Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

PaulC wrote:All depends on what rating axle you are looking for. The more weight it can carry, the more they get concerned on tyres to be used.
Cheers
Paul

Well Paul I cant pull no more than 900 kilo with our Lil "Le Pewgeot"..." or was it Peugeot... anyways..

Well friends thanks for the training session... Now I,ll go and think axles..


Classic Finn

Before I ordered my axle, I had to go thru a checklist and take measurements before I plunked down the money. I wanted to be shure that I got the correct axle.

Classic Finn wrote:Steve and Paul - I see that its also not easy for some 1st time doers such as myself, from going back to the thread you mention... Asianflava states
an axle with 0 angle to 45 ....

I thought it was important to start at 0 angle for the position ... here the axles are at -20 degrees for majority and non adjustable...

My wish is to have an axle that would be adjustable in height..in the future.

Ok if the back spacing is 3 inches.. that much I know ... and its a 5 foot wide trailer.. will that help the axle company? Bolt Pattern: 5X4 1/2" and size is 14 x 6.

Classic Finn

Heikki:


Here is a PDF file that looks into the Start Angle it may give you some information you seek:
Remember to look for the 1000-2200K section of the PDF file.

Classic Finn wrote:Is that true that some of these axle companies if most prefer that you use tires and wheels specifically made for trailers or is that just protective wording or measurement to cover the performance or warranty on their axles?

Dexter makes it clear that they prefer trailer wheels, since trailers often carry very high loads for the size of the wheel and tire (compared to cars), because their hubs are designed for nearly zero offset (and most modern cars have significant offset, wheel centre inboard of the hub face), and because car hubs usually locate the wheel by the centre bore and the trailer hubs usually depend only on the wheel studs.

If the load capacity and offset are right, and the wheel is suitable for non-hub-centreing, then I really don't think it matters.

Classic Finn wrote:Some are against using normal car tires as what I hear..
Has anyone else been told that when purchasing an axle?

This is a capacity issue again: since trailer tires are often heavily loaded for their size, typical car tires may not have enough capacity. If they do, the car tires are clearly available in far more sizes and types, and are obviously capable.

Some people warn of dire consequences if non-trailer tires are used on any trailer, but they generally don't understand why. I have heard them insist that it is illegal (here in Canada and in the U.S.) to use any tire that does not have a "Special Trailer" designation, but that is clearly nonsense. When asked, they can never point to the actual rule, and all vehicle legislation is openly posted on government web sites here.

In practice, I think that most small teardrops configured with car-sized wheels (i.e. 13" or larger) will likely be plenty light enough to use car tires. Those using smaller wheels, or with teardrops bigger than my car, are more likely to find that they need high-pressure (and thus high-load) trailer or truck tires.

Classic Finn, it seems that there are more high-capacity (or "extra load") car or van type tires available in Europe than here, due to the use of small vans for commercial purposes there. If your wheels are 14" or larger, I think these extra-load tires are a good alternative to trailer tires. I'm looking at a set for my 3000 lb travel trailer, but they are really rare here, carried basically only for VW camper vans.

Classic Finn wrote:I just want to check..

... The axle should be 61 inches Hub to Hub in length ...

Ummmm ... sorry! Don't know how I missed that bit!

On my 4'W and 5'W trailers, the hub faces are 59-60" and 71-72", and I typically use Dexter's 14"x5-1/2"W or 15"x6"W steel wheels.

CHEERS!

Grant

Grant Whipp wrote:

Classic Finn wrote:I just want to check..

... The axle should be 61 inches Hub to Hub in length ...

Ummmm ... sorry! Don't know how I missed that bit!

On my 4'W and 5'W trailers, the hub faces are 59-60" and 71-72", and I typically use Dexter's 14"x5-1/2"W or 15"x6"W steel wheels.

CHEERS!

Grant

Grant its ok, Sometimes my Scandinavian Engleis dont come out the way its supposed to....Apologies... Seems like my keyboard speaks its own language...

Heikki

brian_bp and friends..

You are correct, we have tons of tires and different styles and .....enough to confuse an Ol Sailor such as meself.

Here we also have thousands of utility trailers being built... And thousands of rules to go by as well

I,ll be darn lucky if I can understand half of these regulations and rules pertaining to trailers and axles and......thats why I chose to work at sea, less beauracracy and less beauracrats to worry about.

But I,ll find some nice products for certain..

Alberta? Nice place Ive been there to visit relatives..

Classic Finn

The one simplification that Heikki has is that there is no such thing in Europe as an ST-type trailer tyre - there are only car and van tyres.

The capacity of a tyre here is determined by the load indicator in its full code, such as the '79' in:
165/70R13 79T

EU (and US) Tyre markings

Andrew

angib wrote:The one simplification that Heikki has is that there is no such thing in Europe as an ST-type trailer tyre - there are only car and van tyres.

The capacity of a tyre here is determined by the load indicator in its full code, such as the '79' in:
165/70R13 79T

EU (and US) Tyre markings

Andrew

Andrew thanks... But here we go again... please tell me that my tires dont have to be EU Approved too... Such as my Cokers....

I just looked at that spec chart and what did I see..... ECE Type Approval Mark...and Number..


Here are the ones we have at this particular shop...

http://www.teohydrauli.fi/tuotteet.shtm ... m_group=10

Click on the Word "Tuotetiedot" - product info Bolt pattern 5 x 112 and USA is 5 x was it 114.3 - anyway its about 2mm difference...

5 x 112mm is basically a Mercedes Wheel...

Andrew 196mmm width is 7.7 inches (Correct)? - God 11 inch fenders would look funny with this width tire...


Heikki

PS - The only thing that is perfectly EU legal and approved are my Lights.
Now aint that COOL!

sdtripper2 wrote:

Classic Finn wrote:Steve and Paul - I see that its also not easy for some 1st time doers such as myself, from going back to the thread you mention... Asianflava states
an axle with 0 angle to 45 ....

I thought it was important to start at 0 angle for the position ... here the axles are at -20 degrees for majority and non adjustable...

My wish is to have an axle that would be adjustable in height..in the future.

Ok if the back spacing is 3 inches.. that much I know ... and its a 5 foot wide trailer.. will that help the axle company? Bolt Pattern: 5X4 1/2" and size is 14 x 6.

Classic Finn

Heikki:


Here is a PDF file that looks into the Start Angle it may give you some information you seek:
Remember to look for the 1000-2200K section of the PDF file.

Ohhhh Baby - That PDF Helped get this information jungle sorted.. Now Steve - One question more... before I lay me head down to rest....Is Do these Axles handle Rough Waters Well...

Yes 4 shure I Be the
Classical Finn

Classic Finn wrote:please tell me that my tires dont have to be EU Approved too...

Oh, any tyre that's going to be used in Yurp has to be EU-approved (actually ECE-approved as I think Switzerland and Norway are included). For sure, any tyre sold in Yurp is ECE-approved, but I think almost all tyres made in North America would be also ECE-approved. The only exceptions would be very low volume speciality tyres that will definitely not be sold outside North America.

Yes, 196mm is 7.72".

5x112mm is the Mercedes pattern, but it's also used by lots of other Yurpeen manufacturers (big Fords, big VWs). Here is a list of Yurpeen PCDs.

Andrew

Trying to plan my axle length so that the tire itself is half in/half out of the side wall of the camper. Would it be safe to say that the hub face would be the center of the tire with a 0-offset wheel?? Are 0-offset wheels standard/common?

Matthew
SuperSize Grumman2?

N523RV wrote:Trying to plan my axle length so that the tire itself is half in/half out of the side wall of the camper. Would it be safe to say that the hub face would be the center of the tire with a 0-offset wheel?? Are 0-offset wheels standard/common?

Matthew
SuperSize Grumman2?

Matthew,

A short answer to your question is trailer wheels have a 0 offset. Most automotive wheels, especially front wheel drive wheels have a positive offset. And yes, the hub face with a 0 offset wheel would center the the tire at the hub face.

It's been a while since I've seen an axle question on the board. I know for me, that was one of the hardest things to get my mind around and in the end things worked out. I tried to figure it out on my own and while I ended up with a workable axle, I wished that I had posted my frame dimensions and wheel and tire specs, so that some of the experts could help me spec my axle.

If you are going with Dexter, I'd recommend the short spindle option if you are using their #9 axle. Also, be careful that you have adequate clearance between your sidewall, or I guess in your case, the inner wheel well. This is where I messed up. I had to notch my sidewall for torsion arm clearance.

Tom

Tom,

Thanks for the reply.... lots of information and choices when it comes to axles. I am planning on using the #9 Dexter axle. My design choice has led me to place the bed sideways, which results in a wider trailer. I'm trying to do my best to keep it as narrow as possible while keeping it aesthetically pleasing (to me). When I get closer to the final design and have my head wrapped around all of this, I'll post my design/dimensions so I can get any feedback for anything I missed.

Matthew

aggie79 wrote:

N523RV wrote:Trying to plan my axle length so that the tire itself is half in/half out of the side wall of the camper. Would it be safe to say that the hub face would be the center of the tire with a 0-offset wheel?? Are 0-offset wheels standard/common?

Matthew
SuperSize Grumman2?

Matthew,

A short answer to your question is trailer wheels have a 0 offset. Most automotive wheels, especially front wheel drive wheels have a positive offset. And yes, the hub face with a 0 offset wheel would center the the tire at the hub face.

It's been a while since I've seen an axle question on the board. I know for me, that was one of the hardest things to get my mind around and in the end things worked out. I tried to figure it out on my own and while I ended up with a workable axle, I wished that I had posted my frame dimensions and wheel and tire specs, so that some of the experts could help me spec my axle.

If you are going with Dexter, I'd recommend the short spindle option if you are using their #9 axle. Also, be careful that you have adequate clearance between your sidewall, or I guess in your case, the inner wheel well. This is where I messed up. I had to notch my sidewall for torsion arm clearance.

Tom