Single vs Double Axle Towing! Advantages and Disadvantages! 

I've been towing various trailers and caravans for over 50 years and don't agree with your evaluation Justin. In my opinion, it's NOT whether the trailer has one axle or more that makes backing it easier or more difficult, it is the distance from the tow hitch to the axle(s). Trailers that have dual axles typically are longer (like car trailers) and so tend to be easier to back up. Trailers with a single axle tend to be small (like a 5' x 8' box trailer) and typically also have a short 'A-Frame', making them trickier to reverse. If you think about a boat trailer that is built for a boat with an outboard motor, the single axle will be towards the rear of the trailer and therefore the distance from the hitch to the axle will be much greater than the small box trailer, and therefore will be fairly easy to back up, despite having a single axle. I have 3 trailers here - a 5 x 8 box trailer (single axle), an enclosed bike trailer with a long 'A-Frame' (single axle), and a large car trailer for our race car (dual axle). The box trailer is the hardest to back up, but it's not because of a single axle. If it had 2 axles it would still be just as tricky to back up. It's just simple physics.

Having just purchased a 8.6m boat on a dual axle , with the weight coming within 100kg of trailer mass limit and 10kg ball weight and only ever towing small loads before, I am very grateful for your talk...... It was probably a bullshit story but made me feel more confident anyway! Thanks! (mitsubishi Triton: Trailer 3060kg, ball weight 302kg, Triton compliance limit: 3100kg, ball weight 310kg).

to be fair, some good points made here. single axle trailers are usually small: small are always more difficult to reverse, whether 1 or 2 axles. larger single axle trailers have less tire wear usually; especially when moving in tight places. tandem must be perfectly aligned: if not, expect rapid wear and blow outs. each has pros and cons. the real issue is weight bearing. for RV, axles are usually placed at the 60/40 position along the frame. for a single axle, this position can be more prone to sway and more difficult to reverse. placing the axle further to the rear solves many such problems; but will place greater load at the hitch, which is why usually such trailers will have comparably a lower gvw. to see this in real-life, observe semi-trailer rigs.

pretty cool Jason, pretty cool. Thanks for the info.

Great advice Thanks for sharing your insights.

Single or dual axle...it's a pain in the butt to back up on sand, mud, and icy snow with the trailer empty. 😁

Awesome video! Great explanation of the difference between single and tandem axle! Next gotta hit the topic of fifth wheel vs travel trailer! 😂

Single axle can make a uturn in tight spot Tandem loaded will scrape tires bold !!! Sideways.

The problem you had with backing up in a single axel trailer is your hand placement, guaranteed you had your hand on the top of the steering wheel trying to turn it, never try backing up with your hands on TOP of the wheel, all was put your hand at the bottom 100% differences, you want the trailer to go left turn the wheel to the left, right to the right, hand o top of the wheel is total opposite, thus makes it very had to navigate.

PLus a shorter trailer reacts much quickly too. I learned this towing a 4 x 8 single verses a 5 x 10 single.

Great custmer service

In both cases, a single axle would give you better fuel economy than a double axle would. Less roll resistance.

Good thing you had a single axle trailer on when you got lost because you’ll never swing a tandem around with just manhandling! Got lucky that day ;)

Tandem axle trailer is longer means the axles are sat back further. That's why it's a slower reaction time to turn. Single axle trailers, the axle is closer to the vehicle. That Is towing the trailer?

Convinced me to get the tandem . Thanks man

a load of tosh, to be fair, the trialer's characteristics are about where it pivots which is down to the axle's centrepoint, on a single axle it is the axle, on a twin, it's in the middle of the 2 axles, on a tripple it's the centre axle. Short trailers have a greater effect than long trailers from the vehicle's movements. sway is down to bad loading/weighting and hitch height etc... Twin axles will sway just as easily as single axle trailers if they have the similar stress characteristics. Probably better to look into the science than the limited experience you have.

What you recommend just for tow 2 motorcycles is that, most of time one, SA 6*12 or TA?

Looking for a tandem 6X10 enclosed for my 2021 Honda GoldWing; reasonable price/can be used

It's not the number of axles but the length that determines how quick a trailer will react. Short trailers do react sooner than long trailers.

Are the axles diff with the two ?

🔥🔥🔥

Contemplating whether to build a single or double axle trailer - there's also the cost difference lol.

Nobody is talking about weight? Tandem axle trailers hold more weight.

It would be easier to follow what he's saying if a video was playing while he was talking.

This guy’s name isn’t Justin, it’s Chad. Someone get him a shirt that says “Ouch” on the front.

About 75% of what he is saying is wrong. Don’t get your information about trailer towing from a guy who can’t back a trailer.

Story @2:00 bahahaha. First time towing? Get a commercial driver's license son.

You are not the guy to compare and contrast tandem axles vs single axles with your self admitted inexperience

Justin, you are in an echo chamber

Bobs burgers

You have no idea what you're talkin about

If you have to disconnect then you shouldn't tow since you have no idea what you're doing

Horrible video