Single axle is fine.....

T

T.R. Bauer

New member
I response to the other thread pertaining to pulling CD 22:

I have thousands of miles on my single axle Easy Loader. I have pulled the boat from Wasilla, Alaska to Washington State on several occasions on the ALCAN. But, with that said, the trailer did come with 16" six bolt tires and wheels that give it a "rubber" rating of nearly 5000 pounds. Not that I would put 5,000 pounds on it, but that is plenty of tire. I did have one blowout just after I got new tires last time (don't know why she blew, but it was covered as I had just bought it). Having extra brakes might be nice, but I pull my CD 22 with my F-350 PSD 4x4 Dually that has a 12 foot camper (that weighs more then the CD 22) on it and when I hit the brakes I can feel the trailer stopping the truck. I suppose if were an idiot I could overheat my breaks on long grades if I didn't shift down. On most grades less than 10 percent, I don't even touch the brakes unless it is really, really curvy. When the camper is not in the back, this truck is WAY overkill in pulling the CD 22. So far, so good with the single axle. Certainly a double is likely to be better for all reasons noted in the other thread, I am just not really convinced from my experiences that it is really needed. If it were, with the use that I give it, surely trouble would have raised its ugly head by now.
 
Yes, but you cannot fairly compare a 16" 6 bolt pattern wheel tired trailer which could have a capacity of 7,000 lbs (including trailer) (3500 lbs per wheel). With a smaller tire size trailer rated for 3700 lbs--I don't know the tire size, but probably a 15"--if lucky--and perhaps a 14" tire. Same with the truck--you have much greater braking power with the truck than he will with the Tundra. Also consider Sea Shift's boat/trailer weight. I suspect that his weight is fairly typical--most of the boats weigh more than expected.

You can do it--and you have a significantly bigger trailer. But there are safety features of the dual axel--two axles braked--twice as much brake power. Backing off a ramp--there is safety in case there is a hole at the end of the ramp. More rubber on the road, and if you do have a flat or loose a bearing, chain up the one axle and limp slowly to get some help, rather than leaving the rig at the side of the road. Also a smaller tire size with duals, helps to get the boat lower at the ramp.

I just think it is safer with dual axles and if buying new, I would get a dual axle trailer again. The cost difference is not that much. If I was just going short distances and using it in a yard, as many do, then the single axle would be fine.
 
Both of the above posts make good points. If I was buying new I would probably look towards a tandem but my boat came with a single axil trailer, large (16") tires on 6 bolt wheels and it stands up well. I pull it with a Tundra, and with the surge brakes have felt comfortable anywhere so far. Tom has pulled many more miles than I have, and so has Dr. Bob. I respect both opinions, and can agree with both points. I would prefer to err on the side of safety, but I think with reasonable precautions a single axil is adequate. Admittedly a blowout on a new tire would be disconcerting, however, that is also why there is a spare locked on the trailer and a jack in the tool box.

At this point in the game, our long trailering is only about one time a year, so, in til it gets more than that, what we have will do fine.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
single or double axle are no different if you have enough truck. If you don't the double helps with stopping even with out brakes. a single allows the weight to shift forward easier. I think that brakes are a more important addition then a extra axle when it comes to getting stopped. I had the brakes on my boat trailer fail once on a hard stop and it pushed the ranger into the intersection. It even started to push the ass end to one side even with the dual axles. I will take brakes over extra wheels on a light truck any time. Now I get to tow the boat with the f350 and the camper. never feel the boat. Funny thing is that I get the same gas milage with or with out the camper but I can go faster with the camp/boat then with jus the boat.
 
I suppose I have become spoiled pulling my CD22 with all that truck. I suppose that is why I don't think it matters. If I were pulling it with a light, underpowered, underbraked, minivan or something, I guess I would want all the brakes that I could get too. Perhaps even in a half ton it would be nice. Truth is, unless it is really a crummy road, really windy, or a really long steep hill, I have to check the mirrors frequently to see if the darn boat is still back there.
 
T.R. Bauer":173oiio2 said:
I suppose I have become spoiled pulling my CD22 with all that truck. I suppose that is why I don't think it matters. If I were pulling it with a light, underpowered, underbraked, minivan or something, I guess I would want all the brakes that I could get too. Perhaps even in a half ton it would be nice. Truth is, unless it is really a crummy road, really windy, or a really long steep hill, I have to check the mirrors frequently to see if the darn boat is still back there.
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T.R. -

I have to say that what you say is very true .... as far as it goes!

But I'll have to disagree with you politely about the single axle trailer issue.

No doubt, a big, husky truck or other tow vehicle makes handling the trailer much easier, inspires confidence, and puts the driver at ease, even with a single axle trailer.

But several arguments for the tandem trailer still exist, and one is a serious matter.

A tandem axle trailer still tracks better, smooths out bumpy roads and pot holes more for the boat's ride, backs into sand and irregular ramps better, lowers the boat on the trailer more so that one doesn't have to back into the water with the trailer and tow vehicle so far, etc.

But, IMHO, at least, the big and telling argument in favor of the tandem is the possibility of a blowout at speed on a crowded freeway.

At least with the tandem, the other wheel on the side of the blowout allows you to remain in control, change lanes, and either get off to the side of the road or to the next exit, or even continue down the side road to service station or tire dealer once the blown out carcass is removed from the rim and the axle chained up for road clearance.

Once you've experienced a full speed blowout under those conditions, even with the tandem trailer, you'll think twice about going down the freeway at full speed with a single axle trailer.

Regardless of how much protected and in control you feel with a larger tow vehicle, the boat trailer needs wheels on both sides to track straight and protect it's valuable cargo: your C-Dory.

There was a fellow here in Redding that had a full sized 18 wheeler Peterbuilt Diesel tractor for sale with an oversized sleeper compartment on it, and set up as a regular automobile trailer and 5th wheel tow vehicle (instead of a commercial sized tow rig) for a mere $38,000, cheaper than a lot of 1-ton trucks folks buy!

However overdone that rig was, any trailer behind it with a large load would be a lot better off and safer with two wheels on each side of the trailer, not just one.

One wheel left under your precious C-Dory at full speed just doesn't ride well, track straight, or protect the boat well, and may contribute to an accident involving another vehicle or vehicles, especially under crowed traffic conditions.

Please don't construe this as a personal criticism of your or your truck, I've just developed a strong opinion about the advantages and disadvantags of single vs. tandem axle trailers after the years of discussion here within the C-Ddory family.

Have a great Hoiday Season!

Will I see you at the Boat Show or CBGT?

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Joe,
I will relate an incident that happened to me. I have a 3500 Dodge dually that I use to tow my C-Dory, often with a 9 foot camper. I have had a blow-out on my single axle trailer while towing at 60mph. I heard a funny noise, looked in the mirror and saw pieces of the tire flying around behind the trailer. If I hadn't heard the noise I wouldn't have known anything was wrong. The boat and trailer didn't do anything strange. I easily made a controlled stop on the shoulder and changed the tire. Yes I destroyed a tire but otherwise only a minor irritation. Blow outs on quality tires (not overloaded) are extremely rare. FWIW.
 
Thanks for the comments, T.R. and Ken!

I may be overly cautious because I had a blowout on the E-Z loader tandem trailer under my C-Dory when it was new to me on I-5 just south of Stockton almost ten years ago. (We were towing with a Ford E-150 van conversion.)

We had no control problems and got to the side of the road safely, but it just made me very glad to have the second tire on that side of the trailer and has always made me favor tandem trailers for that primary reason, plus all the others, including some unmentioned.

Like anything else, opinions and judgments on boating issues vary, and again YMMV, based on your own experiences.

Cheers!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Joe Said:
"...the big and telling argument in favor of the tandem is the possibility of a blowout at speed on a crowded freeway."
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You are very right here Joe, and that is, I think, the most compelling reason for a tandem axel trailer, and like you said there are lots of other reasons, but that is the safety issue I was Alluding to in my earlier post. And at some point I will have a tandem, but mean time, travel easy, check often, (hubs and tires), and always know where the trailer is, and what is around on the road.

Looking forward to the SBS CBGT-09.

Harvey
SleepyC
 
Apparently there are several quite strong opinions on single versus dual axle trailers. Having towed both, both travel and boat trailers, I have no preference, as long as the trailer has brakes. And I've had blowouts on both types.

Thus the purpose of this missive is to point out that the dually truck mentioned above has a camper on it. Before anyone runs out to buy a dually, please remember that the traction on the rear axle is worse with duals than with singles, UNLESS the truck has a good load over the rear axle. Such as a camper. And, since the truck that hauls Journey On does not carry much weight in the rear (outboard, beer, etc.) single wheels are called for.

There are times when less is more. Including trucks, believe it or not.

Boris
 
My advice to someone considering a purchase of a trailer is that if you plan to trailer your boat short distances to the launch ramp and budget is a consideration, then a properly engineered single axle is fine.

But, if you plan to do any long distance traveling, with highway speeds and lots of other traffic, then you should consider the extra dollars as well-spent insurance policy for your safety and others. There is nothing worse in long distance trailering than to have a breakdown on your towing vehicle or trailer--it can really ruin a vacation.

A couple of experiences I would like to share about the advantages of dual (and triple-axles, if needed). My first trailer, I had a well-balanced single axle trailer that I had to swerve around a traffic accident that occurred. The trailer followed except for a bit of dangerous zig-zag momentum that jerked my vehicle around that scared me. The experience was unnerving so I installed two axles (relocating the first one for proper balance) and did a manuveur to simulate the situation above and was very satisfied with the way the dual axle tracked and I felt confident that I could handle any future swerving without worry.

On the same trailer on another trip, I noticed some smoke on the front portside wheel. It was a failed bearing which I had a spare, but there was no possible way I could replace it on this mountain road. I pulled the wheel off, and limped along 3-legged until I could pull off safely. It was 10-miles later that I found a spot that was safe enough to do a bearing change on the side of the road!

So, the moral of the story is one axle is okay until you experience that one time that you wished you had two. Then, cost is no object.
 
Joe mentioned pot holes. Last summer coming over the Grapevine on I 10, I was very happy to have dual axles because of the deep pot holes. Since I was going slow--and about 65 feet LOA (towing the 25 behind a 30 foot RV)--I could not avoid all of the pot holes. As I recollect one of the C Brats who came from S. Calif. arrived with blisters on all 4 tires--perhaps brought on by the potholes.

Much of what we post here is for new boaters. I emphasize that for some reason many of our boats get much heavier with time!--and the new boater needs to buy a trailer (regardless of number of axles) which will have the capacity to account for that. I know of several C Brats who have started with a single axle and changed later (at some cost--since many trailers are difficult to add an axle to--and often it is advisable to buy a new trailer.

On the other hand, for maneuvering--the single axle is much better, since there is less tire "scuffing" as your turn the trailer. a dual or tripple axle trailer is more difficult to manuever in tight quarters, since there is sideways resistance on each tire which is not at the turning axis.

I love those specific "haulers"--there are mini Freight liners, and Mack's as well as Peterbuilt and Mountain masters--which are used to pull horse trailers, mobile homes and 5th wheelers.
 
I posted the above story not to extoll the virtures of single axle trailers but to point out that a blowout on a tire is not normally a big deal. If a blowout whips the rear of your vehicle around you probably need a little heavier vehicle. I bought my boat used and it came with a single axle trailer. I haven't felt it a big enough deal to spend any money to replace it. To provide a little balance to the discussion: two brake jobs vs four, two bearing packs vs four, and two new tires vs four-if you are hiring it out it adds up. Also the height of 14in tires on a tandem vs 15in tires on a single is really negligible at the launch ramp. Buy what you feel comfortable with.
 
While I have never had a real high speed blow out on my CD 22 trailer, I have had others. A long time ago I had a blow out while towing my little bayliner (17 feet about 3000 pounds) behind an F250 with an 9 foot camper on it. At any rate, the truck blew the left rear tire out going about 60 MPH. It was not really scary, just an inconvenience.

Last summer I had a blow out on the same boat trailer (I keep this boat near Spokane, WA as my parents now live down there and I can't live without access to the water- be it tubing, fishing, or just cruising around on a nice day) on the way to Long Lake while pulling it with a little toyota pickup. It sucked, buy controling even that little truck was a non issue. Surely, having a double axle trailer is nice. It really is and I agree with every reason that people have noted about them. But, here is my question, why do you feel so safe in your single rear wheeled pickup when you could have a dually? Didn't you just say how much safer that extra tire is? What gives?
 
Great point and if my wife got her way I would have a dually.. at both ends. hell son you only have to work under OSHA guide lines, I married her! The funny thing is I'm the " its good until we get there, don't touch that it might break, yeah I see it I will fix it next week with tape kind of guy. I had to marry the cub scout /OSHA queen. Its hard just to enjoy life on the water with out her wandering if we are going to sink every ten minutes for lack of enough safety gear. Hell last year I had to draw the line on excess gear for fear of it sinking the damm boat. I keep hoping that she will get use to it and stop worrying all the time.. Fat chance. Its just amazing I live to this age with out her. :wink:
 
starcrafttom":2s6pjm2g said:
Great point and if my wife got her way I would have a dually.. at both ends. hell son you only have to work under OSHA guide lines, I married her! The funny thing is I'm the " its good until we get there, don't touch that it might break, yeah I see it I will fix it next week with tape kind of guy. I had to marry the cub scout /OSHA queen. Its hard just to enjoy life on the water with out her wandering if we are going to sink every ten minutes for lack of enough safety gear. Hell last year I had to draw the line on excess gear for fear of it sinking the damm boat. I keep hoping that she will get use to it and stop worrying all the time.. Fat chance. Its just amazing I live to this age with out her. :wink:
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Tom-

Priceless! :xlol

There's a line or two in there that I wouldn't quote out of context except in a bomb shelter with a flack jacket on, and wearing a respirator. :smileo

I'll see ya' in Seattle in January if you survive Susan's reading of your post and/or the Catastrophic Response Treatment that follows it! :xseek

Good Luck! :smile

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
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