Axle safety margin

[wyo700]

Is there a axle safety margin. The reason I ask is with my toy hauler I will be now putting a sidexside inside and with water and food and clothes I will be right at my axles capacity of 7000lbs. Two 3500 pound axles. Not that I'm gonna over load my camper but this number has to be a low ball for safety sake I would assume. I would figure a 5-10% safety margin has to be in there some where although axle mfgs will not tell us that. What does everyone think of this?

[ependydad]

Another take on the problem is that you're possibly going to be loading one axle heavier than the other.

No idea about the safety margin, though.

[Oaklevel]

Most THs have a max load in the garage or toy area. Ours is 2500 lbs in the garage & 4500 lbs overall. Ours for example is about 9800 lbs empty 14400 gross.

Keep in mind some of your weight will be on the hitch or pin & not all on the axles......... Weigh it at a CAT Scale or other. I would not put too much faith in a safety factor.

[wyo700]

I went and weighed this weekend that is why I am asking this. With it connected to my truck I was at capacity. Was not what I was expecting but it is what is. I think it sucks but not much I can do about it.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

I think the only person who "may" be able to answer a loaded question about safety margins will be a factory rep...With that said (as with truck overload topics)...up to you on how you want to play on the factory stickers max weight listings, etc...

[raspivey]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

I would not put too much faith in a safety factor.

No, but I WOULD put faith in a legal team that's going to low ball the rating for legal purposes. Not that I'd exceed it by very much, but I'm willing to bet it's not going to fall apart if you bust it by a few pounds.

Originally Posted by Cajun Po-Boy

I think the only person who "may" be able to answer a loaded question about safety margins will be a factory rep.

I'm also willing to bet you'll never here anyone "officially" tell you anything but what's on the sticker.

[wyo700]

Just did some research on alko axles on their web site. Looking at the difference between the 3500 and 4000 pounds is pretty much nothing. Leaf springs, bearings, spindles. Even seen a part in the brochure for a 3500lb axle where it can be ordered with a bigger tube which would make it like the 4000 pound axle but would still be considered a 3500lb axle and with six lug drums. But the 4000 pound axle can be ordered with a 5 lug pattern if wanted. Spindles are exactly the same size and bearings are the same except for one outer on the 4000 is different but has the same inside spindle diameter. I don't get it. Their was so many different part numbers for all the components of each 3500 and 4000 that when looking at the sizes of each almost makes them identical.

[OldCoot]

You can rest assured what is published is vastly different from what the design parameters are/were and what the actual test results revealed and you will never see either of them even in a court of law.

[wyo700]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

You can rest assured what is published is vastly different from what the design parameters are/were and what the actual test results revealed and you will never see either of them even in a court of law.

So what are you saying? Always love your responses when it comes to weight issues. Not joking either you always make sense with your responses.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by wyo700

So what are you saying? Always love your responses when it comes to weight issues. Not joking either you always make sense with your responses.

Having been a member of SAE (while I was a design engr for IH) and talking to other engineers, it was always a topic of discussion about what we designed and tested vs what was published. Don't know for a fact, but I would surmise the same in other industries, especially the automotive industries, Lippert, etc. You cannot design that close to a published figure that if the limit is say 3,000 lbs that it will fail at say 3,500 lbs.

[wyo700]

Thanks old coot I understand what your saying makes sense and was what I was also thinking the whole time. But at the same time I didn't want to hurt anything either.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by wyo700

Thanks old coot I understand what your saying makes sense and was what I was also thinking the whole time. But at the same time I didn't want to hurt anything either.

Even knowing that, I don't think I would purposely overload a trailer axle as they are certainly not built like a truck rear end or tested nearly as harshly as a truck. The testing is quite expensive and I doubt very much if Lippert expends that kind of resources.

[MillerTime]

I would want to stay real close if going off road much.

Anybody else think its funny how OC flip flops on on overload advise? lol

MillerTime- Future Sabre Handler!!

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by MillerTime

I would want to stay real close if going off road much.

Anybody else think its funny how OC flip flops on on overload advise? lol

MillerTime- Future Sabre Handler!!

IMO, all rv trailer suspension, axles, etc are junk in comparison to automotive type suspension, axles, etc.

Would overload a GM, Ford or even Dodge without worrying, would I overload a Lippert or other trailer suspension? Not knowingly, I don't trust them.

[MillerTime]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

IMO, all rv trailer suspension, axles, etc are junk in comparison to automotive type suspension, axles, etc.

Would overload a GM, Ford or even Dodge without worrying, would I overload a Lippert or other trailer suspension? Not knowingly, I don't trust them.

Agree on rv stuff. Equipment trailers seem to be better.

Vehicles....if you're in a pinch. But you never know when somethings gonna give or someone stops short in front of you. Just sayin.

Sorry op

MillerTime- Future Sabre Handler!!

[wyo700]

At this point I don't have a choice I have a baby on the way so a new camper is out of the question. I will make it work one way or the other.

[Oaklevel]

If you are at capacity of the trailer not ideal but you maybe not in that bad of shape as I mentioned before some weight is on the tongue. (Depends how you parked / weighed on the scales).

[wyo700]

When I weighed it was with the camper hooked up. So my weight it with just trailer axles on scale and that's it no tongue weight