PJ 16' Single Axle Tilt Trailer with 7,000 pound axle

[Poopdeck Pappy]

The time has come for me to haul my Kubota BX23 or my BX2660 around sometimes. Not every day or even every week, but sometimes. I also need to be able to haul my Grasshopper 725BT front-deck mower sometimes. The BX23 is the heaviest and longest, and weighs around 2,600 pounds.

So, I need to get a different trailer. But the problem is that I have a 2007 Toyota 4Runner as my tow vehicle, which only has a 5,000 tow rating. A 2,000 pound trailer means I only have a max of 3,000 pounds left for cargo.

I've been looking at the PJ 16' single axle tilt trailer, which has one 7,000 pound axle (instead of two 3,500 pound axles). It would fit my needs now and would give me a little room to grow when I get a pickup, as this trailer has a cargo capacity of 5,000 pounds.

My question is this: I'm worried about load balancing on a single axle trailer, even with just a 3,000 pound load on it. My 4runner has a max tongue weight of 500 pounds, so that doesn't leave much room for error on the tongue weight. And the single axle makes that a little trickier than a double axle.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[s219]

You're much better off with tandem axles. And if you have limited towing capacity, look into a tandem axle landscape trailer -- a 7x16 will weigh in about 1500-1600#. It's a good size for everything you mention with plenty of room to spare. You will be able to position the load to get the right tongue weight. These trailers are also very versatile, and good for a lot of other chores and hauling. I use the heck out of mine.

 

[bdog]

Nothing wrong with a single axle. The only real downside is it can get hairy when you blow a tire but other than that I think I would prefer a single 7k vs tandem 3.5's. Less tires to buy, less bearings to maintain, etc. I have also found the larger axles to be much more robust all the way around. Tires last longer, bearing are better, brakes are better, etc.

The balance thing is not as big of a deal as you think. On a tandem your balance point is the middle of the axles. If you had a load on the trailer with tandems and weighed the tongue and then removed the tandems and placed a single axle right where the center of the tandems were the tongue weight should be pretty much the same.

Get the trailer if you like it and go buy a sherline tongue weight scale to dial in your tongue weight. Once you have it perfect paint or etch a mark on your trailer so you can always load the tractor in the right spot. We took an angle grinder and put little notches on the wood deck of our trailer where machines go so we always load them the same and get desired tongue weights.

 

[s219]

The balance thing is not as big of a deal as you think. On a tandem your balance point is the middle of the axles. If you had a load on the trailer with tandems and weighed the tongue and then removed the tandems and placed a single axle right where the center of the tandems were the tongue weight should be pretty much the same.

The difference (which is significant) is that a single axle trailer is a teeter-totter about that balance point. On a tandem, it's not. You have a heck of a lot more leeway with tandem axles.

 

[bdog]

People perceive that but get out a scale and it doesn't make as much difference as you would think. The way tandem axle hangers are designed they balance the load between each other.

The tongue weight on a trailer will not change much between a tandem or a single centered where the tandems were. Tandems do support the trailer over a longer area but the OP is concerned about tongue weight and tongue weight is determined by the distance from the hitch to the center of the axle group and the position of the load.

 

[Diamondpilot]

No way I would use that size single behind your vehicle. Get a Tandem.... Not only will you get safer but you will also be able to grow in the future.

Chris

 

[bdog]

A 7,000lb trailer is a 7,000lb trailer. If you have a single 7k or or tandem 3.5's it still hauls the same amount. The tandem doesn't give you any more room to grow.

 

[Cataclysm]

I would go with a tandem every time just to have 4 tires sharing the load. Plus a tandem will lessen the bounce from potholes.

That being said, the weak link and real problem is your 4runner's trailering capacity.

With all of the above in mind I would buy a heavier tandem trailer and be careful about overloading the trailer for your 4runner.

Then when you upgrade your 4runner you have the towing capacity thay you are really wanting.

 

[civilian]

One comment I would make is based on how the trailers are stored and moved around during storage. A single axle with a wheel under the tongue jack can be moved around on concrete by hand. But a tandem axle with a tongue jack wheel is about impossible to move around. Unless it balances on one axle. On my 12 ft tandem axle trailer, it will balance on the front axle with the tongue off the ground and the rear axle just barely touching the ground. I can move it in the building by hand and get t close to the side wall. The 16ft tandem, is darn impossible to move, It will not balance on one axle, but if the tongue is way high, I can move it with much effort. Does this matter to the OP, don't know. Just something I have observed. Jon

 

[bdog]

These single axle gooseneck stock trailers are popular in my area. They have a single 7k axle. If you want a margin of safety throw some 17.5's on it. A friend of mine had one of these and it pulled really well. Never had any issues.



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