Car Trailer Single or Twin axle? Forums

Jean-Luc

I'm researching the trailer option of bringing a car touring. The car is about 1000kg and about 3.5 meters long (Diahatsu Sirion). I would appreciate opinions from those of you who use a trailer about the relative advantages/disadvantages between a single axle and twin axle unit. The towing vehicle will be a Bessacarr 785.
Thanks in advance, Colin

teemyob

Hello there,

I would go for twin axle, for stability.

Trev.

asprn

takeaflight

Having towed a twin and single axle trailers, well still do, the twin empty is more stable than the single. However with a car loaded onto my single axle then at speeds within the limit for the road then its stable.
The big advantage is manoeuvring the trailer by hand, single no problems, the twin unless on concrete can be a pain in more than one sense.

I had a tow bar fitted to the car so on site if I need to move the trailer over a difficult surface that I hitch up and drive it around.

RAH

Go with the dual axle even though your car is not on the heavy side. And make sure you get good steel-belted radial tires.

Incidentally, I have a dual axle car hauler which we brought over that is too long for our rig. Selling (very) cheap. It's new. 19'.5" long box (enclosed), 5' extended tongue, 7' high interior, twin 5,200 lbs. Dexter torsion drop axles with brakes, radial tires, 4' side door with step, spring-assisted full width/full height rear door, aluminum diamond plate floor and ramp, with beaver tail, heavy duty tie downs, interior lights and vents, heavy duty winch with 6-volt battery and two mounted steel-belted radial spares. White. PM me if interested.

Rapide561

Hi

You might not be able to tow this kind of weight.

The maximum authorised mass of your type of motorhome is 4250kg. The maximum TRAIN WEIGHT is 5500kg. Train weight is the weight of the loaded motorhome, ie loaded with you, your travelling companions, water, fuel, food, clothes etc, plus the weight of the trailer.

A single axle trailer - and there are some that can carry a car weighing 1000g - will itself weigh about 300kg.

A twin axle trailer will weigh about 400kg.

I thoroughly researched all this last year when I was deciding between A frame and trailer. I opted for A Frame.

Assuming you took at single axle trailer, your total trailer weight - i.e. car plus trailer would be about 1300 kg. Deduct this from your train weight of 5500 kg and that means that your fully loaded motorhome can weigh only 4200kg. This might be adequate - I do not know.

I was weighed again and I am well over that figure. so I could not tow my Corsa (1000kg) plus trailer weighing 300kg without "busting" the figures. That is not something I would do. My motorhome is a different model to yours but the theory is the same.

The other issue with a trailer is of course parking the thing on your pitch etc.

I use a car on an A frame at present and am ditching this for a scooter as I travel alone.

Russell

PS - the Corsa is for sale complete with A frame!

asprn

Jean-Luc

Thanks all for sharing you experience. Is there any significant extra rolling resistance with a twin axle and what if any extra hit is there to MPG's. Is there much of a difference when hill climbing. How would an unchipped 2.8 cope if the going was hilly

Colin

takeaflight

Give or take add about 100kg to the weight for a twin.

With regard to punctures, for a very short while we had a twin axle caravan. On route to Yorkshire we had a blow out on both of the tyres on one side, having only one spare I can't begin to tell you problems we faced.