Single Axle vs Double Axle

[dkottum]

Yes, we have a small single axle utility trailer and can back it into any little space because it's short. But it reacts to steering corrections quickly, very quickly, and that is the problem for some. You get used to a single axle Airstream and can put it anywhere as well.

[gmw photos]

Originally Posted by dkottum

...snip....

We traveled with a 20' single axle Airstream, and have had flats on boat trailers but I never suspected or felt loss of control. Perhaps we should discuss it more if it is a real concern.

Has anyone else seen a "loss of control" accident due to a flat tire on a single axle trailer?

I have been pulling trailers of many sizes for 45 years, and have had tires go flat, at speed on both single axle and tandem axle trailers. I should probably not admit it, but some of this towing was at speeds that were, shall we say, "excessive".
In all cases, I was able to safely pull to the side of the road with no loss of control. In every case, the tire was totally, completely shredded by the time I got stopped.

While I do prefer tandem axle trailers, it has more to do with added load carry capacity than anything else.

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Yes, we have a small single axle utility trailer and can back it into any little space because it's short. But it reacts to steering corrections quickly, very quickly, and that is the problem for some. You get used to a single axle Airstream and can put it anywhere as well.

I'd sooner back our 31 footer any day than the little luggage trailer I built to pull behind our Goldwing motorcycle!

Having a reverse gear on the bike is a big help, but even though I built the trailer with an extended tongue hoping to improve handling, it jack knifes in the blink of an eye when backing up! I often resort to just unhooking it and moving it by hand!

Years ago I owned a small sailboat and was told that it was much more difficult to handle than a much larger one - for similar reasons, it just reacts much more quickly to operator inputs!

Sorry - getting off track vis-a-vis one axle vs two!


Brian

[B_Pi]

Verrry interesting...

[aircampr]

We had a blow out on our (single axel) 19' Bambi, at 65 mph on I90. I didn't hear it, but action in my side mirror must have caught my attention. I glanced in the mirror to see a cloud of rubber smoke and cars in adjacent lanes dodging the fragments of our street-side trailer tire tread. I pulled over pretty quickly to the shoulder, basically traveling on the rim. Aside from the cost of a tire and a few hours wasted because we were unfamiliar with how to jack the trailer to mount the spare, there were no other issues. Tankfully the rim was OK, and no damage to the trailer (or to anyone else!). From driving stability, it was a non event. Our TV is a BMW X5. Either we were lucky, or a good-handling TV greatly reduces the impact of such a blowout.

Having said all that, we have just bought a dual axel 23D (not delivered yet). I am expecting the dual axel to reduce vibration in the trailer on rough roads. Has anybody noticed this?

Charlie

[dkottum]

We have had both and they are both good trailers. As for less rough road vibration on tandem axle Airstream I think we hit each bump twice, the single axle only hits them once.

[aircampr]

Thanks, dkottum. I was hoping the two ales would "average out" the bumps and reduce the abuse to trailer from rough roads (ie., one axel goes down when the other goes up, half of the time). Recently went down a washboard road in Death Valley in the 19' Safari, and had to readjust door wardrobe hinges so door would latch. Also spilled a couple things in the fridge. In either case, we are looking forward to traveling in the 23D. :0)

Charlie

[AS Wantabe]

I am very impressed with the incredibly knowledgeable people on the Airstream Forum. I have read every reply and have decided on a duel axle trailer when I make my purchase, which wont be until 2020, but still I can dream until then. I look forward to more info on this thread but I still have more questions for the Airstream Nation which I will post on a different thread.
Thank you very much!

[graysailor]

When first looking at RV's a dual axle setup was priority number one. I looked at many trailers and kept coming back to Airstream and glad I did. Stability and 4 tires on the ground were necessary for me.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by AS Wantabe

I am very impressed with the incredibly knowledgeable people on the Airstream Forum. I have read every reply and have decided on a duel axle trailer when I make my purchase, which wont be until 2020, but still I can dream until then. I look forward to more info on this thread but I still have more questions for the Airstream Nation which I will post on a different thread.
Thank you very much!

Unless you have a budget restriction, bets are that you will never make it to 2020.

Odds are, since your already "hooked", you will buy way before that.

Dreaming about Airstreams, just gets longer and deeper, and then you will wake up one morning and say, WHY NOT NOW.

Check with mama, and see what her thoughts are. She might be way ahead of you.

Andy

[B_Pi]

Crapsis might be a better name from my experience. Less than 12,000 miles and just over 2 years down the road, ALL 4 TIRES have been replaced. No catastrophic failures because I am OCD about checking on them and inflation pressures etc. All 4 have shown belt separation problems. The first was discovered 4 months ago and it was alarmingly ugly belt separation - bumpy and mishapen when I found it. Fortunately I did not drive another inch with it on the trailer and replaced it with a Carlyle. Got a credit on the still warranteed tire. Just today I had the other 3 replaced as 2 were clearly showing wear problems which the tire store owner confirmed were belt separation related. The third was developing a slight bulge on the tread which also was due to belt separation. Initially I was having some Trailer King trailer tires installed when I started talking to the Big O shop owner in Page Arizona and he told me that he had some Chinese (Thailand actually) made light truck tires on his snow mobile trailer and has had zero problems for more than 6 years. The trailer carries 6 snow machines. So, midstream on the changeover to trailer tires I had them instead install 4 Thunderer LT tires and made the Carlyle my spare. I have only put about 120 miles on them so far but expect much better reliability as they have an 8 ply rating as opposed to a 6 ply - I think. Also, they can carry 100+ lbs. more per tire and this is good as we are full timers and chronically a few hundred pounds above trailer GVWR- again, I think - not convinced of the actual weight when we used a CAT scale awhile back. https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/
I'll report back when/if anything develops.

Originally Posted by B_Pi

When I purchased our 1997 25' Safari (bought it used in 2012) my biggest concern was in having reliable tires. When I researched trailer tires I found so many horror stories about catastrophic failures resulting in damage, I was really concerned. The wheels (dual axle) on the Safari are 14", which limits me to trailer tires as I cannot get LT tires for them. I found that many tires of the 14" diameter are made in China and and I frankly do not trust the quality of Chinese products UNTIL proven based on what I read. I eventually purchased 4 new MAXXIS tires which I found through hours of researching. They are made in Thailand and have good reviews overall. They are pricier than most in the 14" size but price is not my concern - safety is.
I think there are a few factors relating to tire safety and performance that we should stay aware of.
In my opinion, these are the critical ones:

1) Towing speed should be kept below 60mph. Speed limit signs often state a 55mph limit for towed vehicles. What's the hurry anyway?

2) Frequent monitoring of tire pressure and condition - always check before moving. When I stop for fuel or after a long downgrade run, I will feel the wheels and tires to get feedback on heat and look to see if the tires are equally inflated.

3) Do not run on tires more than 4-5 years old.

We have towed 7,500 miles this year and have had no trailer tire flats. Had a screw in the TV tire which we had repaired at Costco.
We are running Michelin LTX A/T2 tires on it

I had considered a tire pressure monitoring system earlier, but having read some posts here, I think I'll just stay fastidious about tire condition and towing speed and should be fine.

[switz]

We removed the stock 14" tires and wheels on our 23D and installed 15" SenDel T03-56545T wheels and 15" Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL tires with Centramatic wheel balancers part #200-221 and a Dill 1506-453 TPMS. Because Airstream tailer to make the wheel openings the same size street side versus curb side, we had to trip the curb side front to the same profile as the street side. We did manufacture a new 15" spare tire carrier.

We heavily modified the 23D and cross the scales with it weighing 6,068 pounds fully loaded for camping. The heaviest loaded wheel is carrying 1,360 pounds versus the derated 1,985 pound capacity of the 15"Michelin tires.

[mccrosti]

Andy - you still got the "schmooze". !


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