I'm currently downsizing from my fifth wheel and looking at TTs with 17 to 19 ft. floorplans (less than 23 ft. overall). Some of the models have single axles and others are tandem. Assuming that the axles and tires are sized correctly which I will check, are there any advantages for either setup? I will be towing with either a Tacoma or a Chevy Colorado. Thanks for any suggestions.

Years ago we had a single axle, now we have a duel axle setup. The reason for the duel axle was because of weight. Both pull and back up easily.

The single axle rigs will probably all be about 3500 GVWR. You will be lucky to find one that has much payload left, especially if you intend to carry water. Some are as low as 300# of payload, which is nothing.At least with the dual axle setups you should be able carry a decent amount of stuff. Plus you will probably find they have less tongue weight because they dont need to offload so much weight from the axle and onto the tongue.

As of now I have 4 trailers, 3 single axle and my dual axle TT . I would like to have 4 tires on the ground while towing a TT .Crosswinds and bow waves from overtaking trucks , seems to handle it better but that might be because of the WD hitch and sway bar, not really sure. Dual axle : To support weight , to track straight that offers a little security over just 2 wheels. Think about a flat tire while in motion. It seems to me that the single axle trailers i tow, jackknife faster than the dual axle while backing. Backing the dual axle, seems to take less effort.just want to clarify. backing up a single axle seems more difficult with the more narrow bodied single axle. A full bodied TT should back up easily because you can see it in the mirrors. Tire scuffing while turning will be less with a single axle.

I would go with only a dual axle trailer for better braking, better load capacity / safety margin and better control if a tire blows out. Other than pop-ups, tear-drops and so on, I didn't know they still make single axle TTs......Bill

I broke a leaf spring a couple of months ago on my tandem axle TT. I have reason to believe I probably towed it over 100 miles (not on purpose) with the spring broken. Doubt I could have done that with a single axle trailer. May have even had trouble just towing it to the shoulder of the road.Redundancy equals more maintenance but also equals more safety.

Tandem or single axle | Good Sam Community

23 Replies

hohenwald48
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
poppin_fresh wrote:
bobndot wrote:
just want to clarify. backing up a single axle seems more difficult with the more narrow bodied single axle. A full bodied TT should back up easily because you can see it in the mirrors...

Nope. My old 18ft single axle hybrid camper was a total b*tch to back up. It would jack knife very easily, regardless of how slow I tried to back it into a spot.

I think a lot of it has to do with the axle placement and how much tongue weight it carried. It made for an odd pivot point, BUT it towed like a dream even without a WDH. Never swayed an inch while towing.

I think jack knifing in reverse is more a function of length than axle count. Ever try to back up a 4' garden trailer. Almost can't be done.
JCR-1
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
mike-s wrote:
tatest wrote:
Manufacturers will not use tandem axles unless the weight rating requires more than one axle.
Dual 3500 lb axles are very common, when 7K axles are readily available.

JCR-1 wrote:
By the way, no trailer tire is designed for 65 mph so beware.
Lots of them are.
All 225/75r15:
Goodyear Marathon 75 MPH (with 10 PSI added).
PowerKing TOWMAX STR II 75 MPH.
Trailer King ST RADIAL 75 MPH.
Carlisle Radial Trail HD 81 MPH.
Carlisle Sport Trail LH 87 MPH.
Hartland ST Radial 87 MPH.
Gladiator QR25-TS 87 MPH.

Yep, just like my Chevy truck says 22 mpg highway. I never seen over 16-18 in real life.

I'm guessing your belief may come from a false statement on Discount Tire's website: "All "ST" tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph. It's simply wrong, and seems to get repeated a lot. Heck, you can find "Speed Rating N" (87 mph) tires listed on their own website.

Carlisle explains "In the past, most trailer tires were rated at 62 or 65 mph. Today, some of our tires are "rated" (speed symbols) at 87 mph (N), some at 75 mph (L), some at 65 mph (J: ST tires) and some at 62 mph (J: non-metric tires)."
TomG2
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
Why would a tandem axle trailer weighing 5,000 pounds be a whole lot "safer" than a single axle trailer weighing 2,500 pounds? More likely to blow out tires? Why? Easier to back up if the tongue lengths are similar? Why? Bounce more? Why, when both have suspension systems that were designed one hundred years ago. Upgraded suspensions are available on one, two, or three axle setups.
aftermath
Explorer III
Sep 30, 2016
alenk wrote:
Regardless of what you are using as a tow vehicle a single axle trailer will bounce when you are towing it. I've had single and tandems, and the single will scatter contents around inside. A tandem axle will be much smoother on the contents. JMHO.
Al

I don't agree with this. I suppose a single axle trailer is lighter but that doesn't mean they all bounce. The ONLY reason a manufacturer goes to a double axle is the weight of the trailer. Bigger heavier trailers need two axles. Some of these large trailers also bounce if not properly designed and set up for towing.
lgarcia
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
I am well pleased with my single axle trailer. Tows well and backs up well.
mike-s
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
tatest wrote:
Manufacturers will not use tandem axles unless the weight rating requires more than one axle.
Dual 3500 lb axles are very common, when 7K axles are readily available.

JCR-1 wrote:
By the way, no trailer tire is designed for 65 mph so beware.
Lots of them are.
All 225/75r15:
Goodyear Marathon 75 MPH (with 10 PSI added).
PowerKing TOWMAX STR II 75 MPH.
Trailer King ST RADIAL 75 MPH.
Carlisle Radial Trail HD 81 MPH.
Carlisle Sport Trail LH 87 MPH.
Hartland ST Radial 87 MPH.
Gladiator QR25-TS 87 MPH.

I'm guessing your belief may come from a false statement on Discount Tire's website: "All "ST" tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph. It's simply wrong, and seems to get repeated a lot. Heck, you can find "Speed Rating N" (87 mph) tires listed on their own website.

Carlisle explains "In the past, most trailer tires were rated at 62 or 65 mph. Today, some of our tires are "rated" (speed symbols) at 87 mph (N), some at 75 mph (L), some at 65 mph (J: ST tires) and some at 62 mph (J: non-metric tires)."
JCR-1
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
I have had both trailers. The dual axle is better in the sense of safety. My single axle for some reason ate up tires due to weight . I never overloaded the trailer but the tires just never could support the weight for long drives.I believe the design rim size is just too small so I am planning on reversing the axle to obtain more clearance for a bigger tire size. The dual axle is more expensive to maintain and the tolls are doubled. If you plan on going to northeast stay off the toll roads as they will be expensive with dual axles. By the way, no trailer tire is designed for 65 mph so beware.
tatest
Explorer II
Sep 30, 2016
Whether it is single or dual axle will depend on how heavy the trailer is. Manufacturers will not use tandem axles unless the weight rating requires more than one axle.

Tandems are more directionally stable, or at least harder to turn. If not properly aligned, the direction they want to go might not be straight.

This has upsides and downsides. In close maneuvering, particularly backing, it is easier to get a single axle trailer to change direction, harder to keep it going straight. If you are not paying attention, you can jackknife backing about the length of the tongue. But a tandem, you might have to back that much to start it turning.
TomG2
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
I have towed both and when set up properly the number of axles does not matter. In fact there may be a slight advantage to the single axle as it will not be squirrely because of misaligned tandem axles. A blow out is a bad thing whether it is on the front tire of the tow vehicle or one of the two or four trailer tires. Again, there might be a slight advantage to a single axle as the blown tire will be apparent sooner and do less damage to the trailer than when either the front or rear tire on a tandem axle comes apart. Naturally, GVWR requirements will determine the size and number of axles required to carry the load.
Bionic_Man
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
A tandem axle will tow better. Especially important if you are pulling with a smaller tow vehicle.