the panhard) and deal with body sway via a external sway bar. Or possibly a de-leafed single leaf spring each side to located the axle with airbags. But starting out with a trailer already set up with crappy 20" leafs instead of torsion will be a plus.