How much better for dual over single axle?

I've had a tire blow out on a single axle.
I've had a tire blow out on a tandem dual axle.

On the single axle, the trailer began to sway almost uncontrollably. It took me almost a mile to stop it safely. And when I did stop, there was significant damage to the rim, hub and fender.

On the dual axle, I wouldn't have known the tire blew if I hadn't seen rubber flying around in my side mirror. It tracked stable and I was able to pull over immediately.

IMO - single axles are Ok for short trips or when you have a very light load behind a larger vehicle. Dual axles will cost more, but are well worth the piece of mind and safety in the long run.

The wife and I were driving behind a brand new Viking travel trailer with a single axle, towed by a F250. Looked like the owner had the proper setup and was towing level (drove by him later on when road opened to two lanes). Wife and I couldn't believe how much that little trailer danced around and how jittery it was on the road. Just reaffirms the tracking of a dual axle setup... Just my observation and preference.

I haven't pulled a dually so I can't comment on it. But I've pulled a SA for 24 years and cannot offer any complaints about handling, safety, or any other issue. And I don't need wd or sway control either.

I currently tow a very light, single axle Aliner, and it tows great with no special hitching required (no WDH/no sway bar, etc.). I do have trailer brakes with a brake controller-wouldn't leave home without them. It tows great, but I do worry about handling a potential blow out. We've only had one flat tire since beginning camping in 1997, and that was on a dual axle TT. I hope our good fortune continues!

I have built many trailers over the last 35+ years. Most were tandem axles and a few triple axles with a few single axle mixed in as well. The last trailer I built for my Avion camper was a single axle trailer with extra ground clearance and a 7,000# Flexiride axle. It is hard to fit tandem axles under a pickup truck bed. I just returned, last month, from an approximately 5,000 mile trip with it. It towed extremely well, even in cross winds. If I had my choice, I prefer a lower center of gravity, with a wide trailer, and tandem axles, because they tow well. This wasn't an option on my last trailer so I put extra tanks underneath it to keep the COG as low as possible and I made sure the trailer wasn't too short. The distance between the coupler and the axles will make a big difference in how they tow. The quality of construction also will affect towing, especially if the axle isn't perfectly perpendicular to the centerline of the trailer. This is even more critical on tandem axles (and triple axles), especially if they are fighting each other as they roll down the road.
I have seen trailer in all three configurations that didn't tow well. Usually it is inferior workmanship or design, but sometimes the axle manufacturer is at fault.

I tow with a 2006 Chevy Express 2500 van we had a 19' duel axle Mallard weighed 6500 lbs which I ran leveler bars and passenger side sway control and still felt the trucks and wind give me a twitch when passing.
The sales guy told me I would not like a single axle after pulling duel axles but.
Now I tow a 21' single axle Coleman weight 3250 lbs with the same van no leveler bars, no sway control and have no movement when the trucks go by.
The big difference I found is when parked I don't have the second axle and tires to put the pinch blocks in so it does move some when you walk around in it.

We've had it both ways now, and frankly I don't notice the difference in stability. We had our 17' single axle HTT for 10 years and towed it on 2 long trips, one from WI to Monterrey and back, the other to West Yellowstone, MT. That's over 9k miles with just those 2 trips. Never blew a single tire on that trailer, never had a single problem with load, sway, or any other stability issues. It did what it was built to do.

I will say that if I had any worry with the single axle it was the possibility of blowing a tire.

Focus less on the number of axles and more on what you need in a floor plan and what your TV can reasonably handle.

For clarity; some vehicles have dual wheels, trailers have tandem axles.

Tandem axles give more stability and more weight carrying capacity.

flash82 wrote:
I know the weight will be higher, hence the dual axle but I keep hearing they will tow much better. How much better? We tow a pup up and it tows fine BECUASE of the low profile. Is a single axle full height really going to be a chore?

Mine isn't, but it's pretty small. (About 17 feet from ball-to-bumper, around 2,000 pounds loaded).

For nimbleness/lower maintenance I'd prefer a single axle even in a much bigger trailer but unfortunately there are very few such rigs built in North America. It's a much more common option on trailers up to 4,000 pounds in Europe, but more attention is paid to weight distribution in designs over there.

Ditto on all the above reason to go for a dual axle. Safer, easier to tow, less concern about how its loaded, etc... Going ultra light weight is the only reason I can think of for single axle. I also much prefer to go with 5th wheel verses trailer. They are even safer, easier to tow etc...