Tandem axle hitch height

[Todd Brosius]

For those of you who own tandem axle trailers (my boat/trailer happens to be an '04) what is your hitch height to the TOP of the ball from the ground. I'm looking to possibly upgrade to a tandem axle trailer and want to be sure I can safely/correctly pull it behind my 5th wheel camper. I'm not concerned about the height behind my pickup. I can simply buy the correct drop for that. I've never owned a tandem axle trailer. Pros and cons? All I've been told is they pull better but make sure that you pull the trailer level as to have the proper weight on the vehicle pulling. Please give input and also a hitch height would be greatly appreciated.

[ski_king]

Sorry, I don't know the hitch height, but I was going to tell you tandem axle trailers are tougher to back up in tight areas, but if you are towing behind a fifth wheel, you wont be backing up anyway.

Are you towing back there now with your single axle trailer? If so got any pictures?

[AirJunky]

I'll have to measure this evening when I get home. I'd guess roughly around 18" - 20".
Not only is a tandem tough to back up, it's damn near impossible to push around by yourself. My brother's boat either one of us can push it in or out of the garage by ourselves. But my tandem axle takes like 4 good sized men to turn the thing.

Not long ago my wife drove the truck in to pick up me & the boat. Our private ramp is just a sandy beach so we use 4wd to get out & she forgot to put it in 2wd once she was in the clear. A block later she pulled into the cul-de-sac & tried to turn around to stab the boat & trailer in the driveway...... between the truck being in full time 4wd & the tandem axle trailer, she couldn't even begin to make the turn! :steering:

[Bert]

My tandem axles hitch is 19 inches from the floor to the top of the ball when level. I have been backing it into tight spots and have no problem moving it around the garage by myself. If you tow a lot a tandem is worth it.

19 inches when trailer weight is on the hitch and it is not a mastercraft trailer.

[AirJunky]

18" to the top of the ball here.... which might change depending on the tires you have. My trailer must sit low. My tires will drag inside the fenders on some ramps. My buddies '92 205 on a tandem axle sits a good 2" higher than mine & the tires don't drag at all. He installed new spring plates to get the extra height........ and it still takes 3 of us to muscle his around the corner in his driveway. We must be wimps.

[boatwake]

Probably a little more information than you need, but I'll throw it at you anyway.

Vehicle: 17 inches (w/o trailer weight)
Ball: 2.75 inches
Rise: 1.75 inches
Sag: 2 inches (drop caused by weight of trailer)

Total: 19.5 inches to top of ball loaded

I agree with AirJunky, a tandem is a real pain to move around by hand. I have a 90 degree into the garage. Because of the depth I need to go in tonge first and angle it. It took 4 strong people and about 30 minutes to get it in. I found a powered dolly that now makes it a snap, but if I didn't have it the boat would be sitting outside.

[shepherd]

I don't know if you're too concerned with fuel mileage since you're towing a 5th wheel also, but I would think a dual axle trailer will reduce fuel economy -- more wheels on the ground mean more drag. That's why some tractor trailers and large dump trucks have mechanisms to raise some wheels off the road when they're empty and don't need the extra load-bearing support. Also, you'll have twice the maintenance expense on wheel bearings, tires, etc...
I've never towed a dual axle trailer so I can't speak about safety and stability but I suppose they would give an extra margin of safety. So I guess it's a tradeoff between economy and safety. I figure that if my (1990) Mastercraft came with a single axle trailer, that's good enough for me... :twocents:

[Workin' 4 Toys]

I would much rather have a tandem. I don't have to move the trailer "SIDEWAYS" much, and have had no issues getting our 2 and 3 axles trailers around. If you do alot of maneuvering you will find alot of wear on the sidewalls.
You are correct, your best bet it to have the trailer as level as possible with a tandem. Measure the front and back height of the fenders on a level street.

[bigmac]

I would much rather have a tandem. I don't have to move the trailer "SIDEWAYS" much, and have had no issues getting our 2 and 3 axles trailers around. If you do alot of maneuvering you will find alot of wear on the sidewalls.
You are correct, your best bet it to have the trailer as level as possible with a tandem. Measure the front and back height of the fenders on a level street.

Having had the rather negative experience of losing a wheel after the lug nuts sheared off on a single axle, I feel a lot more comfortable with my current tandem axle.

OTOH, I only trailer my boats twice a year for about 40 miles total - taking it to the dealer to get it winterized and stored in the fall and picking it up in the spring. I let them worry about all the parking and tricky maneuvering. If I had a tight-quarters parking job to contend with on a regular basis, I'd buy a $60 dolly and modify it to hook up to my garden tractor.

[captkidd]

Personally, I wouldn't buy a boat without a tandem trailer. Everyone has their own opinions and preferences, but a tandem just offers so much more of a feeling of security. I think it pulls better too. Agreed, they are harder to maneuver by hand, but that typically isn't a concern for me.

Bearings are fairly cheap, so the extra cost of maintaining them really isn't a concern either (you're pulling a $10-50K boat). I doubt that the extra rolling resistance is measurable as far as gas mileage goes (dude you're pulling two trailers so your gas mileage is going to suck regardless); my guess is that since you have the load spread over 4 tires instead of 2, the contact patch for each is slightly less and therefore the rolling resistance is probably about the same.

As far as the axles that are raised and lowered on semi trucks, one of the primary reasons for those is to comply with DMV laws. The higher the gross weight, the more axles that are required to support it. When the truck is empty there is no need for those extra axles, so no need to wear out the tires and have the extra turning resistance. From what I've been told, many of those extra axles don't actually support that much weight, they're just there to make the vehicle conform to the law.

Curious: why can't you use some sort of adjustable hitch for the rear of your 5th wheel camper? If your camper has a 2" receiver type hitch on it, you could use one of those hitches that can be adjusted up and down by turning a bolt on the top of it.

[Bert]

Personally, I wouldn't buy a boat without a tandem trailer. Everyone has their own opinions and preferences, but a tandem just offers so much more of a feeling of security. I think it pulls better too. Agreed, they are harder to maneuver by hand, but that typically isn't a concern for me.

Bearings are fairly cheap, so the extra cost of maintaining them really isn't a concern either (you're pulling a $10-50K boat). I doubt that the extra rolling resistance is measurable as far as gas mileage goes (dude you're pulling two trailers so your gas mileage is going to suck regardless); my guess is that since you have the load spread over 4 tires instead of 2, the contact patch for each is slightly less and therefore the rolling resistance is probably about the same.

I would agree with this. My trailer is 14 years old and I have never had to change bearings, just repack as required. Just replaced the brake shoes yesterday, $32.00 per axle is all. It is common for me to put 250-300 miles per week on the trailer. I have pulled a prostar on a single axle and there is no comparison. It pulls harder (IMO) and bounces around and doesn't track as well.

[Todd Brosius]

Thanks for ALL the info! It's all great to hear. I agree that gas mileage is NOT a concern for me. I was mostly concerned of how much drop I would have in my hitch behind my 5th wheel. I haven't had time to measure yet, but I agree they make those adjustable hitches that I could just move to fit my application. Slightly concerned about more bearing a brakes, but I don't think I pull enough to worry about that, plus it's Mastercraft trailer - it should be built well and now the bearings run in oil like a semi so unless a seal gives way the bearings should last forever. My boat ramp is dirt, and very uneven so I think the extra axle would benefit me as I use my boat ramp and happen to fall in a washout or hole. I'll measure my camper and then see what the price difference is between single and tandem. I believe it's around $1200 - not sure. Thanks again to everyone for your input. Very beneficial!!!!!!!!

[east tx skier]

When figuring out the tow height, I've always put the trailer on level ground and put a level on one of the horizontal cross pieces on the trailer. Jack it up until the bubble hits the sweet spot and measure.