Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles?

   / Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles? #61  
It seems like there is a common theme going on. We see from the conversation that all mobile home axles are not the same. QUOTE]

I'm glad this thread has persisted because I'm now reading posts that match my experience. The ones with welded-on brakes are skimpy and I, personally, would not want them on my trailer but those with welded flanges, bolt-on backing plates and replaceable brakes are, IMO, essentially indistinguishable from commercial ones.
 
   / Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles? #62  
So are there utility versions of these axles or are the MH really that bad?

It just makes this issue more confusing. :confused: :confused:

::*Hughes Wheel & Axle, Inc.
Short answer, yes. UTG (utility trailer grade) is a term I'm very familiar with. And, yes, I do use some with 8-14.5 load range G 10 ply tires on a tilt deck trailer. And, yes, it is DOT legal (your local area may differ) Self locking nuts and a good torque wrench are pluses.
 
   / Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles? #63  
It seems like there is a common theme going on. We see from the conversation that all mobile home axles are not the same. QUOTE]

I'm glad this thread has persisted because I'm now reading posts that match my experience. The ones with welded-on brakes are skimpy and I, personally, would not want them on my trailer but those with welded flanges, bolt-on backing plates and replaceable brakes are, IMO, essentially indistinguishable from commercial ones.

The Hudson trailers come with welded on brakes. :confused2:
 
   / Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles? #64  
I forgot to mention one thing about the tires. There are 2 common sizes. 7-14.5 & 8-14.5. When I looked at the load ratings on them I noticed that the larger tire has a much larger load rating. I always use the bigger ones even though they are not as common.
 
   / Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles? #65  
I wasn't trying to be condescending, here are your exact words I was replying to:

the big reason they are "cheap" is that manufactured housing is abundant

The abundance of manufactured housing has little or nothing to do with their cheapness. The original manufacturer built them to a different spec. They say so. That resulted in their original asking price being lower. Then, at every step of the way, during every resale transaction, that original cheapness is passed along. The original owner knows what they have, and realizes what it's worth is in comparison to available service axle alternatives. If they're "as good" they'd sell for "as much". I wouldn't be able to go to Craigslist and see ads for "heavy-duty 6000 lb. trailer axles with rims and tires....$75 each" if they were worth more than that. Rocket science it ain't.

It would be extremely easy for a non-MH axle fan like myself to come up with alternative rationalizations, (equally unsupported by facts), about the abundance-of-manufactured-housing-as-it-relates-to-MH-axle-pricing.

Here's one:

"The abundance of manufactured housing resulted in axle manufacturers cutting even more corners and building them even cheaper to keep up with the demand.":eek:

As for legality, I've never said they're illegal.....because that may be more difficult to prove given differences in local/regional regulations. I've always maintained that they're cheaper, both in price and in terms of build quality. The companies making them agree. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Why don't companies like Dexter simply sell traditional service-type 6K axles to the manufactured home industry? Why was the MH axle developed? Why did they tool up, (or more appropriately tool down), to build it? Whose idea was the MH axle....and why? And why haven't equipment trailer manufacturers jumped on board? Many of them will actually build a trailer to your specs if one they already make needs a dimension here or there modified a bit to meet your needs. They'll even paint your trailer in a color you choose in some cases. Call a sales rep and tell 'em you want a trailer just like one in their brochure, but you want MH axles instead. See if they'll do it. They might source a higher-quality non-MH rim-clamp style axle and do it, but they will not source MH axles and do it.

And ALL of these threads about using MH axles have originated because someone is considering using MH axles. So there you go.

Use them if you wish, (as I've said several times I've even used them myself), but don't try to convince someone else that they're getting something they're not getting. You're getting exactly what you're paying for.

:thumbsup:
 
   / Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles? #66  
I wasn't trying to be condescending, here are your exact words I was replying to:



The abundance of manufactured housing has little or nothing to do with their cheapness. The original manufacturer built them to a different spec. They say so. That resulted in their original asking price being lower. Then, at every step of the way, during every resale transaction, that original cheapness is passed along. The original owner knows what they have, and realizes what it's worth is in comparison to available service axle alternatives. If they're "as good" they'd sell for "as much". I wouldn't be able to go to Craigslist and see ads for "heavy-duty 6000 lb. trailer axles with rims and tires....$75 each" if they were worth more than that. Rocket science it ain't.

It would be extremely easy for a non-MH axle fan like myself to come up with alternative rationalizations, (equally unsupported by facts), about the abundance-of-manufactured-housing-as-it-relates-to-MH-axle-pricing.

Here's one:

"The abundance of manufactured housing resulted in axle manufacturers cutting even more corners and building them even cheaper to keep up with the demand.":eek:

As for legality, I've never said they're illegal.....because that may be more difficult to prove given differences in local/regional regulations. I've always maintained that they're cheaper, both in price and in terms of build quality. The companies making them agree. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Why don't companies like Dexter simply sell traditional service-type 6K axles to the manufactured home industry? Why was the MH axle developed? Why did they tool up, (or more appropriately tool down), to build it? Whose idea was the MH axle....and why? And why haven't equipment trailer manufacturers jumped on board? Many of them will actually build a trailer to your specs if one they already make needs a dimension here or there modified a bit to meet your needs. They'll even paint your trailer in a color you choose in some cases. Call a sales rep and tell 'em you want a trailer just like one in their brochure, but you want MH axles instead. See if they'll do it. They might source a higher-quality non-MH rim-clamp style axle and do it, but they will not source MH axles and do it.

And ALL of these threads about using MH axles have originated because someone is considering using MH axles. So there you go.

Use them if you wish, (as I've said several times I've even used them myself), but don't try to convince someone else that they're getting something they're not getting. You're getting exactly what you're paying for.

:thumbsup:

Very well said.

Chris
 
   / Nyone have a homemade trailer with MH axles? #67  
If you do a search for MH axles you come up with several companies that buy and sell used axles to MH dealers.
 

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