Enclosed Trailer Weight Question

[lts1ow]

Looking for a rough curb weight on a 8x24ft car mate trailer, its stickered at 7k gvwr which seems low for a 24ft trailer. Figure two 3k lb axles but still, I am guessing its gotta be maybe 3k lbs curb?

CL link below
http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/for/4717450810.html

 

[thunder550]

I had a 8x24 enclosed with tandem 5200 lb axles that was 3600 empty I think.

 

[lts1ow]

Hmn thats what I thought, friend didn't want to believe me that legally its a useless trailer.

Now, can heavier axles be swapped in and get the gvwr re done? Or not possible?

 

[Chevy1925]

Hmn thats what I thought, friend didn't want to believe me that legally its a useless trailer.

Now, can heavier axles be swapped in and get the gvwr re done? Or not possible?

depends on how well built the frame of the trailer is. some of them are just tossed together.

whats funny is my toyhauler is rated to 12k fully loaded up yet the axles under it were 5200lbs axles. i had them upgraded to 6000lbs axles. i max that trailer out or a bit over every time i load up with my samurai in it.

 

[PACougar]

Man I've been looking for the same thing and this is a big problem in the trailer industry, they all come stock with way to little capacity.

 

[lts1ow]

Man I've been looking for the same thing and this is a big problem in the trailer industry, they all come stock with way to little capacity.

Yup, its all landscaping crap that is useless if you wanna actually haul a car or light truck in em.

 

[kenny]

Looking for a rough curb weight on a 8x24ft car mate trailer, its stickered at 7k gvwr which seems low for a 24ft trailer. Figure two 3k lb axles but still, I am guessing its gotta be maybe 3k lbs curb?

CL link below
http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/for/4717450810.html

My 21 foot enclosed weighs 3200# empty. Remember guys when it comes to trailers the manufactures rated axles only need to be big enough to support 2/3 of total weight.

 

[PACougar]

My 21 foot enclosed weighs 3200# empty. Remember guys when it comes to trailers the manufactures rated axles only need to be big enough to support 2/3 of total weight.

I'm not sure what you mean? Are you saying a 6000lbs axle can hold 9000lbs? If so, what do you have to back this up? Every trailer I've looked at has had gvwr matching the axle capacity.

 

[hondarider552]

meaning the other 1/3 is on the tow truck.

 

[kenny]

meaning the other 1/3 is on the tow truck.

What he said..^^^ don't beat urself up about it..:hug:

 

[kenny]

I'm not sure what you mean? Are you saying a 6000lbs axle can hold 9000lbs? If so, what do you have to back this up? Every trailer I've looked at has had gvwr matching the axle capacity.

This is what I mean by what I posted. An axles weight rating is exactly what its designed to carry and not fail under normal use. Here is my proof to back my statement. These are my personal trailers and what they are rated for.

53' Westwind, 3-7000# axles, 30k GVWR...
48' WW hauler, 3-5000# axles, 18k GVWR...
21' Interstate, 2-3000# axles, 7k GVWR...
18' PJ hauler, 2-5000# axles, 12k GVWR...

I don't know what trailers you looked at and seen the axles rated the same as the GVWR of the trailer but none of my personal trailers are rated in that fashion. All our equipment trailers in the stage yard are rated higher than their axle capacity too!!

 

[PACougar]

Are those 5th wheels?

 

[Chevy1925]

His 53' and 48' would be. The rest are tongue. A fifth wheel or goose can get away with more on the hitch than a tongue.

 

[PACougar]

His 53' and 48' would be. The rest are tongue. A fifth wheel or goose can get away with more on the hitch than a tongue.

I agree and I should have been specific about looking for bumper pulls. Of course a 5th wheel is using the truck as part of the load capacity, but a bumper pull is never going to let you carry 50 percent more than the axle capacity. Even those examples aren't far over the axle capacity for the bumper pulls and one I've looked at have had the gvwr matched to the axle capacity.

Edit. Here's a perfect example and it's exactly what I've seen from lots of manufacturers. It has 5200lbs axles and a gvwr of 9990lbs. http://www.trailersplus.com/California/Gilroy/Enclosed-Car-Haulers/trailer/4RACS2428FK055305/

Same thing here, gvwr 7000lbs with dual 3500lbs axles
http://www.trailersplus.com/California/Gilroy/Enclosed-Car-Haulers/trailer/4RACS2029FK053908/

 

[kenny]

I agree and I should have been specific about looking for bumper pulls. Of course a 5th wheel is using the truck as part of the load capacity, but a bumper pull is never going to let you carry 50 percent more than the axle capacity. Even those examples aren't far over the axle capacity for the bumper pulls and one I've looked at have had the gvwr matched to the axle capacity.

Edit. Here's a perfect example and it's exactly what I've seen from lots of manufacturers. It has 5200lbs axles and a gvwr of 9990lbs. http://www.trailersplus.com/California/Gilroy/Enclosed-Car-Haulers/trailer/4RACS2428FK055305/

Same thing here, gvwr 7000lbs with dual 3500lbs axles
http://www.trailersplus.com/California/Gilroy/Enclosed-Car-Haulers/trailer/4RACS2029FK053908/

That wouldnt be the first time I have seen something listed wrong from a seller or on paperwork itself. I know you were listing those trailers to show weight rating but actual axle info is not given for either trailer. Check tag on axle to know exactly what it is. I have been mislead what a trailer's axle true capacity is. Found out differently after I checked it myself by reading the tag. You can order a trailer in any configuration you desire. A manufacture is not required to put axles under a trailer to match the GVWR of the trailer. 1/3 of the total weight of your load, whether you're bumper pull or 5th/goose, is supposed to be carried by the tow vehicle. Yes, we all load our trailer's to meet our specific desires. Hope this helps.

 

[kenny]

Hell, at one point I owned a 16', 10k PJ trailer, bumper pull, that had two 7k axles under it, haha...

 

[kenny]

Just checked my friends enclosed he uses for his sleds. its a 24' V-nose rated 10k and has 6k axles under it but he said it originally had 5.2k axles under it and ordered bigger ones. Trailer empty weighs 4300#. I also know from experience replacing axles, that manufactures will use the more common "on the shelf" type axles. 5.2k, 6k, 7k...

8k and up are not as common "on the shelf" axles.

 

[PACougar]

That wouldnt be the first time I have seen something listed wrong from a seller or on paperwork itself. I know you were listing those trailers to show weight rating but actual axle info is not given for either trailer. Check tag on axle to know exactly what it is. I have been mislead what a trailer's axle true capacity is. Found out differently after I checked it myself by reading the tag. You can order a trailer in any configuration you desire. A manufacture is not required to put axles under a trailer to match the GVWR of the trailer. 1/3 of the total weight of your load, whether you're bumper pull or 5th/goose, is supposed to be carried by the tow vehicle. Yes, we all load our trailer's to meet our specific desires. Hope this helps.

I don't know what makes you think a 1/3 of the weight is supposed to be carried by the vehicle, if you had a 15000lbs load on a bumper pull, I'd love to see you with 5000lbs sitting on your hitch. I have yet to find a bumper from anyone that has a higher gvwr than the axles will support. Please, if you have a link to one post it. I even checked the companies you listed above for their bumper pulls and none of them had a higher gvwr than the axles ratings.

 

[kenny]

I don't know what makes you think a 1/3 of the weight is supposed to be carried by the vehicle, if you had a 15000lbs load on a bumper pull, I'd love to see you with 5000lbs sitting on your hitch. I have yet to find a bumper from anyone that has a higher gvwr than the axles will support. Please, if you have a link to one post it. I even checked the companies you listed above for their bumper pulls and none of them had a higher gvwr than the axles ratings.

Are you going off internet quotes or are you checking real world data, aka "in person?" I know what my tags say on my trailer axles. I know what the GVWR sticker says. I also know what the capacity of the tires are, lol. What do your trailers say? Anything between the weight of 10-30k is recommended to be towed using a 5th/GN type trailer to do it "safely". I can't recall GAWR of the rear axle on a Dmax (3/4 ton) but I think you be cutting it close at that 5k+ tongue weight with the correct type of trailer. I think it is 11.5k but the tires would limit you before the axle. Don't know why you assume that I never had 5k or more on my hitch, haha?

Building and design of trailers, the axles are placed so that 2/3 of the weight is shared between the axle(s) and the ball on the front of the trailer. Keep in mind couterbalance from everything rear of the carry axles. It is designed this way for safety reasons. I don't know how else to explain this simple design. Hope this helps.

 

[PACougar]

Are you going off internet quotes or are you checking real world data, aka "in person?" I know what my tags say on my trailer axles. I know what the GVWR sticker says. I also know what the capacity of the tires are, lol. What do your trailers say? Anything between the weight of 10-30k is recommended to be towed using a 5th/GN type trailer to do it "safely". I can't recall GAWR of the rear axle on a Dmax (3/4 ton) but I think you be cutting it close at that 5k+ tongue weight with the correct type of trailer. I think it is 11.5k but the tires would limit you before the axle. Don't know why you assume that I never had 5k or more on my hitch, haha?

Building and design of trailers, the axles are placed so that 2/3 of the weight is shared between the axle(s) and the ball on the front of the trailer. Keep in mind couterbalance from everything rear of the carry axles. It is designed this way for safety reasons. I don't know how else to explain this simple design. Hope this helps.

I'm sorry, but I've been towing commercial trailers for the last 13 years and you're quite incorrect about putting 1/3 of the weight on the hitch. Here's a great example, a class V hitch is rated to tow a 12000lbs trailer with a maximum tongue weight of 1200lbs. I will guarantee you've never had 5000lbs on your tongue before. The tongue rating on hitches are generally 10 percent of the maximum tow capacity. So if we go by your 1/3 of the weight goes on the tongue claim, you'd only be able to tow a 3600lbs trailer with a class V hitch. A correctly loaded bumper pull trailer should have a nearly neutral weight distribution over the axles with a small bias towards the front of the trailer. The only bumper pull trailers I know of that are designed to put a large weight distribution on the truck are pintle hook trailers designed to be put on the back of big trucks, but we're talking about car haulers behind a 2500. Now I'm not suggesting I haven't from time to time put way more than the rated tongue load on my truck, but that doesn't mean it was the best of choices.