Bronco weight and trailering

[4WHLFUN]

I rolled my stock 73 across the scale today and it weighed 3880# with about 10 gals. of gas and no driver. I’m buying an enclosed trailer and had my mind set on 5200# axels but I found one in stock with 3500# axles and a load capacity of 3800#. If you’ve shopped for trailers recently you know they are scarce and lead times in the months. I’ll only use the thing 3-4 times year at the most so what do ya all think? Is anyone running 3500# axles and trailering regularly without issue?

 

[Digger556]

I wouldn't worry about that at all.

Remember 10% of the weight rides on the tongue.

 

[AZ73]

3500# axles + 10% tongue = 3850#. I'm not an expert on trailers but a rating of 3800# is the axles plus the tongue. Payload capacity is the maximum weight that a trailer can safely haul. He's exceeding his maximum weight by 80 lbs. I wouldn't want to run on the ragged edge of maximum weight but to each their own.

 

[Remos69]

Trailers may have a fudge factor, but insurance companies do not. If you are involved in an accident, they will calculate the load and if overweight load is calculated you may be fighting with the at fault insurance or even your own!

 

[brewchief]

3500# axles + 10% tongue = 3850#. I'm not an expert on trailers but a rating of 3800# is the axles plus the tongue. Payload capacity is the maximum weight that a trailer can safely haul. He's exceeding his maximum weight by 80 lbs. I wouldn't want to run on the ragged edge of maximum weight but to each their own.

3500# axles would be a 7k trailer, sounds like it weighs around 3200# so payload of 3800#.
On paper it looks like just enough, problem is other stuff will get brought along.
A spare tire, a floor jack to change said tire, tools, coolers full of food or ice and beer.
It's really easy to add hundreds of pounds of extra stuff without realizing it.

I have a 7k open trailer, it's lighter by about a thousand pounds and it's really not overkill at all.

I would pass on an enclosed with 3500# axles, running near or at max capacity is asking for tire and bearing issues.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

 

[Digger556]

3500 lb axles are rated to 3500 lbs.

2 axles = 7000 lbs

10% tongue weight means 90% on the axles.

7000 / 90% = 7778 lbs.


There is what the name plate says and there is what the real numbers are. The trailer company has to rate the trailer at 7000 lbs because they can't control how you load it. But if you load it to an honest 10% tongue weight, you will not hurt the axles, even if 80 lbs over 7000 lbs.

I have been running a 7K flatbed right at 7000 lbs for 16 years now. You are 20x more likely to lose a wheel bearing due to water ingress. Again, don't worry about being near the gross limit. You would need to severely overload the trailer to ruin the bearings.

Here is a bearing set for a 3500# axle:
https://www.amazon.com/3500lbs-Trailer-Bearing-L44649-Spindle/dp/B07V2K3ZV2

L68149/11 bearing has a C90 rating of 2650 lbs radial load and L44649/10 has a C90 rating of 2080 lbs. C90 = 90 million revolutions, which is approximately 125,000 miles with an average trailer tire. If the hub splits the load appropriately between the bearings, the combined hub loading could be 4730 lbs PER TIRE. The bearings can handle even more load, but with a reduced life. The C1 rating (1 million revolutions) is 10,200 lbs/8,010 lbs respectively.

7000 lbs of trailer and cargo would be 875 lbs/bearing, way under what the bearings can actually handle.

 

[Broncobowsher]

We have so many trailers like this at work there is one guy that is his whole job. Fixing and maintaining the trailers. I help him out. I have set numerous ones up as well.

Yes, there is a difference in the trailers. The 7K are soft. When loading them up and getting right to the 7k, you hear them creak and moan, strange pops and snaps as you drive in. You feel the floor flex. The 10k still have a little of that, but not nearly as much. Most of the time they are built much more stout.

Also look at the brakes and tires. You are thinking of running at 100% capacity. Marginal when new. 3 years from now. You will have the same tires on it. While not bad yet, they are starting to go that way. Still want to run them at 100%? Better is a 10k trailer and only run them at 70%. They can age a bit and still be a viable tire.

Yes, finding the correct trailer is difficult. And now it is even more so. But get the correct trailer now so you don't have to buy it later.

 

[56f100bbw]

20 foot enclosed trailer 7K rated

This is a 7000 lb trailer 5 lug wheels 20 ft , Car inside about 3k lb I never tow with a 1/2 truck just my opinion plus a 20 foot trailer it’s hard to stage a vehicle inside

 

[SC74]

I've towed a Bronco (D60 axles, full cage, full of tools) all over this country on an open trailer with 3,500 lb axles. Have I blown tires, yes. Tires have come a long way, and I would suggest getting the highest rated tire you can, regardless of how many lugs you get. My trailer was very light though so I had higher capacity than the enclosed you are referencing. Weight distribution was key on that trailer and I had the "sweet spot" figured out. If I was 2" off, it was a mess.

I ended up stepping up to 7k axles so there's no question and I can haul whatever I want to haul. Honestly, I'd get at least 6 lug axles on an enclosed. The extra weight of the trailer plus knowing you'll pack it with gear, coolers, tools, etc. makes it past borderline.

 

[knack]

I've got a 24' enclosed trailer rated for 10K pounds. My Bronco weighs about the same as yours. For sure, I'd go with at least 5,000 lb. axles. Depending on your tow vehicle, I'd also go with an equalizer hitch. Made a huge difference with the 2500 HD Chev pickup I use.

 

[crawln68]

And don't forget that 7000 lb. rating is including the weight of the trailer itself. So after loading your Bronco and gear, that trailer would be overweight. You'll blow tires, wear out bearing and possible even bend the axles themselves. Don't ask how I know all of this. %)

 

[1970 Palmer]

Lots of very accurate "real world, towing advice" has already been given above.

In cost, there's very little actual cost difference between a 3500# axle assembly and a 5200# assembly. You can even upgrade the Dexter 5200# to a 6000# (1/4" axle wall) for a only a very few bucks. The big difference is 12" brakes over the 10" brakes on the 3500# assembly. The 12" hubs have larger wheel bearings also.

One of the important considerations is tire weight ratings. You will find a much better selection in higher weight rated trailer tires after you step up to the 5200# axles. 16" wheels are really the best route, and then you have a choice of six or eight bolt wheels. I tow 8 to 10K miles each year and my "go to tire" is a Maxxis premium steel belted "E" rated 16" tire. This brand was the brand of choice recommended to me by my fellow drag racers that towed thousands of miles each year. You can order them from Discount Tire Direct, or even form Wal Mart on line.

Trailer manufacturers, and trailer dealers are under extreme retail price pressure. As buyers we are always shopping for the cheapest place. But after fifty years of towing stuff around the country, I would not fall into the "price trap" when buying a new trailer. If I were buying a new trailer, open or closed, I would find a dealer that I trusted, and place a order for a trailer that was spec'd to my needs. It would have upgraded axle/hub/tire/wheels. I would have a winch, nice long ramps, interior lights, long tie donw strips to allow the towed vehicle to be moved for proper tongue weight. Depending on how handy the buyer is, these accessories could be buyer, or dealer installed.

The trailers you find advertised are going to be stripped down rigs to make them price attractive. It might not be a issue if your only trailering ATV's, Dirt bikes, and UTV's to the dunes, but hauling a 4000# EB and another 2000# of stuff is not the same.

John

 

[1970 Palmer]

This is a 7000 lb trailer 5 lug wheels 20 ft , Car inside about 3k lb I never tow with a 1/2 truck just my opinion plus a 20 foot trailer it’s hard to stage a vehicle inside

Agree, Check out the tumble weeds in that photo. I'd bet that at least moderate, or maybe high winds were also a factor. A weight distribution hitch usually also has a sway bar to help with side winds. The sidewall surface of the trailer is just like a sail on a boat. The sway bar accessory ties the tow rig into the trailer and reduces the impact of side winds. Unfortunately many weekend tower's do not slow down during adverse conditions. By the way, I tow a 5000# trailer, with a 1/2 ton F150 truck. The most important thing is using all the available towing safety equipment, and some common towing sense.

Many do not understand that you average trailer tire is only speed rated to 60 MPH, and some trailer tires are not even rated that high. We have all been passed by a three axle toy hauler at 80 MPH on the 10 freeway towing for their weekend at the dunes. A few more miles up the road, they are pulled over with one or two trailer tires blown out.

John

 

[Apogee]

What's the tow rig? The smaller the tow rig, the less overkill I'd be willing to go on the trailer just for added peace of mind. If you've got a modern 3/4 or 1-ton truck with decent GVWR, then I'd definitely be looking at 10k or 12k trailers just for the added robustness and flexibility when hauling a little bit more than just the EB from point A to point B. While you may have to wait a while for it to be built, your resale market will be much bigger and I think your satisfaction with the trailer will be higher while you own it.

If your tow rig is a 1/2-ton truck, then I'd personally be looking at an open car hauler to save some weight that you can put back towards cargo. Even a little 20ft enclosed trailer can be a handful with a 1/2-ton truck IMO, especially when things get a little dicey. You can improve things with a weight distribution hitch so that it's a little bit safer, which makes it so you're less likely to end up like the poor truck/trailer in the picture above.

As noted above, the higher weight rated axles will have bigger brakes, bigger bearings, and better wheel/tire options. My 14k equipment hauler is a tank at 4400#, but doesn't really pull much different with or without a 5000# truck on it.

 

[No Hay]

Trailers may have a fudge factor, but insurance companies do not. If you are involved in an accident, they will calculate the load and if overweight load is calculated you may be fighting with the at fault insurance or even your own!

Good enough sense for me!

As a lifelong motorcyclist, I'll apply the motorcyclists rule to trailers: "if you have a $100 head, buy a $100 helmet." ;D

 

[Broncobowsher]

Another consideration is suspension type. The most common will be leaf spring (with an equalizer between them for the shackles) or torsion axles.

A lot of builders do the torsion axles. They cost a little more, but they are way faster to install. But if you are pushing a trailer to capacity it is real easy to overload an axle. As the hitch height goes up or down the load shift back and forth. Doesn't take much of a height change to do it. When I set up trailers at work I have the extreme luxury of an axle scale (and can do wheels separately of there is a question in a load off to one side too much). One hole difference in a typical adjustable hitch changes axle loads by 500 pounds or so, sometimes more. So being off by a little bit on the hitch height can make your 3500# loaded axles really 3000# and 4000#. And you don't notice it being a hole off. Two decades of setting up trailers and I still have to use the scales to get this right. Shifting cargo on the trailer really doesn't change this until you are making huge changes in tongue weight, which changes hitch height.

The leaf spring suspension is more naturally balanced between axle loads. You can even use the equalizer as a judge if the trailer is level. If it is level, you have the tongue height correct. If it tilts forward the tongue height is high. Tilts back, low.
Another really nice feature is pulling into gas stations and stuff where there is a bit of a curb or speed bump to drive over. The leaf springs just follow it nicely. One wheel goes up and the other goes down. The torsion has the uphill tire taking all the load. Which can lift the other tire off the ground. That means the whole trailer (at least that one side) weight is on that one axle. And as it shifts from axle to axle as you go over the bump/curb it radically shifts tongue weight. You feel the tow vehicle pitch much more wildly.

You are getting a full trailer education out of this one...

As for the 5k axles running the bigger 12" brakes and 16" tires, I have no issues running LT truck tires on a trailer. They are holding up really good on the ones at work. We made the switch on some many years ago and are switching the others that we can. Some of the ones that are used for the SAE J2807 testing we can't, have to run the tire called out for in the SAE papers.

 

[4WHLFUN]

Thanks everyone for all the advice and first hand experience. I passed on the 7k trailer, dealer didn’t recommend either. I put deposit on a 10k they had preordered and should be here in a month.

 

[1970 Palmer]

Broncobowsher, Very good explanation on the difference of torsion versus Leaf Spring trailer suspension. The torsion axles work well on a Airstream trailer, but are not the best choice for a car hauler. The tow vehicle's hitch height makes a big difference in axle loading.

You have confirmed my experience for using LT (light truck) tires on a trailer. With proper weight ratings, and air pressure they perform just fine. I ran LT tires on a single axle VW car trailer for 19 years. I just changed them out every three to four years.

John