2 axles vs 3 axles - RV-Dreams Community Forum

James and Cindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

2 axles vs 3 axles

Melstar · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi James and Cindy,

We are neighbors....we live in the Lafayette, LA area. Thinking and planning for the fulltime lifestyle....and doing extended trips now. Don't know enough to answer your question, however...3 axles would be a longer trailer...and bigger is better when you live in it full time, right??

Melanie

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

The number of axles is pretty much determined by the weight of the trailer and I would guess that they are only on toy haulers and rigs over 19 or 20,000 pounds. for rigs this weight you would also need a medium duty truck.

It's definitely not necessary to have 3 axles for full timing, there are many suitable 2 axle rigs in the 15-17,000 GVWR range.

igotjam · RV-Dreams Family Member

In addition to more tires to replace when due, watch a 3 axel turn a corner (like backing into a spot) The tires lean on a 2 axel but really scrape around corners on a 3 axel. If I had a choice I would get as few axels as possible.

Bill Adams · RV-Dreams Family Member

When driving on a toll road you will pay the same rate as a tractor-trailer. You will be 5 axles with a tow vehicle and 3 axles. We know. We have the same problem with a tag axle RV and a toad.

James and Cindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are looking at toyhaulers for our future rig. Most are around 40' long, but some are closer to 36'. The shorter have 2 axles while the longer have the 3rd axle. I hope to have a MDT to pull with, but a 19,000lb GVWR trailer is within the tow ratings of all the 2011 1 ton duallys. Will a 3 axle trailer have a better ride? Do you have to rotate the tires more often to keep wear the same? I am wondering if the 3 axle will be better balanced when we load our atvs in the back.
James

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

James and Cindy,

Do not rely on "towing weight" capacities in choosing your tow vehicle. What you want to look at is Gross Combined Vehicular Weight (GCVW) ratings which is combined fully loaded weights of both the tow vehicle and the towed vehicle. That is to include passengers, fuel, cargo, pets, fluids in towed vehicle, etc., when getting the GCVW. I suspect there are cases when one may be pulling a trailer within the tow rating, but is still over on GCVW.

Our fifth wheel is a Mobile Suites made by DRV Suites and they are heavier than most fifth wheels. There is a gentleman that attends RV rallies and weighs the rigs of those that ask (and pay) for the service. He recently posted on another forum the results of a lot of those weights. 100% of SRW (single rear wheeled) vehicle were overweight. 60% of DRW (dual rear wheeled) trucks were overweight. All those weights were based on the tow vehicle's door sticker ratings.

Some of the DRV Suites products can weigh up to 20,000 lbs, but most of those are the Elite Suites models that include granite counter tops, among other additional features. Our Mobile Suites is just over 38 feet long and its GVWR is 18,500 lbs. As yet, I've not weighed our rig fully loaded.

Terry

Bob and Kathy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Wow Terry!

I sure appreciate your very educated replies to these questions. This one sparked my interest, and is one that I would be asking soon (..but now I don't have to). It's good to have you around! Thanks for being so willing to share your knowledge with us.

(Bob and) Kathy

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Toyhaulers are first designed to haul toys and then be RV's. So you will find the larger toyhaulers with 3 axles in order to carry higher weight toys like sand rails, many dirtbikes or other play things.

A non-toyhauler 5th wheel is designed to be just an RV so there's no need for the extra carrying capacity to allow for "those toys"

3 axles aren't there to improve the ride, only handle the larger load capacity.

If you plan to get a MDT (or even an HDT) to tow with, you probably won't notice the 5th wheel at all. Sure there will be a sensation of weight, but any road bumps unless large, like railroad track crossing or speed bumps will go unnoticed with a good hitch setup. It's surprising how smooth a well setup hitch will make travel across most primary and secondary roads. It's when you get off the beaten path that the ride can get a little bumpy.

If you plan on having people ride in the 5th wheel while travelling, then you do need to worry about ride quality. Something like a Mor-Ryde suspension system would improve the ride. Some 5th wheels just need shocks added to improve the ride.

By the way the guys with HDTs who have had MDTs claim the ride in the HDT is much better. HDTs with lots of life still left can be found for prices below a similar year or quality MDT.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

While this is not related to the original questions, I feel I need to chime in. With Bear's comment about riding in the fifth wheel, I think that would be illegal in some states. I wonder if anyone knows of a source where information on that legality would be posted for all states?

Terry

Shane · RV-Dreams Community Member

I would agree that in most states riding in any trailer is not allowed.

To answer the original question, i have owned both 2 & 3 axles. I felt no differance with either on when towing with 2004 F350 dually.

I did how-ever know the differance when purchasing new tires. The 3 axles 5-er i had was a Raptor toy hauler, thus the 3 axles was simpley to handle the wieght. If you have never owned a toy hauler you will learn that when you have no toys loaded in it the hitch wieght is alot heaver. But when the toys are loaded up, you'll notice that all the weight of the toys is behind the axles for the most part thus taking some of the load of the tow vehicle. As stated by someone else, when turning a 3 axle trailer, especialy in a tight turn it is very hard on the tires & in extrem cases can actually pop the bead (pull tire of the rim). From my serches when i purchased my toy hauler all the large ones has 3 axles so i dont think your going to have a choise if a large toy hauler is what you want.

Jack Mayer · RV-Dreams Family Member

During our 11 years fulltiming we have had both 2 and 3 axle trailers. As others have said, it is based on the GVWR of the trailer.

In my opinion, it is better to have 3 axles and have them more lightly loaded than have 2 axles loaded to the max. It gives you more "breathing space" on the axle loadings, and generally on the tires as well. Trailers tend to be overladed to start with....having extra capacilty is a good safety margin.

As to tire wear - treated properly I have seen no additional tire wear on my 3 axle trailers. Backing, one should relive stress on the tires in a tight backing situation by slightly pulling forward (6" will do it) during the tight back. I have a lot of miles on my rigs, and have not seen the "typical" issues you hear about with three axles. You will see them stress in very tight turns (generally only backing), but this is not a large issue. IMO.

At any rate, you need what you need.....

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Here's an article with links regarding riding in 5th wheels. The links are condensed rules pertaining to RV for the various state.

Usually passengers riding in 5th wheels are allowed as long as there is some sort of audible communication device between the tow vechicle and the 5th wheel. Many states allow it, but don't recommend it. The connection between a 5th wheel and tow vehicle is considered a more robust connection vs a TT and tow vehicle. Thus the rules allow for the city buses with the 5th wheel connection for the rear flexible section.

http://www.woodalls.com/articledetails.aspx?articleID=1195129

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks, Bear. I've now added Woodall's as one of my links for more researching. I have no idea how I've missed them before.

Terry

James and Cindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks to all for the replies. Jack thanks for the information. I was hoping someone had pulled both types. I was worried about tire wear and cost of having to replace them more often. We will not be riding in the trailer and I hope never to use toll roads. When we are retired I want to use the back roads not interstates.

Thanks again,

James