Pay attention to semitrailers. Some of them have rear axles several ft apart.
When truck makes sharp turn, one axle goes perfectly sideways, regardless only 2 axles.
That the price you have to pay having non-steering tandem axles.
For my low boy trailer, the issue was that nobody was making quality tires in the size. I was buying them cheap, but then they did not last.
Sure would be easier do what semitrucks do, spend $600 per tire, but run 1/2 million miles on it.
Bottom line, triple axle trailer is not best for turns, but very good for anti-sway.
When truck makes sharp turn, one axle goes perfectly sideways, regardless only 2 axles.
That the price you have to pay having non-steering tandem axles.
For my low boy trailer, the issue was that nobody was making quality tires in the size. I was buying them cheap, but then they did not last.
Sure would be easier do what semitrucks do, spend $600 per tire, but run 1/2 million miles on it.
Bottom line, triple axle trailer is not best for turns, but very good for anti-sway.
It is all about the flex - just like with dualy trucks.
Double wheels cut the flex by 1/2 if not more as this is not linear function.
US build trailers are build with very loose suspensions, so flex is huge.
That is why European vehicles have their tow capacity cut to 1/4 what they can do with European trailers.
Any sedan can tow 5000lb of European trailer, but those trailers do have totally different build and no problem to have less than 200lb tongue weight.
See the axle placed about 1/2 length of the bed? The driver claims to reach 120 kph on occasions. You will never see it on US build trailer.
Double wheels cut the flex by 1/2 if not more as this is not linear function.
US build trailers are build with very loose suspensions, so flex is huge.
That is why European vehicles have their tow capacity cut to 1/4 what they can do with European trailers.
Any sedan can tow 5000lb of European trailer, but those trailers do have totally different build and no problem to have less than 200lb tongue weight.
See the axle placed about 1/2 length of the bed? The driver claims to reach 120 kph on occasions. You will never see it on US build trailer.
When shopping for new trailer, pay attention at what distance from front the rear axle is placed.
Trailers are build with no shocks and usually their suspension have lot of side flex.
That adds to sway problem. Torsion axles are much better in this department.
So to avoid liability, trailer builders place the axle as far as 70% of bed length -forcing large tongue weight.
With 7k trailer and any 3/4t empty truck that is not a problem, but in your situation you don't have much given play.
Trailers are build with no shocks and usually their suspension have lot of side flex.
That adds to sway problem. Torsion axles are much better in this department.
So to avoid liability, trailer builders place the axle as far as 70% of bed length -forcing large tongue weight.
With 7k trailer and any 3/4t empty truck that is not a problem, but in your situation you don't have much given play.
I did tow 18k equipement trailer with triple axle.
Pintle hook not giving any stability, yet no sway issue, unless I loaded 12,000 lb bulldozer with blade facing front.
For some reason the air flow did make the difference.
Pintle hook not giving any stability, yet no sway issue, unless I loaded 12,000 lb bulldozer with blade facing front.
For some reason the air flow did make the difference.
Tongue weight is something YOU set by placing the load.
Main rule of putting more on front of the trailer is to avoid sway.
Dual axle will give you less sway, so you might get away with tongue with minimal load, while single axle trailers loaded in the rear are accident waiting to happen
Main rule of putting more on front of the trailer is to avoid sway.
Dual axle will give you less sway, so you might get away with tongue with minimal load, while single axle trailers loaded in the rear are accident waiting to happen
