I love single axle trailers; and can't understand why anyone would recomend dual axles for the sizes you are considering. They tow fine with the load properly distributed, and are easier to manoever than a dual axle of the same length. Go with the longer size, like most everyone is recomending.

 

I don't trust trailers with a single axle Too easy to have a catastrophic failure. I see LOTS of abandoned trailers on the side of the highway. But, I also rarely tow trailers with a GVWR of less than 7000lbs, and usually with livestock on board, so I really need the backup of a second axle. Of course, if you hit a serious obstical, you'll blow both tires, and unless you keep a PAIR of spares on board you are still SOL...

 

I don't see why that would be the case if the tires are in good condition, the trailer is not overloaded, and the speed limit is observed.

I don't think the OP is planning on hauling livestock, or anything to heavy on that 5x10 or so trailer. And people who doesn't have a spare can only blame themselves, or whoever they got the trailer from.

 

Catastrophic failures can happen because of road debris too Your trailer can be in tip-top condition and still have a massive, dangerous failure. With a single axle trailer you are that much more suseptible to that type of danger.

 

i have a 5/10 and i use it more than my 16. mine is a tilt, and i am thinking about changing it over to a standard. there are many things to go wrong with the tilt trailer like #1 forgeting to put the pin in after you load something up, and remembering it when you hit a bump(thank goodness for tied down cargo)and it bounces up #2 if your wife drives the lawnmower up it and does not know that it slams down if you drive up to fast #3. in order for the tilt to work properly the axles are centered and the tounge weight goes down if you dont have enough weight in front it tends to sway. but all in all a 5/10 is one of the handiest trailer you will own. but if i buy another one it will be a standard no tilt 6/10.all of these things are personal exp. and i drive trailers almost every day. on a tailgate i would probly go with a half or fold down rear gate, to save on gas milage, the full gate is a big drag. as always these are only my 2cents . allent

 

as for the blow out and leaving it on the side of the road, these are probulay borrowed trailers or people that do not haul much. you always need a spare of the proper size, and never leave your trailer, because to the right person(theives) almost every trailer is worth a new,probably stolen rim to replace the one that they just toasted while stealing your trailer. and always lock the trailer up. down here trailers are stole all the time and towed to the next state, where the cops have no juristiction.

 

I haven't seen a single person with an exterior mounted spare on any trailer other than horse trailers in this town, and I pass three or four every time I drive the 2 miles between my house and work. I also see MAYBE 10% with working lights, and 5% with license plates (optional in Kentucky).

 

Since dual axle trailers have the wheels in line, most debris that could take out one tire couls take out both. Also dual axle trailers usually rely on the second wheel on that side to carry their heavier loads - so a failure on one will sometimes also make the second one on that side fail due to overloading. I've had a couple single axle trailers that proved to be very reliable - never even needed the spares that I had for both of them. Meanwhile; others who neglected tire care on double axle campers I was traveling with did have problems. This is really not a big thing to worry about for the size of trailer we are discussing here.

 

That same debris can likely to blow some tires on the towing vehicle, too. I think the cause of many blowouts can be traced to bad or overloaded tires.

 

It's the exact same here...must be a southern thing...

Tim

 

I did mention the "what could blow out one tire could blow both" problem in the first post I talked about dual axles :P

 

Okay, my bad on that maybe - but that doesn't explain why you keep going back to complaining about single axles in a thread about a trailer so small it would have no need for a dual axle set up.

 

I'm not complaining, I'm suggesting something more in the 14-18' range rather than 10'.

 

That can be a much more useful size trailer, depending on your needs and situation - but is more trailer than many people need; and not the sizes he was comparing. Some just don't need a trailer that big, or have the space to store it.

 

In which case the OP can read my reasons, compare it to his situation, and take it or leave it. But that doesn't make my opinion any less valid than anyone else's!