Where to Place Axle on Single Axle Trailer

Published 01/24/2018

Question:

how far from ball centre ot axle on 10,5 ft, d centre of axlerawbar 28ins long as was built in 1946.7ft 8in from centre of tow ball

asked by: R E

Helpful Expert Reply:

The recommended placement of an axle on a single axle trailer will be determined by tongue weight. There are two formulas to determine axle placement. One formula is for trailers with a tongue weight (TW) greater than 10% of the gross trailer weight (GTW) and the other formula is for trailers with a TW less than 10% of the GTW. You can find each of these formulas pictured below.

Before you can use either of these formulas you will need to have the axle already placed under the trailer. The starting location of the axle will need to be placed back from the trailer tongue 60% of the overall length of the trailer.

So for a 10 foot 5 inch trailer you'd want the axle starting point to be 75 inches back from the ball center of the coupler.

expert reply by: Jameson C