Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles?

[Newblue]

I had one that would handle pretty bad. It was a tri-axle with leaf packs on the back two axles and equilizers with the front axle having one big spring separate from the back two. Behind the Deuce it was no big deal but behind my dually I could never get the hitch height right and it would either lock the front brakes or tow badly with the nose down. I even pulled it empty with a 2wd s-10 and had an instance where it picked up the rear wheels of the s-10 while I was turning into my drive off of the road. I tried to counter steer but it didn't help untill the front wheels dropped off the road onto the drive. Regained control and luckily didn't hit a nearby tree. It had brakes on all three axles and I even put a controller in the s-10 but it happened so fast I didn't have time to hit the controller.

 

[lostcause]

I had one that would handle pretty bad. It was a tri-axle with leaf packs on the back two axles and equilizers with the front axle having one big spring separate from the back two. Behind the Deuce it was no big deal but behind my dually I could never get the hitch height right and it would either lock the front brakes or tow badly with the nose down. I even pulled it empty with a 2wd s-10 and had an instance where it picked up the rear wheels of the s-10 while I was turning into my drive off of the road. I tried to counter steer but it didn't help untill the front wheels dropped off the road onto the drive. Regained control and luckily didn't hit a nearby tree. It had brakes on all three axles and I even put a controller in the s-10 but it happened so fast I didn't have time to hit the controller.

not meant to be criticism here, but is that really the fault of mobile home axles? looking at that trailer i'd guess it weighs a pretty good amount empty. probably not at the capacity of the s-10, but up there pretty good. do you think the outcome would have been different with standard trailer axles? with a two axle you are often dragging an axle sideways in turns and with a tri-axle it's a lot worse. it probably wanted to go straight ahead instead of turning. if you were going slow enough to turn into a driveway and started to lose control, just hitting the vehicle brakes should have applied the trailer's brakes enough to stop the whole unit pretty quickly unless you dialed the strength and delay all the way down.

 

[uchytil]

Lots of good replys (both ways to Sunday)! Lostcause - Where at in Maine? My wifes from Rockland and my folks live in Kittery Point. We are now living in Michigan because that's where the military landed us and now we are up to our gills in farm animals, LOL!

Anyway, the Blue Boys in Michigan regulate the big rigs and have the best up-to-date info. I found out on the SecState page that trailers with loads exceding 3K lbs need brakes. Other than that I feel if a trailer is safe, and towed at state regulated speed of 55 MPH, you would be OK. Like I said, the previous owner hauled about 5500 lbs. regularly for near 30 years nationwide. I plan to use it on country roads with a 100 mile radius at most.

Worst case is I sell it to a farmer for a hay wagon

 

[lostcause]

Lots of good replys (both ways to Sunday)! Lostcause - Where at in Maine? My wifes from Rockland and my folks live in Kittery Point. We are now living in Michigan because that's where the military landed us and now we are up to our gills in farm animals, LOL!

Anyway, the Blue Boys in Michigan regulate the big rigs and have the best up-to-date info. I found out on the SecState page that trailers with loads exceding 3K lbs need brakes. Other than that I feel if a trailer is safe, and towed at state regulated speed of 55 MPH, you would be OK. Like I said, the previous owner hauled about 5500 lbs. regularly for near 30 years nationwide. I plan to use it on country roads with a 100 mile radius at most.

Worst case is I sell it to a farmer for a hay wagon

i'm about 20-25 miles east of rockland.

i tend to agree with your approach to the laws - my experience is that the laws are not written to single out specific products, as it would be too cumbersome. individuals tend to focus on nomenclature like: "one time use", "limited use", "for mobile home use only" and similar markings, but the states don't often care about that. they care about whether the tires are highway approved, that it has brakes on the correct number of axles, and similar things. i once specifically asked about "for mobile home use only" markings on tires, and according to the commercial vehicle enforcement division, the laws say nothing about that. as long as the tire does not say "not for highway use" then it is fine to use. again, mileage may vary by state, but always get as official of an answer as you can. i'd trust that more than a forum reply.

i found a 50+ page document from the state of maine that outlines trailering laws. it talks about the number of tie downs required for different weight loads, maximum loads per axle, and a lot of other stuff, but i found nothing about not reusing axles from mobile homes. as you said, it's about whether the trailer is safe, and that's an issue of how it is built and maintained - not where your axles came from. the same style axles used on mobile homes have in the past been sold and used by commercial trailer manufacturers.

 

[Newblue]

not meant to be criticism here, but is that really the fault of mobile home axles? looking at that trailer i'd guess it weighs a pretty good amount empty. probably not at the capacity of the s-10, but up there pretty good. do you think the outcome would have been different with standard trailer axles? with a two axle you are often dragging an axle sideways in turns and with a tri-axle it's a lot worse. it probably wanted to go straight ahead instead of turning. if you were going slow enough to turn into a driveway and started to lose control, just hitting the vehicle brakes should have applied the trailer's brakes enough to stop the whole unit pretty quickly unless you dialed the strength and delay all the way down.

I never really had any problems with the axles themselves, just a bad designed trailer. I was able to replace all six shoes/magnets/bearings when I bought it unlike some that say you can't on those type of axles. The guy I bought it from hauled a small dozer with it behind a 3/4 ton truck in the 70s and I think he made it to take the weight off of the hitch. I also think the trailer was too short for a tri-axle. With no power steering on the s-10, there was no way I could countersteer and reach down to hit the brake controller without having the setup jackknife.

Edit: The trailer weighed 4K lbs empty. The decking was 3/8" diamond plate!

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Edit: The trailer weighed 4K lbs empty. The decking was 3/8" diamond plate!

Holy Cow!!. That empty trailer was probably at or beyond the rated towing capacity of the S-10 truck.

Good thing you had that old Deuce & a Half.

 

[Newblue]

Yeah, the s-10 was a 91, 2.5L, stick, regular cab, shortbed, 2wd. I'm sure it was way over capacity. With no tounge weight I thought it was a smart thing to do at the time! I still have the Deuce but sold the tri-axle trailer and bought a gooseneck. I do wish I could still pull the tractor with the Deuce.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I do wish I could still pull the tractor with the Deuce.

C'mon. Someone out there must have some kind of conversion for a gooseneck ball on a Deuce.

 

[AndyG]

I have a trailer that I built from a MH frame and it has served me very well. The trailer started out as a 12'x60' with 2 axles so it is probably very old. I cut it down to about 8'x24' with the wheels toward the rear so it tows very well bedhind my 1 ton. Two important things come to mind. The original bearings only had 1/2 as many rollers as a new trailer bearing would have so they were replaced. MH rims do not have a flat bead surface like most tubless rims. The bead is angled as a result it is easier to break the bead away from the rim when turning or hitting a curb. The solution is simple though. Keep the tires aired up tight and they will stay on the rim. I have hauled BIG weight for long distances and had no trouble with the tires because they were properly inflated.

 

[crazyal]

I've got an equipment trailer with mh style axles but they are construction equipment axles. Its a factory built float, dexter axles, all replaceable bearings and brakes.

I have a factory built tri-axle equipment trailer that has the same axles. I use the MH tires as spares. I've replaced the brakes with no problems what so ever.