Going to look at what seems like a halfway decent car trailer if it hasn't sold already. Photos show what looks like wide pattern trailer axles/hubs on it. Any way to easily determine if they're mobile home axles? And if they are, can I convert them to use a conventional hub of some sort that I can run decent quality bearings with, without spending a fortune? Rest of it looks like decent quality, it could pass for factory made at least from a distance. I know it's a little O/T but it's going to be used to haul on topic cars.
Mobile home axles have an odd size wheel and a wide pattern.. Something like a 14.5" diameter rim. I would guess it would be difficult to find tires for.
It could be those wide five hubs that are run on heavy trailers, too. That's real popular around here on tag along equipment trailers.
this is directly on topic. check for brake on all 4 wheels sometime brakes on 2 wheels can pass state inspection but not very good for stopping, check for trailer tires car tires not as good. and condition of wiring, it should be on conduit plastic or steel, i have had to use steel tubing to protect wire from road debris, ( yes i have lost brakes due to damaged wire) and for wiring look for excessive splice's in wire to many splices leads to trouble
Do you know that the wide five mobile home hubs are the same bolt pattern as a early ford they would machine the taper off the hub and bolt a early ford wheel on with a tapered lug nut.or use a steel wide five racing wheel 15".
Have heard the word in past that mobile home axles have been ruled as illegal for public road use except for the original use on the mobile home by DOT. As I said, rumor, but if I were you, I'd check it out, both as to validity of rumor and what's on the trailer. Not a helluva lot of fun to be pulled over and checked out, found unroadworthy and required to wait on roadside for roll back to come haul you home.
I narrowed a MH axle for a utility trailer. It has a 5 1/2" BC and I use some 15" Ford wheels with trailer tires.
You might want to check with some local trailer builders and ask why they don't use mobile home axles..
I know they're junk, made for like one use only and don't necessarily tow that great, although if I can get 1500 miles out of the trailer after that it can collapse like the cop car at the end of the original Blues Brothers movie. I'm just not sure how you tell the difference other than the bolt pattern and odd tire size. Naturally, the trailer I was interested in sold in less than 15 hours from when the ad went up, so I'll have to go further, but I still need to get one so I'll keep the info in mind. At this point I'll live with a home-made job if it's made of decent material and the welds look good.
There are also travel trailer axles/hubs that use a wide bolt pattern that is totally obsolete and no hubs or parts are available new. My boat trailer that I made out of an old travel trailer has them. Mine aren't five bolt though they have four bolts In this state older car trailers or utility trailers that were made with mobile Home axles before the law changed were grandfathered in but you can't build a new one using them. A guy also has to remember that a lot of the 14.5 tires mounted on wheels that you find may have been laying in the dirt under a mobile home for ten, fifteen or twenty years before someone dug them out and tried to sell them too. In the mid 70's I worked on shack shakers at a Ryder truck shop and the guys who drove them seldom made a trip without loosing more than one tire on the singlewides they were dragging.
Mobile home axles suck. They are a very poor choice for a trailer, period. Their tires are no better. There ARE 14.5" tires that are actually designed for certain implement and equipment trailers, though, and they do have decent life. Look for "For Highway Use" on the sidewall. MH tires have "For Mobile Home Use Only" on them, and are designed to get the MH from the manufacturer, to the dealer, to the spot the "mobile" home will sit forever.
This is true in Wisconsin! (maybe whole country) I built one trailer with a MH axle and never would build another. Tires are garbage, axle bent at less than spec weight, the brake linings are paper thin, just not worth it hassle!
As a retired trailer mfg.----Step up to std. trailer axles & componants. You will always be able to replace std. parts with ease.
Rusty, Are you in an area where you can easily rent a trailer? Seems to me for limited, moderate use that would be the most cost effective approach. Ray
How many of you guys that say mobile home axles are junk actually have first hand experience with them? I've had several trailers that used MH axles and still have a flatbed equipment trailer we built in 1987 that has MH axles. Seems like I've had at least one trailer to as many as 3 trailers at a time with MH axles since 1979 and I've had a grand total of one outer wheel bearing failure which was my fault for poor maintenance. Those "one time use" MH axles are often removed when a MH is delivered and returned to the MH manufacturer where they are used again, and again. I've also had UTG (utility grade) axles which have hubs that are very similar to MH hubs. The UTG hubs have beefier ribs and use bigger outer wheel bearings. It's been awhile but I think the hubs will interchange but you have to use the smaller MH bearings when using the UTG hubs on a MH axle. The 14.5 wheels suck. The tires do not seat on a bead like on a traditional wheel. 14.5 tires are still available but they are getting harder to find. The MH/UTG bolt pattern is NOT the same as the wide 5 Ford pattern. The MH/UTG hubs (which Dexter calls wheels) are not legal on new trailer builds because of the lousy system used to clamp the wheels to the hubs. The easiest way to tell the difference between MH anf UTG axles is the MH axles USUALLY have welded on backing plates while the UTG axles USUALLY have bolt on backing plates. The UTG set up is better because of the larger wheel bearings but you'd still be stuck with the 14.5 wheels and mounting system. By the way, the bias ply Dayton 14.5 equipment trailer tires wear like iron and last for many years. The MH tires have a very short life span and some if not all lack the proper DOT certification. I've heard of guys using 6 lug hubs that are normally found on 5200# axles on their MH axles to get away from the 14.5 wheels & tires. I suspect you'd use the MH outer wheel bearings but don't let deter you. Keep them greased and they should be fine. I doubt that it makes sense financially to buy the trailer then swap the hubs, buy tires and wheels unless you can buy the trailer really cheaply. As far as MP axle trailers not towing great....That's because allot of guys do a poor job of getting them aligned right when they narrow the axles.
Pops, I sold trailers for seven years. No way in hell would I ever consider using, selling, or trading on a trailer with MH axles. This has been discussed on this forum many times. A trailer with MH axles and tires tells me that the owner/builder went on the cheap and could not care less about the quality of the trailer build itself. There is a REASON why you will never, ever find a commercially-built car hauler, utility trailer, or any trailer worthy of the name built with MH axles. They are illegal in most states, to boot. Plenty of reasons NOT to use them! Leave them on a damn tornado magnet and buy real trailer axles designed for more than two uses.
patrick66, They are now illegal because of the goofy hub/lug/wheel set up which has lead to wheels coming off. It IS a lousy system. You just need to pay attention when mounting the wheels and periodically check the torque on the lugs (like ALL axle manufacturers recommend). There is nothing wrong with the axles themselves. Guys that have used them for many years have swapped hubs to 6 or 8 lug hubs to give them tire and wheel options and have gotten even more years of service out of those so called junk axles. The UTG hubs are now illegal in most places too because of the wheel mounting system. You're right, you won't find a commercially built trailer with MH (or UTG) axles.....because they aren't allowed to do that anymore.....because of the wheel mounting system. Put 6 or 8 lug hubs on MH or UTG axles and they're legal! I've read all the BS about MH axles. Even some about the UTG axles by people that don't know the difference between them and MH axles. What I haven't heard is anyone with first hand experience that had problems with MH axles that wasn't caused by axles that weren't aligned properly after narrowing them, or from poor maintenance (not greasing the wheel bearings). If you don't straighten ANY axle after narrowing it you're going to have tracking and tire wear issues. Let any bearing run dry and you'll have problems. The ONLY valid complaint about MH (and UTG) axles is the wheel mounting system. It IS a lousy system. What I usually hear or read is from guys like you that sell trailers with other types of axles talking about how bad MH axles are but none of them have first hand experience. In my first hand experience I've had 1 problem and that was because I let a bearing run dry. That was my fault not the axle or bearings fault. My first trailer was a car hauler built by a friend. It was a work of art. I sold that trailer but it's still in use. It was built in the mid-70's. I've had 3 home built trailers with MH axles, and 3 commercially built trailers with MH axles. I still have and use the tri axle my Dad and I built in '87, and one of the commercially built trailers that was built in '68. No one would look at my tri axle and consider it a cheaply built trailer. When the State Police came to inspect the trailer and stamp the VIN he complimented us on our workmanship. My car hauler and tri axle are both high quality trailers. When they were built there were very few options for heavy duty trailer axles. Those axles were anything but cheap back then. In addition to my first hand experience I've known a bunch of racers in my 50 years around the sport that had home made trailers with MH axles. Some are still using them. I've never seen any of those break an axle but I have seen a few commercially built trailers with the "good" axles that were broken. Another complaint I've heard allot about with the MH axles is the MH tires. That is a valid complaint. MH tires are poor quality and meant for limited use. The MH tires ARE junk. People that don't know about the equipment trailer tires assume that all tires that fit the MH wheels are junk. That's just not so. I wonder how many people that say MH axles are junk would know the difference if they saw a MH axles that someone had swapped the MH hubs for 6 or 8 lug hubs? Edit: I stand corrected....Wolfcreek-Steve is the first first hand account of having problems with MH axles I've seen. The only other MH axle I ever heard of getting bent was a buddy that hit a Jersey Barrier with a trailer. The thin brake lining issue is the only time I've ever heard that complaint. I certainly haven't had that problem. Your mileage may vary.
Parts availability is poor, period. Cobbling something together to make it better is a poor choice in these cases. I own and operate a trailer/ hitch shop. No trailer sales, just parts, service and repair.
I've seen lots of stock car trailers made using MH axles and other parts. They worked great for short-distance Saturday night towing to the track. Some guys replaced the axle tubes with better steel. Not all had brakes either. I'd rather look for a used Dillon myself and eliminate all sorts of headaches. Bob
If I can find a decent one in my price range, I'll buy it. I have lines on a couple, but now I need to wait for some of these people who want to buy things from me to actually buy them. This one just happened to be super cheap and for the price I figured what the hell, but it was so cheap it sold before I could even call on it. It literally would have been cheaper than renting. Plus if I buy one I can turn around and make a few hauls myself and maybe get a return on the investment. I'm not even worried that much about brakes, I used to borrow a guy's old surge brake trailer that the whole brake system did not work on, and with my 1-ton dually, it pulled like it wasn't even there and would stop just fine even with a load on. I'm still not clear how you tell what the axles are, especially if someone's changed the tires to better ones.
chek out this website for trailer parts---- axles, wheels, lites, steel, trailer accessories---- johnson's surplus, white pigeon, michigan 269 483 2249 OR their ebay store---- MADKAT101 should you be close enough to visit and shop there, plan on an hour or more! i have found these people VERY helpful and prices reasonable. For What Is Worth there are several RV, trailer and motorhome outlet stores in that area. the elkhart indiana--white pigeon michigan area----IS/WAS--- the RV, trailer, motorhome manufacturing 'capital'. PLUS the shipshewana outlets and flea market events, make this a 'destination'. do your research ahead of time and bring measuremants and list of needed supplies for your build----plus transportation space to bring all your purchases back home! thanx red
That's the best advice yet ... nothing like trying to find a bastard bearing set when broke down in Bumfuct.
I once used house trailer axels on a car trailer, never again, was going down Fl. turnpike with my trailer and car on board, and heard a clunk,looked in the mirror and all traffic was about a mile back and a tire and wheel was starting to pass me, I lost a wheel.I was doing about 65 and the wheel was passing me.What to do?slow down got it on my right and bumped it into the woods on the side of the highway. Thankfully it is a 2 axel trailer 26' long so moved the car forward and limped home. Now have 3500 pound axels, bearing size is 1 3/8" on the inside and 1 1/16"on the outside , have 10" electric brakes on all 4 wheels.This may sound like B.S. about bumping the wheel into the woods but it happened,never found the wheel as it went so far into the brush,no sense getting bit by a snake to retrieve a tire. If it a good trailer ,just buy a couple of new axels and be safe.
Gyro, The wheel came off because it wasn't installed properly. It's a stupid system but if you torque the lugs properly you won't have any problem. MH and UTG axles are usually rated at 6K or 7K and use 12X2 brakes. Sam, They don't use bastard bearings. They are common size bearings that you can get at any parts store. Bobss396, I know lots of weekend racers that put 7000 miles a year on their home built trailers with MH axles that didn't have any issues. Some guys did fab different tubes. Not because the MH tubes were inferior but to get away from the arc that is built into MH axles.
Correct, but I've seen guys use a piece of straight tubing with trailer axle ends to get away from the built in camber of those arced axles. Usually on a light weight trailer used for hauling a light weight stock car. An 1800 or 2000 pound trailer with a 2500 pound car sitting on a couple of 7K axles don't need much arc. Something that hasn't been mentioned are the old MH axles that used 6 lug hubs. Anyone have an opinion on them? I've seen them but never had any. I was told they were likely used in the 1950's and probably 5200# or 6K.
I have what I think qualifies as first hand experience with the MH axles. I was an engineering intern with Kelsey Hayes in the early seventies. The guy at the next desk was the design engineer responsible for the MH axle and brake assembly. I think Kelsey was one of the two oem suppliers of this junk. The design life (brakes and bearings) was very low. I think less than 5000 miles. They were considered one use items and were then supposed to be scrapped. One thing I remember is that the design engineer had a pretty full travel schedule going to testify in lawsuits when the bearings failed on someone's home built trailer with recycled throw away axles. One in particular that I remember involved a loaded trailer going off a mountain in West Virginia and killing someone. Also, the bearing surface finishes were very poor, commensurate with the limited design life. Linings were much thinner than trailer grade pieces, and magnets were very soft and wore fast.
Finn, I don't doubt your experience but the so called one use axles often get re-used to deliver more mobile homes. How did KH MH stuff compare to Dexter? All I've ever had have been Dexter. Did KH use the same crazy wheel mounting system as Dexter?
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