Trailer Axle for a Home Made Tear Drop Trailer

Question:

I have a trailer that I am repurposing the axle is currently configured so the tires sit underneath the trailer with 20.5/8-10 tires. My question or questions are this, if i were to widen my axle so the tires would sit outside the frame, would I be better off with a larger radial tire. this trailer is going to become a homemade tear of sorts and will be weighing in at around 1000lbs dry weight, and will be traveling some lengthy road trips. Also currently I have 4 on 4 hubs, should i be changing these out as well to accommodate a larger more road worthy tire? thank you for your time.

asked by: Mark N

Expert Reply:

Modifying a trailer axle is not recommended because they are designed specifically to handle the weight the way that they are. By making the axle longer it can cause the axle to flex under the weight of the trailer and lead to all sorts of problems.

The solution is to replace the axle. Straight axles are actually not all that expensive. But I would need to know the measurement of the existing axle from the spring seat center on one end to the spring seat center on the other end to select an axle that could work.

I am assuming that with a dry weight of 1,000 pounds you are going to go with a 2,000 pound axle. For a 2,000 pound axle that measures 72 inches long, hub face to hub face, and 58 inches spring seat center to spring seat center you can use # 20545I-ST-72-15. This axle comes with hubs with a 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern good for 12 to 15 inch wheels so that will allow you to go to a larger tire.

With this axle you can use u-bolt kit # APUBR-10 and 2 of spring # e84SR. If the spring seat centers don't match up to what you have now then new spring seats # TRSS175 can be welded on by a qualified welder.

Another option is a Timbren Axle-Less system, # A20RS545. With this system there is not axle required and the suspension is built in. This system costs more but it is an all-in-one type of set up so that is where the additional cost comes from.