Thread: 2T van - 1 or 2 axles

Twin axle trailers are good on smooth roads, everywhere else a single axle will give you a better ride. Twin axle trailers put a lot of stress on your tow bar once you reach the limits of the axles articulation. Single axle trailers are also much easier to maneuver by hand using a jockey wheel.

I should have stated for a van to be used on outback roads rather than an off-road van, so travelling over pot-holes and bumps rather than true off-road conditions.

Our car trailer is single axle, 2500kg, I won't go back unless I need to go bigger. Tows like a dream on sealed and unsealed roads.

I'd go with single, but make sure it has a big axle and big bearings, and decent wheels and tyres. Primarily just because I much prefer how they tow, and it keeps weight down.

It depend on personal preference, but if you go tandem make sure it's independent coils.

The thing is, 2T isn't all that much for a single axle, if you use a quality set of hubs to fit 16" 4WD wheels. Match that with quality springs and some shock absorbers and your trailer will follow everywhere without any fuss. All of my trailers that I've built and owned over the last 35 years have been built to that pattern and they are far superior in towing comfort compared to the tandems I've had the misfortune to borrow.

If a tyre lets go (dramatically) on a single axle anything, the resulting ride is a little more exciting. I have had a few go over the years on dual axle trailers with no major side effects.

Originally Posted by pop058

If a tyre lets go (dramatically) on a single axle anything, the resulting ride is a little more exciting. I have had a few go over the years on dual axle trailers with no major side effects.

When I've had flats on my single axle car trailer I haven't noticed a thing until the tyre started shredding the mud guard. The trailer weight balance doesn't change at all. A flat on the rear of a tandem however can lead to wild swaying and a massive brown stain on your seat. I've seen that more than once.

We're starting to think about a replacement van. Our current one is an old 14' Coromal to which I've fitted long off-road leaf springs and shocks and 30" tyres and it now rides rough gravel roads very well, although it only weights about 1T. The van's main deficiency is its lack of an en-suite but extra space and a longer bed would also be good.

We looked at some new Jayco Outbacks that have a single axle for the slightly smaller ones and duals for the next size up. I wondered if independent coil suspension duals might ride bumps better, acknowledging that 4 wheels hitting bumps could be worse than 2. I'm keen to keep the weight down but less impact felt by the tow vehicle is better.

We're also contemplating the pros and cons of pop-top vs caravan.