Unloaded trailer weights

LoneCowboy · Oct 23, 2006

Ok, looking into gooseneck utility trailers.

There are double axle single tires and double axle duals.

The duals obviously haul more, but the singles (7k axles) shoudl be fine.

What I need to haul weighs about 9000 to 10,000 lbs

What does an empty 20' gooseneck with 7000lb axles weigh
and
what does a empty 20' gooseneck with duals (10k axles) weigh?

approximately

any info would be appreciated
TIA

schmism · Oct 23, 2006

you can get a 20' gooseneck with duals? i would have thought the smallest you could get with duals would be 22-25'

its hard to say.... an entry level gooseneck with 2 5000lb axles is a fairly light weight trailer... but who's to say that same gooseneck design they dont just slap 2 7500 axles under it.....

i see 16-20' car trailers that range in 'quality" all the time. quality = amount of steel = beef = weight.

my WFG an entry level gooseneck would be as lightweight as 1800lbs... vs a heavy duty dual trailer weighting in at 5K lbs.

Boomerang1 · Oct 23, 2006

20' would be without the dovetail. A 20' Big Tex with dual tires weighs 5440#s.
Their 20' single tire weighs 4825#s

Dual tire GVWR 20,000#s.
Single tire GVWR 14,000#s.

LoneCowboy · Oct 23, 2006

Boomerang1 said:
20' would be without the dovetail. A 20' Big Tex with dual tires weighs 5440#s.
Their 20' single tire weighs 4825#s

Dual tire GVWR 20,000#s.
Single tire GVWR 14,000#s.

Really?????????
Wow, the salesman at the PJ trailers dealer (where they overpriced the crap out of them) said the single wheels weighed about 5k lbs and the dual's weighed about 8k lbs.
hmmmmmmmmm

So, difference in towing with duals and such?

George2615 · Oct 23, 2006

I have an Appalachian 12K GVWR gooseneck with two 6K axles w/ single wheels. 24' overall length, 20' deck plus 4' tail. I'm unsure of the exact weight but I'm guessing my trailer itself weighs just under 4000 so that only leaves 8000 for the load. That is way more than I haul so I'm safe. I'm sure the 14K GVWR model weighs about 4000 - 4500 so a load weight of 9 - 10K would be the limit. Double check with the dealer of the trailer your interested in for an exact weight since you'll need to deduct that # from the GVWR of the trailer. I think if you go above a 14K trailer it will have dual wheels (4) per axle.

rdln · Oct 23, 2006

I see lots of single wheel 8000# axles as options on the websites and plus cant you count the extra weight that is applied to the truck via the pin?

Gooseneck pin weight should be 15-25% so a 10,000# machine could apply 2500# to truck and 7500# to trailer axles.

Boomerang1 · Oct 24, 2006

LoneCowboy said:
Really?????????
Wow, the salesman at the PJ trailers dealer (where they overpriced the crap out of them) said the single wheels weighed about 5k lbs and the dual's weighed about 8k lbs.
hmmmmmmmmm

So, difference in towing with duals and such?

Dauls are handy if you have a flat because you can limp into a repair shop or off the road. But, you have 4 more tires to maintain & replace. Also, if you have a blowout on one tire it could take out the one next to it.
If you have to replace a tire, you should replace the one next to it if the tread is worn 50% because if both tires are not the same dia., the taller tire will run hot from taking most of the load.
Single tires are better on slippery roads because they put more psi. on the road.
I would go for the single tires if I did not need the higher GAWR.(Gross axle weight rating)

mlauk · Oct 24, 2006

The only drawback with the single wheel 8000# axles is that the tires are the limiting factor.

Something to consider with the duals is that you might need a CDL.

wushaw · Oct 24, 2006

mlauk said:
The only drawback with the single wheel 8000# axles is that the tires are the limiting factor.

Something to consider with the duals is that you might need a CDL.

Not unless you use 17.5 tires like Goodyear G114. G114 US and Canada

Duals or singles does not have anything to do with CDL. Your state license requirements do.

mlauk · Oct 25, 2006

Yes, I said you might need a CDL. Usually with 10k axles and duals the trailer is rated over 20k + truck which puts it over 26k GCWR which usually requires a CDL at least in Texas. There are exeptions like for farm which allow up to 34k GCWR. It's not how much you are carrying, they base it on how much the truck and trailer are rated for.