Mobile home axles

I believe there was some controversy over using mobile home axles to make a trailer. Is that a problem? What's the down side? I'm looking for a very good deal on a 7000lb gross tandem axle trailer. I keep running into home built trailers with mobile home axles. I don't know what weight they are rated at or anything about them really. I don't want it too heavy or overbuilt as that cuts into what I can haul. I need brakes on it and a lot I see don't have them or they aren't hooked up. I rightly can't figure how all these people are pulling those trailers w/o brakes. I doubt it's legal and I'd be the one to get stopped--that's my luck.

I think it,s the wheel bearings on the mobile home axles, could be something else as well, i got three sitting here , everybody says the law will take them off the highway, in British Columbia anyways.

have two tri axle trailers that are factory made and they both have mobile home axles under them [Dexter axles] they are 6000lb axles just like whats under mobile homes and both trailers are DOT inspected.

I question if you can build a better trailer any cheaper than you can purchase a new one for. I purchased a Sure Track 14k 20 ft implement trailer power coat, flip up ladder ramps, treated lumber, brakes on all wheels, diamond plate fenders, break away switch and battery, 81 inches wide for $3150 + tax. Meets all DOT standards, new heavy duty tires, rims, looks good and well made.
George

I agree with george.

Most mobile home axles are rated at 6000lbs or more. The biggest problem with them is the 14.5 tires that are not made to be used day in day out but if you find the replacement type rims and tires then they work well. I know for a fact that mobile home axles are not used only one time then parked. Most company's that build mobile homes get the axles and rim and tires back from the dealer and that same axle goes back under a new home and is then pulled all over the U.S. I know this because back in the 90s I pulled mobile homes all over the U.S.

Where are you to get such a good price?

Christopher

Sorry, that is a reply for George above your post...

Christopher

My dad and uncle built this one back in the early 70's with trailer house axles under it. Hauled 8 cows in the trailer and their calves in the pickup to pasture every spring until about 10 years ago. Never had any wheel bearing problem, they had operating brakes at one time. The original tires didnt stand up real well but the low boy ones that were put on seem to stand up ok.

Down here the DOT started stopping people due to the fact that they did not know how to tighten the wheels to keep them on the axles. Had some pretty bad situations. If you got one you can keep it, but you are not suppose to build any new ones. Like old says now when a trailer is set they take the axles to reuse. I even had the axles taken out from under a 1975 trailer by the mover.

I have a Big Tex trailer. I removed the stock axles and installed mobil home axles which were much stronger than the stock axles. I did this when I completely reinforced the frame. It does have 14.5 tires. The tire supplier I go to has two brands of tires to cholse from, so tires isn't a problem. One brand is 12 ply rated,I believe the other is 8 ply rated. The problem I have is the brake system isn't made anymore. I had to have my shoes relined last time I did a break job. Stan

I don't have any problems with mobile home axles. The tires do need replacing with lo boy tires, which don't seem to last exceptionally well, but they are legal.

Trailer supply stores have parts and complete replacement brakes for mobile home type axles. A fair number of people here make bale buggies for round bales using mobile home axles, which have to have working brakes.

Bearings low quality and wear out? Get the number off the bearing, or really take whole bearing in to a bearing supply house and get new bearings. They may not be the best bearings, but they are designed to stand up to moving the heavy mobile home, which probably weighs more than anybody will put on a farm built trailer, all over the country.

Re the post (George)? on buying a new trailer cheaper than building one, I agree, if you have to buy many materials. My first rule of building homemade trailers or other implements is to have the material on hand, free, before starting a build.

KEH

Hi Toolman, are you the same Toolman, that has conversations with Willie N ? Haven't heard Mark's discussions anywhere's lately. Just wondering. Thanks, Murray

By the time you change the hubs and wheels to get rid of the damn 8.00-14.5 tires it won't be such a good deal. You DO NOT WANT those tires for every day use or even occasional use. You can't buy a good one anymore, at least not around here...

Rod

In 1986 I built an 18' tilt bed car trailer using two mobile home axles. Besides Nebraska, it's been in Iown, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri, most many times over. It's been over who knows how many scales and has had loads checked by various scale and DOT officers, and no one has said a word about the axles.

Gone through three sets of tires. No bearing problems, still the originals. Brakes have to be used regularly to stay healthy.

Just my own experience.

I'd make sure the DOT will allow mobile home axles to be used on regular trailers. I'm pretty sure the tires can't be legally. With all the under funded budgets out there, there's more pressure on cops to write tickets.

In Pennsylvania I believe when they outlawed the "Dayton" style wheels on the big trucks they started to not inspect the utility trailers that had a similar mounting system for highway use.

mobile home axles will work for a trailer out here in nm, ive been running a tripple axle trailer with them for 30 years, now you do need to do a little fixing to keep them trouble free, as mentioned the mobile home rated tires dont last long, so you'll need to find some stamped for low boy use, there much better, also the bearings need to be replaced with good ones from a quality auto parts store, check the lug nuts often as ocasionaly they will loosen a little especially if your heavily loaded

I find it hard to believe that they've outlawed 'Dayton' wheels. Split rims I would believe... but not simply a Dayton spoke.

Rod

my trailer isnt homemade but my trailer doesnt have brakes, lights and isnt licenesed. its a tandem and i haul what ever i can fit on it including round bales, skid steers and small tractors and other things on i pull it with a 94 f150 up some pretty steep hills in high range and it pulls pretty good. can fit up to 12 round bales and ive never had any problems with stoping or anything.

I think it is important to realize that there are actually 2 different generations of mobile home axles and tires.

In the early days of mobile homes the axles were usually left on the trailer. This meant that the axles were only used to transport the structure from the factory to its location. As such the axles were not necessarily built as heavy (or maintained as well) as they could have been. Joe and Bobby came along and took the axles out after a fewyears and built themselves a trailer to overload and experienced some failures.

After the industry grew (particularly for the last 20 years or so) companies figured out that they could reuse those axles, the owners wouldn't miss them and therefore they would save some cash. As such, the axles were reused over and over and built more solid than previously. It became cheaper for a company to produce only one style of axle than produce a heavy and lightweight axle. As such there isn't much difference in modern mobile home axles and tires and lowboy axles and tires.

One thing to understand about how companies work and make decisions is that often the product is the same but only labeled differently. For example, think of store brand groceries. Most of those products are made by a major manufacturer. They are labeled differently and sold as a store brand. The major manufacturer now produces more product and therefore makes more money. They are in essence now competing with themselves and win either way. If you by the generic peanut butter or the name brand they make money. When you remove the costs of the advertising that the name brand requires and the generic doesn't the profit margin is nearly identical.

Second thing to understand is that a company many times will make one product and use only a portion of it, because it is cheaper to make a single product than it is to make multiple products. The extra cost for the premium product is less than the cost to begin a second manufacturing line etc. for a basic product as well. Some examples: In college I owned a Ford Probe that didn't have cruise control. I installed it using the factory components. The wiring harness was already in place. It was cheaper for the company to create and manufacture 1 wiring harness for the vehicle including all the options than it was to make 9 different ones based on the options. Second example: I now own a Mazda3. Mazda offered a trip computer that calculates mileage etc as a part of a $600 option package. The trip computer was a part of the radio. However, what actually ended up happening was that all of the radios had the trip computer in them but some were not enabled. Somebody found out the secret of how to enable it and now there are hundreds of cars driving around with that functionality that they are not supposed to have.

Bottom line, this all relates to mobile home axles in that a lot of the differences in the axles and tires is simply in people's minds.

Thanks everyone. A lot of good conversation here.

The problem isnt so much the axles but using the mobile home rated tires on a utility trailer. You can replace them with regular 14.5 trailer tires and be fine.

That's what I was thinking! I haven't had any experience with 14.5 tires for 10 years or more, but I do remember that they came either "MH" or "LT".
I often "suspected" that the rims came in 2 weights also, but never had verification! I ran a 9 ton tri-axle for years, and never had a tire failure -- except for tread wear! Tread wear was horrible especially on the front and rear axles, not so bad on the middle axle! Biggest single reason that I'd never own another tri-axle trailer. I've often wondered how tire wear is on the spread axle trailers one sees on the road now.