How to Determine Axle Positioning on a 40 ft Long Dove Tail Trailer

Published 12/04/2014

Question:

How can I calculate center of my tandem axle for a 40foot with dove tail and what sizes dove tail will be good to install?

asked by: Jorge R

Expert Reply:

To determine the location for the front and rear hangers on your tandem axle trailer you will first need to make sure that you have the correct center point for your equalizer hanger.

The center point of your equalizer hanger needs to be located where you will have 60 percent of the frame of the trailer in front of the center of the equalizer hanger and 40 percent behind the center of the equalizer hanger. For example, if the trailers frames length is 40 feet like yours, then the center-line location for the equalizer hanger will be 24 feet from the front of the trailer and 16 feet from the back. This includes the length of the dovetail on your trailer.

The length of the dovetail will depend largely on how high your trailer is off of the ground. If the bed of the trailer is over the wheel then you will need a longer dovetail. If the wheels are on the outsides of the bed of the trailer then a small dovetail would be needed.

expert reply by: Jameson C