Tilt trailer comparison

[Diamondpilot]

We had nothing but issues with torsion acles on boat trailers. Fill the boat up with 75 gallons of fuel and you ended up with 70% of the load on the rear axle.

Great idea that just didn't work.

 

[TMGT]

Just curious - you mention putting a Maine plate on the trailer. You advise that will save hundreds $$. Do you own property in Maine or is it necessary in order to get Maine plates? I live in a border state to Maine and register a dump trailer in my state which is not inexpensive. Thanks.

I looked into registering in Maine, I have permanent plates in Va so all I have to do is an annual inspection which isn't a problem so didn't see any advantages to Maine.

 

[JJZ 109]

Just curious - you mention putting a Maine plate on the trailer. You advise that will save hundreds $$. Do you own property in Maine or is it necessary in order to get Maine plates? I live in a border state to Maine and register a dump trailer in my state which is not inexpensive. Thanks.

For me, it's about $75 per year (each) to register 4 trailers in NY. But that varies by weight. In Maine it's $99 for 5 years no matter the weight over 3k. I can also avoid an 8% sales tax on the brand new one I bought yesterday in PA. They'll register non resident trailers as long as there are no sleeping quarters, such as a camper or horse trailer with compartment for people. Also, no annual inspections to pay for.
I currently have a dump trailer and a 7x18 enclosed with Maine tags. In the process now of getting the new PJ equipment hauler set up with it.
Your state may have more reasonable registration fees and may or may not be worth it for you.
Home | Maine Trailer Registrations

 

[JJZ 109]

The biggest issue with torsion axles is keeping them level. As long as your loaded trailer is perfectly level, the axles are both carrying half the load. As soon as the trailer pitches nose up or down, the load rapidly shifts to the lowest axle easily overloading it. For a travel trailer or any other trailer that does not change much in weight, it is easier to setup the vehicle for the correct ball height to keep everything level. With an equipment trailer, the loads always seem to be different and it becomes very difficult to keep it level. We won't even get into the issues that arise when you go over uneven terrain or in and out of drive ways. PJ seems to build a good trailer and I am currently looking at one of their as a replacement for my tilt deck (need a deck-over). Hopefully your usage will be in line with needs of the torsion axles. I currently own trailers with both slipper spring and torsion axles and have had no issues with either. They each have their place, you just need to know the limitations and operate within them.

Between the adjustable hitch on the truck, adjustable hitch on the trailer and length that should be sufficient for me to place the loads where they should be, I think I'll be OK with balancing the load.
I also opted to buy a Weigh Safe hitch while I was there to better keep track of tongue weight on the truck. Pricey, but I have 4 different trailers doing 4 different things so I hope it'll be worth it.
Weigh Safe Trailer Drop Hitch | Award-Winning Tongue Weight Scale