Triple or double axle dump trailer

[les-or-more]

Where are you buying 3500 lb tire and wheel combos for that $? As for your buddy? Education is expensive. I’ve got my Doctorate. Good talking with you.

Ebay.
Again trying not to go down a rabbit hole, with prices from a buddy's cousin who runs a tire shop kind of thing.

 

[les-or-more]

Ebay.
Again trying not to go down a rabbit hole, with prices from a buddy's cousin who runs a tire shop kind of thing.

I was under a grand for 4 new tire and wheel comb's along with new brakes, bearings and drums. Inflation has done away with that though.

 

[Jhenderson]

Understood. Thanks.

 

[softdown]

The tire wear is worse with 3 axles, but the tires are cheaper. A 10k axle the tire and wheel combo is going to be upwards of $500 a piece if they will each carry 5k. The triple only requires 16" E rated tires which are cheap over all. I built trailers for a couple of years, we shipped several hundred a year. I am certain the cost to build a tri axle is quite a bit less than a tandem.
I built my trailer in 2000 it is 24 feet long and routinely carries equipment that weighs it GVW, so overloaded. It only has an 8 inch channel frame, rust will put it out of service from road salt. I spent a crap load when I built it buying epoxy paint and primer. It desperately needs to be sandblasted and repainted but has held up exceptionally well under our winter road conditions. I built it with tie downs and front and rear ramps to haul snowmobiles as well.

The thing I like about three axles is six braking tires instead of four. For the past 20 years I have had to stand on my brakes on the interstate way, way too often. Why people decide to come to a quick dead stop on the interstate is quite interesting. I do not remember it ever happening in the distant past. Are they trying to collect insurance? By creating a massive interstate accident? More brakes are better.

I want an ~20' three axle pintle hitch trailer for several reasons. I have come to prefer pintle hitch over gooseneck. I find them far more intuitive to back up.

So far a short one has been very hard to find. May have to go much longer. Pros and cons to everything it seems.

 

[Jhenderson]

The brake issue has been previously discussed. 3, 7K axles have less brake swept area than 2, 10K axles and provide less braking .

 

[softdown]

I have been responding to your assertions.

The tires are cheaper the axles are cheaper the hanger kits are cheaper and by a significant amount. Who is building the trailer is irrelevant, it is cheaper to build a tri axle 10 ton trailer than a tandem axle trailer. I have done my best to give you an apples to apples comparison, my own personal preference is for a tandem axle configuration, that however doesn't negate the facts. A trailer with 3 7k axles can legally carry more weight.
Most trailers around here are in the scrapyard because of corrosion not for being broken. We could argue for eternity over every little detail. I have attempted to point out that like many things this is subjective, what you consider to be high quality may not be to someone else. Trailers are built to haul payload, the lighter the trailer the more payload you can carry. We all know the lighter the frame the shorter the lifespan, the key is finding the balance we find acceptable.

I keep reading and hearing that DOT adds up tire ratings. Makes sense because trailer manufacture GVWR vary from extremely conservative to hyper optimism. I've seen 18,000 GVWR trailers that were stouter than trailers touting 36,000 GVWR.

I have some older 17.5" tires and rims. They seem to weight twice as much as the common 235/80/16 tire and rim. Of course they carry a much higher weight rating.

I've done a LOT of trailering. Tires are more likely to fail under duress than axles I think. Wheel studs as well.

Now three axles sporting dual 17.5" tires/wheels? That would have some capacity and weight. Yet a defunct manufacturer curiously only claims a 19,000 GVWR. for that configuration.

 

[les-or-more]

I keep reading and hearing that DOT adds up tire ratings. Makes sense because trailer manufacture GVWR vary from extremely conservative to hyper optimism. I've seen 18,000 GVWR trailers that were stouter than trailers touting 36,000 GVWR.

I have some older 17.5" tires and rims. They seem to weight twice as much as the common 235/80/16 tire and rim. Of course they carry a much higher weight rating.

I've done a LOT of trailering. Tires are more likely to fail under duress than axles I think. Wheel studs as well.

Now three axles sporting dual 17.5" tires/wheels? That would have some capacity and weight. Yet a defunct manufacturer curiously only claims a 19,000 GVWR. for that configuration.

Yes there are a lot of ratings, the company I worked for rated them for the axle capacity. A 3500lb brake with a 3500lb idler axle got a rating of 5k, 2 3500lb brake axles got 7k. 2- 7k axles were always rated at 14k we always used only brake axles above 10k trailers. I have seen goosenecks rated at 18k with 2 7k axles, not going to go good if the whirly lights come on behind you. In my experience everyone overloads their trailer, so keeping the rating low is better.

 

[Jhenderson]

There are some very good manufacturers and there are some that make you wonder how they got a federal manufacturer license. The only sure way to know what you’re getting is go look and compare the trailers while referencing the specs. I’d much rather buy an underrated trailer than an overrated one.

 

[softdown]

So a friend is telling me that a 3 axle trailer for sale can have an axle moved and become a slider - to allow loading of equipment. Having a hard time visualizing that one being very easy to operate.

The 3 axle dually (12 tires/wheels) is also for sale by auction. That would be a BEAST of a trailer. But the price is likely to go nuts. And what would that sucker weigh anyway?

Anybody know what to roughly expect in the weight difference between pintle hitch and goose neck? I figure the pintle should weigh maybe ~ 500 pounds less - in a 7500 pound class trailer.

 

[Jhenderson]

I would try going to some of the better trailer manufacturers websites and check the spec sheets for tare wts.

 

[sawfarmer]

If you can afford it buy the diamond C get the 10k axles.also order it with a telescopic hoist . As for tri axle they scrub tires when turning sharp and with the 16" tires i have had a tire roll off the bead and go flat when making very sharp turns when loaded, that has been my experiance a time or two. I prefer a gooseneck dump with single wheel 8k or 10k axles, 17.5/19.5 rubber depending on the axles.