Tri Axle Trailer vs Dual Axle Trailer

[TXnGA]

Hi-
I’m trying to do research on tri- axle horse trailers vs dual axle. I have always had a dual axle, but we are looking at getting a custom trailer with lq and it’s length is requiring three axles. My husband says no way because the tires will rub against each other when turning, more blowouts than you would normally have other wise and tight turns are very hard to make with three axles. And I have a 90 degree turn into my driveway and also the majority of the turns I make when leaving my neighborhood.

what is everyone’s options? The good, the bad, and the ugly. I do most of the driving myself with no other person so something that is more of pia is not something I would like to deal with.

thanks in advanced!

[goodhors]

How can he think the tires would rub on each other in turns? The axles don’t move when driving or turning. If the wheels don’t rub going forward, they won’t rub on turns. Curious if he has ever driven a 3 axle trailer to say they turn differently than a dual axle trailer? My friend has an older 3 axle trailer, does not seem to have any issues with it beyond normal wear and tear. She drives it a lot, goes in all kinds of places with it, no problems beyond what any larger trailer gIves you in getting it into small places.

Is new trailer a bumper pull or gooseneck hitch? Bumper pull may not be able to turn as short as a gooseneck, so there could be differences in HOW you turn a 90* corner. Gooseneck will allow very tight circles in small spaces that you cannot do with a bumper pull. But you ARE turning/pivoting, on the wheel, not rolling forward turning on that wheel. So it might cause slightly more wear if you do it often.

What is planned length of trailer and will it be heavily loaded to pull? I see 3 axles under race car trailers hauling heavy loads, but sometimes axle location on trailer, heavier weight limit axles, bigger tires, can allow you to stay with just two axles. Different engineering to manage the load. Our 35ft trailer has heavy rated axles with oil in them, like semi trucks use. It is a rebuilt, customized Featherlite, lot of years on it, lot of miles. We pack it full to go places, 2-3 horses, carriage, hay, bedding, harness, full water tank, though it may not weigh a lot. But only 2 axles.

[hosspuller]

Dexter does not recommend triple axles when using their torsion axles. Appears the axles would be overloaded going over bumps. Tor-flex are designed for twice overload but not thrice overload.

[OTTBs]

“Is new trailer a bumper pull or gooseneck hitch?”

Is it possible to have a horse trailer with living quarters (big enough that it needs 3 axles) that is a bumper pull?

[DMK]

I haven’t seen a bp horse trailer that meets those requirements (and mine is 23’ long), but every year I’m heading to and from Florida around Daytona season and I’ve seen plenty of vehicle trailers that meet that description.

[clanter]

And I have a 90 degree turn into my driveway and also the majority of the turns I make when leaving my neighborhood.

I suspect you will twist the axles and bend the wheels if you are having to do turn 90 degree turns. When I was working for a saddlehorse farm we had a 36 ft gooseneck that we used and had to put it into some very tight places… had to replace the axles twice

And if you have Chinese tires on it the sidewalls will give out

[TXnGA]

The trailer we are looking at building would be almost 50’ long gooseneck with lq, midtack and 2+1 horse area. So pretty long. I’ve asked the manufacturer if we could do higher rated axles instead of three smaller ones.

everything I’ve read says 90 degree turns and Jack knifing a trailer with three axles is a no go. And you wear out more tires with three axles. What other issues have people experiences?

the other thing I’ve read about is due to haveing the third axle, you also have to worry about being over weight/ more of a target automatically with a third axle- or maybe that doesn’t apply to horse trailers? ( I read it on a truckers website). Would a cdl be needed?

[cutter99]

@TXnGA

The trailer we are looking at building would be almost 50’ long gooseneck with lq, midtack and 2+1 horse area. So pretty long. I’ve asked the manufacturer if we could do higher rated axles instead of three smaller ones.

everything I’ve read says 90 degree turns and Jack knifing a trailer with three axles is a no go. And you wear out more tires with three axles. What other issues have people experiences?

the other thing I’ve read about is due to haveing the third axle, you also have to worry about being over weight/ more of a target automatically with a third axle- or maybe that doesn’t apply to horse trailers? ( I read it on a truckers website). Would a cdl be needed?

If a CDL isn’t currently required, it may be in the near future. You would need to check with the state in which you reside.

Another thing to consider is the size of the tow vehicle. This size trailer is beyond the capabilities of a one ton truck.

[Fillabeana]

Ok… first, that’s a really long trailer…

You might consider having vacuum over hydraulic brakes, they can handle considerably more weight than the usual electric trailer brakes.

Second, what you have most likely had on your trailers in the
past are properly called tandem axles, or less commonly double axles. A dual axle means that there are two wheels on each end of the axle, as in a “Dually” truck…four tires under one axle.

A dual axle can handle more weight, and thus two dual axles might meet your weight requirement, instead of a triple axle configuration.

The main issue with dual axles on a livestock or horse trailer, is that those two tires take up more space than one tire. Like the dually pickups that have big hips…
Anyway, a dual axle livestock or horse trailer will have less room on the inside of the trailer, in the horse or cattle compartment that rides directly over the axles.

[goodhors]

OP, with this new information, that is a BIG trailer. Have you ever driven a semi truck? 50ft is a common length for semi trailers, then add on the length of your pulling vehicle, for a total length you will have to manage. So you need to start thinking like a semi truck driver in how to manage your combination.

We have such a truck and trailer of 53ft, for a total over 60ft long. I have to say it can be a bear getting in and out of a showground, on wet or soft ground. You usually cannot park close to barns, you are too big. It is very easy to get parked in, can’t leave when you want. VERY frustrating! You cannot stop for food “just any old place”, you have to consider your size with every move you make. Location of trailer axles will control your turning radius, with axles closer to the rear shortening the turns. Trailer will turn way inside the tracks the pulling vehicle made! Our outfit makes 4 seperate tire tracks doing a 90* turn, and tracks may not be close to each other!

I am going to say for a 50ft trailer, you will need a CDL-A liscense and may need the air brake endorsement, to be legal. Both our 35ft Featherlite with the heavy axles, big tires, and the semi trailer have air brakes. I feel very confident in being able to stop when I use the brakes. My State goes by both weight, over 10,000 lbs, AND length, in requiring the CDL licensing to drive bigger trailers. Yes there are folks driving without a CDL, but I sure would not want to be one if pulled over or in an accident. Fines can really add up.

I am SURE you can drive such a rig with some instruction and practice. Then pass the driver testing. Getting proper instruction will make things easier for you, start resetting your thinking to be a truck driver, in doing things safely and correctly with this big rig. Getting the truck driver manual from your Sec of State office will cover lots of what you need to know, details. Do know that the information in testing covers ALL kinds of semi truck drivers, so anyone liscensed with a CDL can drive any kind of big truck outfit.

You will need a bigger truck/truck-tractor to pull the big trailer. Figure what trailer will weigh fully loaded, in considering size of pulling vehicle you will need. Tractor vehicle needs enough power to manage the full load in hills or mountains without losing much speed. Trucks come in automatic and manual transmissions these days, so if you are not familiar with shifting a manual, you have another option. We pull the Featherlite trailer with a 2-ton truck that has a flatbed. The semi trailer has a semi tractor to pull it, enough power to easily manage the fully loaded trailer wherever we go.

I have a CDL-A with the air-brake endorsement for work, drove professionally, so I was “prepared” when we changed to the bigger trailers. We had other women driving for the Company, so you should be confident in being able to manage such an outfit. Not trying to “talk down” to you, but at times dealing with men drivers can be very discouraging. In fact the women drivers had better safety records!

With friends who like to show, I seriously suggest going back over your trailer plans to see if you can reduce the length. They went with big trailers and find them difficult to drive and park at shows. Many sold them after short times, got smaller trailers that were easier to manage. Widths were a big issue for them, in trying to keep 8ft wide and long lengths between the lines on long hauls. No room for error in correcting your travel like a smaller width trailer gives you!

[DMK]

You might want to reach out to @DiamondJubilee , I believe they have a 53’ rig with 3 axles.

[TXnGA]

@goodhors

OP, with this new information, that is a BIG trailer. Have you ever driven a semi truck? 50ft is a common length for semi trailers, then add on the length of your pulling vehicle, for a total length you will have to manage. So you need to start thinking like a semi truck driver in how to manage your combination.

We have such a truck and trailer of 53ft, for a total over 60ft long. I have to say it can be a bear getting in and out of a showground, on wet or soft ground. You usually cannot park close to barns, you are too big. It is very easy to get parked in, can’t leave when you want. VERY frustrating! You cannot stop for food “just any old place”, you have to consider your size with every move you make. Location of trailer axles will control your turning radius, with axles closer to the rear shortening the turns. Trailer will turn way inside the tracks the pulling vehicle made! Our outfit makes 4 seperate tire tracks doing a 90* turn, and tracks may not be close to each other!

I am going to say for a 50ft trailer, you will need a CDL-A liscense and may need the air brake endorsement, to be legal. Both our 35ft Featherlite with the heavy axles, big tires, and the semi trailer have air brakes. I feel very confident in being able to stop when I use the brakes. My State goes by both weight, over 10,000 lbs, AND length, in requiring the CDL licensing to drive bigger trailers. Yes there are folks driving without a CDL, but I sure would not want to be one if pulled over or in an accident. Fines can really add up.

I am SURE you can drive such a rig with some instruction and practice. Then pass the driver testing. Getting proper instruction will make things easier for you, start resetting your thinking to be a truck driver, in doing things safely and correctly with this big rig. Getting the truck driver manual from your Sec of State office will cover lots of what you need to know, details. Do know that the information in testing covers ALL kinds of semi truck drivers, so anyone liscensed with a CDL can drive any kind of big truck outfit.

You will need a bigger truck/truck-tractor to pull the big trailer. Figure what trailer will weigh fully loaded, in considering size of pulling vehicle you will need. Tractor vehicle needs enough power to manage the full load in hills or mountains without losing much speed. Trucks come in automatic and manual transmissions these days, so if you are not familiar with shifting a manual, you have another option. We pull the Featherlite trailer with a 2-ton truck that has a flatbed. The semi trailer has a semi tractor to pull it, enough power to easily manage the fully loaded trailer wherever we go.

I have a CDL-A with the air-brake endorsement for work, drove professionally, so I was “prepared” when we changed to the bigger trailers. We had other women driving for the Company, so you should be confident in being able to manage such an outfit. Not trying to “talk down” to you, but at times dealing with men drivers can be very discouraging. In fact the women drivers had better safety records!

With friends who like to show, I seriously suggest going back over your trailer plans to see if you can reduce the length. They went with big trailers and find them difficult to drive and park at shows. Many sold them after short times, got smaller trailers that were easier to manage. Widths were a big issue for them, in trying to keep 8ft wide and long lengths between the lines on long hauls. No room for error in correcting your travel like a smaller width trailer gives you!

My current trailer is another custom built trailer at 45’, so we are only adding about 5 feet of length for more lq space. I’ve had this trailer for almost 6 years and have had no problems with it at shows, hauling or being pulled by a 1 ton or stopping. But at 50’ it get a tad towards my uncomfortable and don’t want to have to buy a new truck as the one I have is two years old… I have never had a problem hauling or being stopped by officials and I’ve driven it up and down the east coast multiple times. I do get boxed in a shows at times and have to be careful where and how I go at the showgrounds. And countless times that I haven’t stopped at gas station or for food because the logistics of the trailer wouldn’t work for parking 😳

thank you to everyone for all the great information!! A lot to consider and maybe just having to forgo the 2+1 design and have to do a reverse slant to be able to walk them off forward.

and I apologize, I meant two axles, not dual wheels Axles in the post, I don’t think I’ve seen a non semi horse trailer with dual wheels before.

[moving_to_dc]

We have had a triple axle toyhauler since 2011. It is 43’ long and gross weight is 23k. We have had zero issues with the triple axles, and we have hauled it all over the country with hundreds of 90* turns and jack knifes. You DO have to “straighten out” the tires after a 90* turn, as they WILL be all catty whompass. You can’t just leave it set like that, you have to be able to pull forward, or continue backing, until the tires align themselves again.

[DiamondJubilee]

We do have a tri axle custom made 52’ trailer that is 23,000lb loaded. We have 3 x 8,000lb axles and went back and forth with the engineers when we were planning this trailer (either keeping it to 2 larger axles or going for 3 smaller 8,000lb axles). We were going from a 2 axle 45’ trailer and about 18,000lb loaded, and my husband was worried that the trailer may not pull as well or make as good of turns as the tri axle.

Of course in the end we did go for the tri axle and my husband says it not only pulls better, its much easier to drive and holds the road better than our 2 axle trailer - which was smaller and lighter! We pulled it with the same dually at first, which could do the job, but they don’t really have the break power to stop such a large load safely, especially if you are going in a hilly area. We just purchased a M2 Freightliner to pull the trailer and its quite dreamy and does the job really well. But we are over 75’ long now and it can make it tricky getting into some places. The nice thing is the Freightliner holds just over 600L of fuel so we don’t have to make as many stops for fuel, but we have to pay for it. Yikes!!

There is no way the tires would ever rub each other. But we did put tire gauges on each of the tires that tells us the temps and air pressure as we are going down the road (goes to a monitor that we mount on the dash and an alarm will go off if the tires are over or under in air pressure). This way we can help prevent any blow outs.

We also have a camera that is on our hay pod to show traffic directly behind us, a camera on the horses inside and one that is mounted to the back of the freightliner to help hook up. All of these views really help going down the road and backing up when you are so big!

We also purchased a GPS for truckers and you can input your length, height and weight of truck/trailer and it ensures that you don’t go under any low bridges, small backroads or anything that might be “iffy” for large trucks. So far its been great!

I also just want to mention that my husband also has driven a firetruck for over 20 years and is also a carpenter with a 20ft trailer that he drives everyday and backs it into small driveways. Not saying that no one else knows how to drive or is not a good driver, but he is a really good driver and can back the trailer in circles around anything. The other day we missed a gate entrance at a horse show and had to back down a one lane road for over 500ft and he had no issues. People came up to him at the show saying how impressive it was lol!

[Where_sMyWhite]

@DiamondJubilee

The nice thing is the Freightliner holds just over 600L of fuel so we don’t have to make as many stops for fuel, but we have to pay for it. Yikes!!

The last part of your sentence was the thought that went through my head before I even read the rest of the sentence. When I had my F250 diesel, I used to use truck stop diesel pumps since their nozzles would fit in my fuel filler and filled so much faster than the car side of the same fuel station. Scary when I’d pull up to the pump and see the last fill up by a semi tractor with saddle bags :eek: (BTW, whoot… smilies are back!!)

There is no way the tires would ever rub each other. But we did put tire gauges on each of the tires that tells us the temps and air pressure as we are going down the road (goes to a monitor that we mount on the dash and an alarm will go off if the tires are over or under in air pressure). This way we can help prevent any blow out.

This is a cool idea. I didn’t know there were such things!!
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

[Equibrit]

@TXnGA

the other thing I’ve read about is due to having the third axle, you also have to worry about being over weight/ more of a target automatically with a third axle- or maybe that doesn’t apply to horse trailers? ( I read it on a truckers website). Would a cdl be needed?

Using a utility trailer for business also comes with some requirements. A vehicle and trailer used for business that has a combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 10,001 lbs or more is subject to Federal Safety Regulations. These require that you have a medical qualification, obtain a DOT number, and adhere to hours-of-service regulations.

[goodhors]

@TXnGA

My current trailer is another custom built trailer at 45’, so we are only adding about 5 feet of length for more lq space. I’ve had this trailer for almost 6 years and have had no problems with it at shows, hauling or being pulled by a 1 ton or stopping. But at 50’ it get a tad towards my uncomfortable and don’t want to have to buy a new truck as the one I have is two years old… I have never had a problem hauling or being stopped by officials and I’ve driven it up and down the east coast multiple times. I do get boxed in a shows at times and have to be careful where and how I go at the showgrounds. And countless times that I haven’t stopped at gas station or for food because the logistics of the trailer wouldn’t work for parking 😳

thank you to everyone for all the great information!! A lot to consider and maybe just having to forgo the 2+1 design and have to do a reverse slant to be able to walk them off forward.

and I apologize, I meant two axles, not dual wheels Axles in the post, I don’t think I’ve seen a non semi horse trailer with dual wheels before.

Sounds like you have the experience to manage the larger trailer quite well! Keep us informed on how things work out as you upgrade to the bigger length.

[rothmpp]

@Equibrit

Using a utility trailer for business also comes with some requirements. A vehicle and trailer used for business that has a combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 10,001 lbs or more is subject to Federal Safety Regulations. These require that you have a medical qualification, obtain a DOT number, and adhere to hours-of-service regulations.

Perhaps for a commercial application. For a private individual - vehicle and trailer loaded the weight limits is 26,000lbs in many if not all states. The issue can come from the overall length in some states. My SO’s race car trailer is 45 feet long. Add the truck length and while I am under on the weight, in so me states I am over on the length and would need a CDL (or play dumb and hope for the best).

We’ve had the discussion here before regarding horses and the relative issues and concerns when it comes to whether you’re going to be considered commercial for DOT purposes, so I won’t revisit that exploding can of worms.

In regard to the tri axle tires - my understanding is that because the length of the tire section - it isn’t that the tires rub on each other, but that there is quite a bit of sidewall pressure on sharp turns, especially at slow speeds, which is why you want to roll forward or backward straight for several feet if you are making a tight turn to park.

It isn’t driving straight that is the problem with the bigger rig for most people - it is the turns and getting in and out of tight locations. You’ve got to plan ahead for things like fuel stops. My truck is a diesel, so a truck stop will be set up for the length, but I hate filling my truck at a semi pump - half the time it has the large end on the pump, which won’t fit past the flap in the mouth of my fuel tank. If it does, the higher flow causes foaming in the fuel - which means it is triggering the safety stop long before the tank is full. I either have the fill it much slower or let the foam settle and then add more fuel if I want a full tank.

And I’ll add one more wrinkle - in my state trailers do not have to carry insurance to be registered and plated. When he got the new trailer, I inquired to my auto insurance company if they would insure the trailer. Not only would they not insure the trailer, they declined to renew my truck at the end of the current policy date. While I don’t know if they would have declined to cover an accident if it happened in the interim, it someone is looking at a larger trailer and you don’t need to carry insurance on a trailer to register and plate it, you might get an ugly surprise if you were in an accident while towing the trailer when it came to covering the tow vehicle and/or personal injury from an accident.