Recommended Hubs and Spindles for 2500 lb Homemade Trailer  

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The first thing to determine is if you want an idler hub or a hub/drum. The weight threshold at which brakes are mandated varies by state, so you might want to check that with your state police or highway patrol.

If you decide on an idler hub (no brakes), I'd recommend the # 42655UC1 hub from Dexter Axle. The bearings, races, grease seal, lug bolts and grease cap are included. The hub will have more than enough capacity for your application. This hub would use the # TRU57FR spindle.

For a hub drum using electric brakes, I'd recommend the etrailer # AKHD-655-6-K. The inner and outer race and lug nuts are included, but the bearings and grease seal are sold separately as part # BK3-100. The grease cap would be # DC250L-DCRP. For this hub, I'd recommend the # TRU37FR spindle. This is an EZ-Lube spindle that has an integrated brake mounting flange. For a brake assembly, use # 23-105 for the right hand side and # 23-106 for the left side.

Both spindles have stubs that are 2.25 OD. When you fabricate your axle tube, make sure it has a crown in it. When you install the axle, you'll want the crown pointing up, so that when weight is placed on the trailer, the tires have the correct camber.

Finally, welding the spindles in place on your axle tube is a highly specialized skill. The weld needs to be perfectly square to the axle, or the trailer will never track correctly. For this reason, we recommend having professional welder who's familiar with trailer and axle fabrication work weld the spindles up for you.

expert reply by: Mike L

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