Single Axle Travel Trailers

[jeffnick]

I tow a single axle Wolf Pup (16FQ) and a tandem 12,000 lb 28' houseboat. No problems with either...but I do use a front hitch on the van for critical backing for both.
With the single axle Wolf Pup, TPMS is critical although I've not experienced any tire problems in my brief 15,000 miles of towing it. The TPMS has paid for itself several times over while towing the houseboat.

[mnoland30]

Upgrade your tires right away, or make the dealer do it. Most trailers are near max load before you put anything in them. Upgrading you tires will make a big difference. A blowout at high speed causes lots of damage. Also pay attention to speed rating on the tires. In the past, trailer tires were rated for 65 mph. Now you can get tires rated for 81 mph and higher. Again, just a safety factor. I have 2 single axle trailers, and since I upgraded the tires, I haven't had any problems. In the past, hauling my boat 400 miles to the lake, I got a blowout at least every other year.

[HikerBob]

Any short trailer (less than 20 ft.) with a single axle is going to react a lot faster than one of those monster fifth wheels or trailer, so one simply has to get used to the idea. Having a vehicle with a small turning radius helps a lot.

[ScooterDobs]

Used to pull a 24' dual axle trailer and a 20' boat. We just bought a Mini Lite 1905 single axle. The crappy old 1/2 ton pickup enjoys the smaller trailer much more than the old, heavy 24'. As for backing, sometimes the curse is the blessing. Yes, you can get jack-knifed easier and small moves have bigger impacts. The other side of the coin, however, is that once you get used to the shorter trailer you can back into some pretty tight spots that would have been harder or impossible to get to with a longer trailer. As many have mentioned, we tend to camp at BLM and Forest Service camps that are not designed for larger trailers. Our shorter trailer has opened up some options. Since the 1905 is about the same length as the boat, we were already calibrated to the "shortness" for backing. I think once you get used to it, you will like that it is shorter.

As for the trailer, the 1905 is perfect for us as a couple, light, easy to pull around, and enough room for the two of us. The Murphy Bed is the best as it makes the trailer feel spacious during the day but then you have a walk around (sidle around) queen bed at night.