Tandem vs. Single Axle

I have had a couple blow out tire failures on single axle trailers at freeway speeds and other than the, "oh crap I have a flat tire vibration," that went through the trailer and truck, there were not any handling issues at all. The laws of physics states the trailer is going to go in the direction it is going unless a great force causes it to go in a different direction. A flat tire just doesn't change the direction of the force much. The bottom line is the trailer follows the truck - good tires or not.

Bob's advice is good - tires over 5 years old are generally bad news. In fact, I bet 95% of tire problems comes from tires over that 5 year mark regardless of treadlife left in them. Avoiding a blow out certainly makes what trailer type you have a moot point.......
 
I've never had anything but tandem axle for any boat over 500lbs and having had a blowout on the highway with the tandem I assumed that I was better off for having it and being able to limp off safely. When we were shopping for a C-Dory we wanted a tandem. even the single trailers we looked at I considered always what my cost would be to upgrade trailers in the near future.

never had towed a larger boat with a single axle, it may be silly but I like my tandem axle and feel its worth a few extra bucks. also, it looks cool. 8)
 
We had a Glasply previous to our C-dory, and was heavier to tow. When we first purchased it, it came on an single axle trailer.

On our first attempt to take it out, the right side tire seperated at 60 mph, taking most of the metal trailer fender with it.

It was really scary keeping the trailer on the road, but I was able to stay out of the ditch and get safely off the road. The tires were most likely over 5 years old and that was likely the cause. I beleive the trailer would have pulled me into the ditch at nearly 60 mpg, if i hadnt been towing with a heavy duty tow vehicle.

That trailer bounced around alot on the highway, and also seemed more sensitive to steering changes when backing up. In high side winds, it also seemed to get blown around more.

When it finally deteriorated from saltwater, we upgraded to a double axle and the handling was a night and day difference. I can't stress enough how much better the double axle towed down the highway.
 
PaulNBriannaLynn":1yb16inc said:
We had a Glasply previous to our C-dory, and was heavier to tow. When we first purchased it, it came on an single axle trailer....

...When it finally deteriorated from saltwater, we upgraded to a double axle and the handling was a night and day difference. I can't stress enough how much better the double axle towed down the highway.
Click to expand...

How did the weight rating of the trailer compare to the weight of the boat? Just wondering if that might have been a factor. On our weight boats (22's), it's perfectly possible to have a single-axle trailer that is generously rated, but I would think that as a boat gets larger/heavier that at some point it might no longer be an option.

I don't mean to sound like I'm against tandems. I have one and like it. On the other hand I towed a very similar (style/weight) boat on a well-spec'ed single last year and it also towed great.

Just trying to distinguish whether it's a case of problems inherent in a trailer style vs. an overloading or other problem that is separate from that (I realize you probably did not spec out the trailer, so not saying you caused the problem if indeed it existed).

Sunbeam
 
Here is a picture of that tire, after I had removed it, while waiting to get the new one next to it mounted.

blowntire2.jpg

The boat and trailer are a 2007, and since the previous owner didn't trailer much, most the mileage on the tires are mine. I've probably put several thousand miles on them. All looked good when I checked everything about 50 miles earlier. I run 50 psi of Nitrogen in them. (I changed over to the Nitrogen maybe 1000 miles or more earlier.) I don't know if any foreign object was picked up on the road or not. This was the forward tire, but I think run pretty much in line with my Highlander footprint. These are Goodyear Marathons. I assume they are a good tire, load range C. The boat was not overloaded, and I was only running 63-65 when this happened. When it happened, other than the loud blast, I did feel it "yank" a bit. With the Tandem, I at least could pull it a ways to get off the road. Without that other tire on that side, I would probably have been riding on the rim only. I have pulled some smaller single axle trailers in life, but just as you guys argue for twins or kickers, I see having a tandem as a more safe operation. ;-)
 
DuckDogTitus":1s26vucz said:
... it may be silly but I like my tandem axle... ... it looks cool. 8)
Click to expand...

That's the exact reason I wanted twin engines when I was C-Dory shopping, and it seems like a great reason to me. I found that other reasons had equal/valid counterpoints.

Sunbeam
 
I should add, these tires were in good shape. IE, no sun cracking. I keep them covered, and I believe the previous owner pretty much kept the trailer covered. I've had trailer tires last much longer than 5 years, when properly cared for. And while I have sprayed some of that tire magic on them, I don't make it a routine. (That stuff is worse for the tire, than just letting it set!)
 
thataway":3g12urs6 said:
The question I have is how old are the tires...
Click to expand...

As an aside: I did some used RV shopping this summer, and I couldn't decide whether to laugh or be scared at how many RV dealers (also private sellers, but okay, they are not professionals) had no idea what I was talking about when I asked the age of the tires.

Me: How about the tires?
Them: "The tires are excellent - tread looks like new!"
Me: "That's nice, could you tell me the date code on the tires, please?"
Them: "Date code?"
Me: ??!

In many cases these "excellent" tires were over 10-15 years old :shock: And it's not a small thing when new set is around $4k (suddenly boat trailer tires look like pennies!)

When I bought my C-Dory, I knew the trailer hadn't been used except probably to tow the boat home from the dealer (boat was stored in a rack storage building), so I never even asked. I simply planned to replace them before towing.

I just wish there were really good trailer tires to buy - when I researched, it seemed like just sort of a roulette amongst the various brands, especially in the smaller sizes.
 
Sunbeam[/quote]
How did the weight rating of the trailer compare to the weight of the boat? Just wondering if that might have been a factor. On our weight boats (22's), it's perfectly possible to have a single-axle trailer that is generously rated, but I would think that as a boat gets larger/heavier that at some point it might no longer be an option.

Sunbeam, I'm guessing our old boat was right at the cusp of requiring a double axle. That being said, once we replaced those old tires.... we got many thousands of trailering miles on that old Caulkins before it finally bit the dust.

When we did get our double axle, I was no longer "white knuckling" the steering wheel and it just seemed less scary to tow.

The 22' c-dory is light enough that a double axle is not really necessary especially with a large tow vehicle.
 
Hmmmm... I've always been under the impression that as long as the tires don't show any damage or "sunburn", they would be fine. I just did some googling, and there is a lot of info out there about tire longetivity, and new studies to see just how long a tire should be good for. That being said, while I've never had problems like this before with many more years on a tire, it may just possibly be it reached the end of it's serviceable life. I may be needing to replace the other 3 tires sooner than later. For now I will probably continue to just maintain my tires, and be glad I have a tandem axle trailer, and carry a good spare! (At least it and the one I just replaced are less than a year old! :?
 
What I understand is similar to what you are finding: it's all about age (i.e. date code on the tire, not when they were sold or mounted). I'm sure that tires left outside in the sun could deteriorate faster, but I don't believe that a "good looking" tire means it's good if it's old.

From what I read, replacing at five years for non-trailer tires (say, an RV) is a pretty much for sure a safe bet. Going seven years... some people do. Some companies say you can go up to ten years with regular inspection (i.e. by tire professionals; not sure what they do).

I've heard that with the lesser quality of "today's" trailer tires, three years may be better, but I haven't substantiated it. I figure that (presuming they last that long) I will replace mine in the 3-5 year range, but no longer.

I have found that it pays to check the date codes on new tires before purchasing, because some are a bit "aged" even in the store.
 
The first two numbers after DOT indicate where the tire is made: Most tires for trailers are made in China, including Goodyear Marathons. There are a few tires made in the US,(--Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear and Cooper are amoung those who produce the most--) but one has to know the codes since all of these companies make tires in Asia and other areas also. There are over 900 tire producers in the world--the vast majority are in china. You can look up on the internet "Tire Code" if you wish to find out where the tires are made that you use. The first 110 manufacturers 90% are made in China. Are they equal to those made in the US? I don't know--but they don't seem to last as long.

Unfortunately the tire warehouses will release the oldest tires first, so you may get a tire which is two or three years old right off the bat.

Colby--if you sent any time on the RV or trailer towing forums you will find that 5 years is the safest--some go up to 7 years--but if you are pushing 10 I would say that is very foolish. It is more dangerous to have tires which might blow on a steer axle of a large truck or RV. This is why when tractors for On the Road trucks are advertised they will often have "virgin Rubber" XX year on the steer axle. It doesn't take a lot to flip a boat with a blowout at 60 mph. If you are just going to and from a ramp 5 miles away--you most likely can get away with older tires.

I have Michelin tire with less than 8,000 miles blow--and I had checked the pressure that AM before I started the trip. Michelin denied any claim even though the tire was less than a year on the truck.

Talk to Charlie about the tires on the trailer I sold him with the Tom Cat. I suggested that we replace the tires because they were 5 years old. He didn't think that was necessary, until two of them blew about 900 miles up the road....

Perhaps keeping the vehicle out of smog, and ozone, totally protected from UV light, at a constant temp and filling only dry nitrogen might prolong the life of a tire. But I have seen many tires which look to be perfect--no sign of weathering blow.

Running trailer tires-especially single axle more than 5 years old on the highway is tempting fate.
 
When we had our motorhome, we put a lot of mileage on it, so replaced the tires after about 3 or 4 years. My trailers are a little different story. They get a lot of use, but not necessarily the same amount of mileage. Because of the maintenance I follow, I will likely wait 7 years before thinking about replacing them....unless they blow out sooner. :roll: I wish now I would have looked closer at the inside of that tire that blew. Might have been worthwhile knowing what condition it was in from the inside out. Colby
 
I believe that almost all of the 19's are on single axle trailers. The addition of an axle and tires with brakes depends on the trailer, but you might be better off selling the single axle and buying a tandem axle.

The balance point, getting the tongue weight correct, actually placing the brackets (Torsion vs springs) in the correct place is critical. A good trailer builder can do ths. We have a "hitch" shop, but they also repair trailers in Pensacola. There are several trailer builders in the area--but there are a number of them in S. Florida also. Basically a "Builder" has the stock sent and then assembles it.
 
thataway":24jec8es said:
I believe that almost all of the 19's are on single axle trailers. The addition of an axle and tires with brakes depends on the trailer, but you might be better off selling the single axle and buying a tandem axle.

The balance point, getting the tongue weight correct, actually placing the brackets (Torsion vs springs) in the correct place is critical. A good trailer builder can do ths. We have a "hitch" shop, but they also repair trailers in Pensacola. There are several trailer builders in the area--but there are a number of them in S. Florida also. Basically a "Builder" has the stock sent and then assembles it.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. I have a trailer shop near me that could do the conversion and will talk to them about the cost.
 
A quick post here as I just got in after a long days tow down Baja 5 and 1
As I was driving this road I thought I had better tell people that tandem axles are the only safe way down here as there are a lot of unavoidable pot holes that our trailer sort of bridges and if you get a flat on this road there is no way to pull off the road most of the way, as the edges drop off steeply from the 9' lanes.
Ok now for dinner and a much needed margarita after a long day, then I will file a "Sierra" road report.
 
If you have never done the conversion, the parts can be ordered over the net. The tandem brackets fit over the chassis side rails and can be slid around to align everything before they are drilled and bolted in place. IMPORTANT, the front hanger pivot bolt must be exactly the same distance from the trailer hitch on both sides of the trailer or the trailer won't track properly. You can move the hangers forward and back to get the tongue weight right, but looking at pics on the forum, will get this placement pretty close. The fenders are held onto the chassis with Uclamps. The two original drum brakes were rusted globs so I replaced them with ss disks on the front axle only. Not legal in some states, they are more than sufficient to do the job.

I have put thousands of miles on this rig, two trips from Louisiana to Lake Powell, two to the Keys, etc. No problems.

I added tandems to my trailer because the boat I bought had a single, 3500 lb axle on it and I thought that insufficient. In talking with Texair, if I had it to do again, I would add one 7000 lb axle with 8 or 10 ply tires and ss disk brakes and be happy.
 
Back
Top