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Single or double axle trailer...


1FootDan

Single or double axle trailer... pro and cons  

345 members have voted

  1. 1. If money was no object and weight not being an issue, what type of trailer would you buy?

    • Single axle (with brakes)
      44
    • Double Axle (withbrakes)
      301
  2. 2. What experience do you have with trailers?

    • Have had both single and double, I prefer single
      28
    • Have had both single and double, I prefer double
      198
    • I have had just single, I wish I had a double
      34
    • I have had just double, I wish I had a single
      1
    • I have had just single, I see no interest in going double
      21
    • I have had just double, I see no interest in going single
      61
    • I have never had a trailer, but I would buy a single
      0
    • I have never had a trailer, but I would buy a double
      1
    • What's a trailer?
      1
  3. 3. Taking money (price/value) in consideration, but not weight of boat, what type of trailer would you buy?

    • Single axle (with brakes)
      13
    • Single axle (with brakes and spare)
      50
    • Double axle (no brakes, no spare)
      4
    • Double axle (with brakes, no spare)
      30
    • Double axle (with brakes and spare)
      243
    • Single axle (no brakes, no spare)
      5


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I tow 200 miles round trip every weekend. I have had a single and I feel that the tandem towes much better. For one if you get in a bind and have a flat tire you can limp it in with only one tire.

The only down side it that its hard to move by hand because the axles bind.

My vote is for a tandem

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I tow 200 miles round trip every weekend. I have had a single and I feel that the tandem towes much better. For one if you get in a bind and have a flat tire you can limp it in with only one tire.

The only down side it that its hard to move by hand because the axles bind.

My vote is for a tandem

My thoughts exactly. Even with a side entry garage and me having to angle the boat a little, I still prefer the tandem axle trailer for towing and safety. Once I got used to moving it around to go in the garage, it wasn't any worse than my old single axle was.

As far as brakes, to me, they are a must, no questions asked.

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I'm in the category of always having had a single axle but (kind of) wish I had a double. I don't tow a lot - live on a lake, boat is on a lift all summer - so the single axle fits my needs pretty well. That said, on the occasional long trip we take with it, the security of a double axle is always in the back of my mind.

My first boat was used, came with a single. Didn't give it any real thought when I ordered my '01 Sunsetter, and got a single again. My RLXi was purchased used, and came with a single. So I've never priced one out. What is the ballpark price difference?

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To spend all of this money on a boat and then stick it on a single axle trailer is like setting a buying a nice loose diamond and setting it in plastic ring! It just makes no sense to me. There are things you can skimp on when buying a boat, for me, a trailer is not one of them. I did opt for the cheaper chrome wheels as opposed to alluminum. Stuff like that is fine is you are looking to save money, just keep the dual wheels and the brakes. My 2c.

I tow a LONG way and I have lost a wheel before, if It had been a single, I would have prob lost the boat as well, luckilly it was not.

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I have a single now and it tows nice. I am very conscious of maintaining the trailer before trips and haven't had a single issue, but a double would be a nice piece of mind.

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S/A works great for my 15 minute ride to the ramp, tandems do look cool though....

I've towed everything from sporters to VLX's on singles for thousands of miles and never had any problems except for one near blowout which I caught before it went nuclear.

-Chris

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I can't think of any down side to a tandem, I guess if you need to push your boat around by hand it would be a little harder but why the heck would you want to do that,park it right the first time.

One other thing to think about is that tandem trailers look much better.

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The Have had both single and double, I prefer single was accidentally me, it was supposed to be I prefer Double. The poll won't let me change it.

I look at it like this: Unless the boat is on a lift all the time, It will spend the majority of its life on the trailer. Why not give it the most secure stable platform available as well as spread the weight foot print wherever it is being stored.

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I think it depends on the boat as well. My little Sporty doesn't need a T/A. No.gif Plus the fact that I live ½ mile from the launch ramp on our lake, 5 miles from Englebright, 24 miles from Bullard's,...I don't trailer very far. For short distances I would probably even put a Response on a S/A but any bigger than that and I'd opt for a T/A.

Trailer disasters happen to trailers that are not taken care of. Fingerwag.gif My family always had boats when I was young and I have had boats since being out on my own...that's 40+ years Shocking.gif ...no tire failures, no wheel bearing failures,...no trailer issues whatsoever. Take care of your trailer and it will take care of you. :)

Edited by NorCaliBu
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I tow 200 miles round trip every weekend. I have had a single and I feel that the tandem towes much better. For one if you get in a bind and have a flat tire you can limp it in with only one tire.

The only down side it that its hard to move by hand because the axles bind.

My vote is for a tandem

Plus1.gif

Blow a tire/axle, you still can live on 3 wheels... Blow something on a single axle... Ranting.gif when you boat tips over...

I do hate the binding though when moving the trailer around by hand, but a small price to pay for the security of 2 axles..

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I’ve had two tandem trailers, well actually I still do, and wouldn’t think of ordering a S/A, period. Other than movement by hand, I just don’t see a benefit to having one. In fact I’ll take the poll one step further a T/A with 4 wheel disc brakes, granted on a Sportster or RLX it maybe a bit overkill, but if the boat/trailer combo is close or at your towing capacity it’ll significantly decrease the stopping distance. Big deal a bit more maintenance after working on two bearings what’s two more? I’ve never have had a blowout I do regularly check the trailer, in fact I may just keep an old spare in the truck as another backup for the trailer spare. I travel on the freeway consistently, services aren’t close, and typically when you need something it’s either too late or Sunday and everything is closed….

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I'm in the category of always having had a single axle but (kind of) wish I had a double. I don't tow a lot - live on a lake, boat is on a lift all summer - so the single axle fits my needs pretty well. That said, on the occasional long trip we take with it, the security of a double axle is always in the back of my mind.

My first boat was used, came with a single. Didn't give it any real thought when I ordered my '01 Sunsetter, and got a single again. My RLXi was purchased used, and came with a single. So I've never priced one out. What is the ballpark price difference?

Plus1.gif If I trailered much I like tandem. I have pulled single Axel trailers with boats for many years and also have had no problems. I will say that my Rlxi pulls very nice on the single Axel.

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Double for sure. Way back from Billy Chinook a few years ago, 95 degrees, Interstate 5, one tire on the Supra trailer blew out the sidewall (plenty of tread left, but the sidewall was probably bubbled out at the spot where the boat had been resting all winter, not flat, but all that weight on just 2 points of contact) After changing to the spare, not 30 miles further, the other one blows. This was not a fun trip. Yes, I could store the trailer on stands but I didn't, and don't. I like to minimize the things I need to "undo" when the opportunity for a winter ski comes up.

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I have always had a single axle trailer. If I towed long distances on a regular basis I might want a tandem axle trailer. A tandem is much harder to move around in the garage by hand. I have never had a boat that weighed over 3000 lbs either. If I had one of those big ol' heavy wake tubs I definitely would want a tandem, maybe a tri-axle if the tub is extra large Whistling.gif

Edited by BillFooter
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the tandem is the way to go...like stated above, if I am going to tow $50K+ down the road, I will take 4 tires underneath the boat instead of 2...

AS far as the trailer binding up when trying to move it by hand...ever tried putting cardboard underneath the tires? It works wonders!

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I have had both S/A and T/A. With both I have had a flat. I limped into town with the T/A and lost little time on the vacation. With the S/A the scene was on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, with 4 little ones and the CFO trying to keep the lid on while I changed the tire...... Let's just say that is not a road I want to go on again.

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Tandem hands down regardless of weight or how far you travel. I have seen to many bad things happen with a single axle trailer. I guy I use to work with was coming home from the lake and on the way one of his tires seized up and snapped off the trailer, causeing the trailer to hit the ground in the middle of no where. Needless to say I will never own a single axle trailer after I heard that story.

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I'd like to replace my S/A with a tandem at some point. Is there a market for used trailers? Will the manufacturer/dealer take an old one in on trade?

I purchased my 05 at the end of the 05 season. The boat was used in 05 Malibu Open. They had it setting on a single axle but I was able to easily negotiate a new 06 tandem. Now once I had taken possession of the boat it may have been a bit more difficult to negotiate the tandem.

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