Is 11 Inches of Ground Clearance on Trailer Acceptable

Published 07/21/2023

Question:

First let me say thank you for the great ion of affordable parts. Your site has been a blessing during my trailer build. My question pertains to my trailers ground clearance. I’m building a mobile drive thru coffee using 16x8’ utility trailer with 10k lb. suspension as a base. Since I will be using it as a drive thru I was trying to keep the ground clearance as low as possible. The way the trailer is designed other than the axles and suspension the frame will be lowest point. With 4 inch axles I bought from y’all and the 13” wheels with tires the current ride height works out to be 11” unloaded. Given that the suspension is rated at 10k and I don’t expect the finished and loaded trailer to be more than 6500 lbs. I don’t think it will sit too much lower fully loaded and since I don’t plan on off roading it like a travel trailer would be. So, since I have no idea what I’m doing and basically learning as I go my question is will the 11” inch ride height be doable or am I asking for trouble?

asked by: David K

Expert Reply:

That amount of clearance underneath should be fine. Just be mindful of it if you're going up and down steep inclines. You probably want to avoid scraping up the back end or any other part of the trailer. It is difficult to say how steep it would need to be to cause a problem since that varies based on clearance, length of the trailer, and axle placement. If you believe it will be an issue I would consider adding skid wheels like # UF48-979021.

expert reply by: Robin H