Mobile home Axles

[jkpell]

I have an old trailer that has a set of mobile home type wheels on it and I hate them. Can I replace these with a new (regular) style wheel and hub?

joe

 

[Bird]

Joe, it can be done, although I think you'll be better off replacing the entire axle, hubs, wheels, etc.

 

[ragkar]

For many years I lived in a mobile home park and about every ten years there'd be someone offering to buy my axles for $100. And probably sell them back to me for $400 many years later when I decided to move the trailer.
I'll bet the manager of some local mobile home park can tell you how to locate these guys and they could help you.

 

[Bird]

Many years ago, when you bought a mobile home, the axles (entire suspension system) was included in the price; i.e., they were yours. Then a lot of the dealers and/or installers started removing and keeping the axles; sometimes they paid the buyer a little bit for them, sometimes they did not. But they usually charged considerably more for axles, tires, wheels, etc. if or when you had to move the mobile home. That resulted in a lot of complaints. The last time I had a mobile home moved, it was my parents' mobile home and they did still have the entire suspension system that had never been removed. However, at the new location, the electric company (co-op) would not install a meter or hook up electricity to a mobile home unless the axles were removed; the theory being that the home might not be there long enough for them to recover their installation costs. But I found the market to be very limited and the only people who would buy the axles would not pay much for them. But in more recent years (and not too recent, at that) the dealers have contracts that specifically state that the axles, springs, tires, and wheels will be removed upon delivery and do NOT belong to the buyer. I bought a new double wide in 1997 and that was the first time I saw that in a contract.

 

[DamonH]

I had an old farm trailer with the same axles. I haven't researched to find if it's true or not, but when I replaced them the shop I got the new axles from told me it's illegal to use them in Texas now. By the time you buy the hub, you might as well get the whole axle, it wasn't much more if I recall correctly.

 

[Mahana79]

I had an old farm trailer with the same axles. I haven't researched to find if it's true or not, but when I replaced them the shop I got the new axles from told me it's illegal to use them in Texas now. By the time you buy the hub, you might as well get the whole axle, it wasn't much more if I recall correctly.

I would have to question that shop and ask them to show me. i have "Mobile home" axles under three trailers. I got them from Clayton homes in Abilene. They are 7,000# Dexters with UMH (Universal Mobile Home) hubs. the ID tag ont he axles has a DOT number as does the wheels and tires. i dont see anything that would make them illegal for highway use. the brakes are even 2x12 with a 5 bolt backing plate wich you can find at any tractor supply.

I can get a 7k# brake axle with springs, u-bolts, spring plates, shackles, equalizer, 3,600# rim and Load Range G 14 ply tire for $200.

 

[Dargo]

I have a very wealthy uncle who owns several manufactured housing dealerships (it really upsets him if you call them "mobile homes") as well as gated manufactured home subdivisions. He probably moves a few thousand homes a year. (yeah, he's a multi, multi millionaire) Anyway, I asked him several years ago if he'd get me some axles so I could build me a trailer for some of my heavier equipment rather than having to buy a new trailer.

To my surprise, he said he'd give me all the axles I wanted but wanted to warn me that I wouldn't like them. He told me that the axles were of very, very poor quality with the cheapest bearings that could be had. The reason being was that the homes generally are moved very little in their lifetime. He told me that I'd end up spending more to make the axles up to my standard than what new appropriate axles would cost me. Being that these axles were designed to last a couple thousand miles (max), I decided that they weren't for me.

I have no idea if this is true or not, but he had no reason to not want to give me a set of axles. He had hundreds of them at the time and they were becoming an issue to store. Maybe some guys who have used them could shed more light on this subject. Based on what I was told, I ended up passing on them when they were free to me.

 

[jimainiac]

That's interesting to hear that the axles are DOT approved. I was told long ago that using mobile home running gear was sketchy because they were under HUD rules. But it also makes sense that they might not be engineered for high mileage.
DARGO - If you're out there - What's the signifigance of your avatar? I've been curious about that for years.

 

[Jimbrown]

Here is what Dexter says about their own axles.

AXLES - Can mobile home axles be reused?
The Dexter MH (mobile home) type axle is designed for limited usage in the delivery of manufactured homes and has a one-time limit use. The axle has steel forged spindles that are not precision ground. The brake assembly is welded onto the beam and not intended to be field replaced. Additionally, the bearing package is smaller than the more expensive service type axle. Most MH axles are also equipped with a single leaf spring suspension for very heavy loads. We do not have components that would convert MH axles to servicable assemblies

AND Champion trailers.
www.championtrailers.com/Mobile%20home%20axles.pdf

 

[schmism]

Here is what Dexter says about their own axles.

AXLES - Can mobile home axles be reused?
The Dexter MH (mobile home) type axle is designed for limited usage in the delivery of manufactured homes and has a one-time limit use.

what that says is, if we said it would be ok to reuse them on other houses, people would, and we wouldnt keep selling axles because the first set is your last set. but we want to sell axles so... no you cant use them more than once.

as for the rest of what they said, its true, breaks can not be replaced with out rebuilding the assembly with diffrent parts. and bearings are more like bushings than bearings.

 

[Dargo]

Jimbrown, what you say is pretty well what my uncle who has sold thousands of mobile homes says; the axles pretty well are junk for all intents and purposes. They will get the home to the home site and that's about it. They are purpose built, and that purpose is to get the mobile home from the sales lot to the trailer park. Any other use is not advised.

jimainiac, yeah, I'm out there all right.
My avatar is 'beating a dead horse'. It's a long running inside joke at my expense. Once I have my mind set to doing something, it's beating a dead horse to try to tell me I can't do it.

 

[tlbuser]

They are 7,000# Dexters with UMH (Universal Mobile Home) hubs.

Are you sure they're not UTG (utility trailer grade) instead?

 

[tommu56]

I have had a home made single axle utility trailer made from a Mobile home axel for over 30 years and not had any problem with bearings it has thousands of miles on it.
The only thing I did is to by drop ceter rims for it (had split ring ones on it) after the original tires wore out in about 5 years.

and the only problem after that was I had a rim get trashed when some bone head (me) forgot to tighten the lug nuts and oveled the bolt holes.

tommu

 

[jkpell]

Thanks for the input. I found a place Dexter axles, i think, that sells the hubs. I don't think these are "true" MH axles, just they have the same wheel and hub. I see these used on dump trucks and other "heavy" equiptment but I really do not like the way they look or mount.

 

[Grand_Pooba]

I have a single axle (MH axle) cargo trailer that my father built about 20 years ago for hauling fire wood. It burns up a set of bearings about every 2K miles. The first set burned up while I was hauling a load of wood home and nice state trooper pulled me over to let me know my trailer was smoking. I check and repack/replace the bearings before any heavy hauling since then.

 

[EddieWalker]

My Dad bought a trailer with three moble home axles on it. It was a large box off of a bobtail truck that had been converted to a trailer, and even though he got a great deal on the thing, it cost him allot more to fix everything on it.

The axles are just plain junk. He was pulling the trailer with his RV and I was following in his pickup truck when we lost the first wheel in the Mojave Desert. It just went flying off into the desert.

The entrie axle was wasted with no way to fix it.

We bought a new axle in Bakersfield and replaced it.

Then about 500 miles later, the tires started to wobble. The lug nuts wouldn't stay tight. We had to stop about every hundred miles to re-tighten them.

By the time he got here, just under 2,000 miles, the hub asseblies were burned out and the wheels where wobbling. He bought new axles and we replaced them when he got here and we've never had any poblems with it since. We've taken it on several trips including almost 5,000 miles on one trip without any issue with the new axles.

I would never own a trailer with moble home axles.

Eddie

 

[swines]

what that says is, if we said it would be ok to reuse them on other houses, people would, and we wouldnt keep selling axles because the first set is your last set. but we want to sell axles so... no you cant use them more than once.

I don't think so. What that says is that the manufacturer has made a product for a one-time use and will not warranty the product for more than that - it also gets to liability on the product if used more than once.

The cost of the product is as low a possible because of its limited usage, and that cost is factored into the delivery of the manufactured housing. This is no different than "wasting lumber" for concrete forms, or any other type of material or product that is used temporarily.

 

[gboudreau]

I built a trailer 4 years ago with 2 mobile home axles and have had no problems with them. I reworked the brakes to turn them into hydraulic brakes, with using a break kit from northern tool. I did have to replace all 4 tires with new tires that did nto state they were for mobile home use as the DOt would not put a sticker on it with them. My father has a homeade 4 axle equipments trailer he used for years to move his 680 case backhoe and john deere 450 crawler loader and never had any problems with the axles or bearings.

 

[HarryVanderpool]

Take a look at this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/Shallotman/Garden2004004.jpg

We assembled this trailer in 1976 with mobile home axles.
Notice that these axles have the 5 bolt pattern.
I put a couple thousand miles on this trailer annually and it weighs #8800 lbs loaded.
Last year I bought four new 12" Dexter backplates and brake assemblys.
They bolted right up.
Also replaced all bearings and seals.
I have no question that it will be good for another 30 years.
Now, I could throw all the money that I want at new axles and it would not give me one bit better service than it does already.
Timkin bearings work every bit as good on these axles as on any others.
The same goes for the brakes.
How much better can you get than WORKS PERFECTLY!

 

[Rara Avis]

Note 4 is interesting...
www.championtrailers.com/Mobile home axles.pdf