Why do enclosed trailers sit so much lower than open ones?
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2,332 Posts
to keep the overall height down as well i suppose.
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330 Posts
I'd think that its to keep the center of gravity down, I also agree that its likely for ease of loading, generally I think of slightly more delicate things being loaded into enclosed trailers.
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22,465 Posts
Yup, height affects fuel mileage and drive-ability.
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1,925 Posts
Drop axles on my enclosed. Hell of a lot better than no drop axle.
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1,600 Posts
Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Depends on if it ever goes off the paved roads. We could drag the rear getting into the farm if our trailer had dropped axles.
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9,807 Posts
ours have torsion springs, very nice ride too
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Torsion axels are a must with enclosed. Like you said, rides and pulls nice and smooth.
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O she goes on plenty of really rough farm roads and out at my shop theres a nice drop off from the parking lot to the dump area and Ive never had any problems. Now watch, Im gonna go hit it on something now that i mentioned it :hammerhead: My neighbor has a regular height enclosed trailer same as mine, looks goofy as hell sitting still and going down the road!
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6,360 Posts
You can put drop or torsion axles on a open trailer as well, most won't because of the cost. That's part of why enclosed trailers are so expensive... Just part of the reason. I know the lower the better, but I'd worry about dragging the rear in places as well. My open trailer drags, I'd definately have to get the bogey wheels.
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Drop axles blow. I have an enclosed trailer that is 4 years old and replaced both axles 2 years ago. Now 2 years later they need replaced again. They bend which in turn causes the tires to wear unevenly. Last time I had to replace an axle, I was going through a tire in about 9 days. A brand new tire worn on the inside so bad as to cause a blow out.
Local trailer place said I could put straight axles on it, but I don't think I want the extra ride height. It's 8.5 x 16 with a 6' 6" inside, so it's already a big trailer.
I guess the drop axles are a necessary evil if you want an enclosed trailer.
Don't forget to grease your axles on any trailer!!!!! It's amazing what kind of damage a dollars worth of grease can prevent....
Just my $0.02
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Local trailer place said I could put straight axles on it, but I don't think I want the extra ride height. It's 8.5 x 16 with a 6' 6" inside, so it's already a big trailer.
I guess the drop axles are a necessary evil if you want an enclosed trailer.
Don't forget to grease your axles on any trailer!!!!! It's amazing what kind of damage a dollars worth of grease can prevent....
Just my $0.02
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1,925 Posts
What causes the drop axle to bend? Just because its a drop axle....?
My 12+2' trailer has been in service about 2 years,20k miles, all kinda driving and I havent had any problems yet, knock on wood. Havent greased that bad boy for quite some time so I should prolly get on that too. Maybe since Im running single axle trailer on that one is why I dont run into any problems? Tires will need to be replaced this year for the first time which is suprising because as cheap as my trailer was I cant beleive they lasted this long. No brand trailer from down in GA from one of the many factories there.
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The axles will bend from constantly hitting pot holes, curbs and such. I think another problem is that most enclosed trailers have 3500 lb axles when they should have 5000 lb axles.
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Ya mine is 3500 per axle, so 7000 for tandem trailer with torsion springs. but gvw is 5400 pounds I think. But its still hard when the trailer is at 5000 pounds and the road is filled with pot holes...
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