2500

mobile home axles... can they be made legal for trailer axles?

I'm getting contradicting advice all over. some say it's illegal no matter what. others tell me with road rated tires they are legal.

with ratings of 6,000 lbs, they beat the heck out of 3,500 lb axles. plentiful, cheap and available with electric brakes. mobile home axles look like a winning combo... if they can be made legal.

what's your opinion?

thanks,

zulusafari

I hadn't heard they were illegal. I was hoping to get a set in the near future and build a gooseneck flatbed hauling trailer.

Clayten

Conflicting is the right word for their use. I have heard both sides. But I think that it is illegal to use them. The best way to find out is to go to your DOT and ask.

annabelle

I have known many people who have built and licensed trailers with 1-3 axles of trailer axles. I have never done it myself though. This was in TX. There use to be companies who would buy the axles from under your trailer and sell them.

zulusafari

Oh, I have no doubt that companies buy and resell, but I know the way some of that language works. In Wisconsin, it is illegal to light off any "fireworks" othe than those sparklers or the smoke "snakes." Yet, it isn't illegal to sell the other kinds, and it isn't illegal to buy them. It is just illegal to use them. So I am now wondering if there is some boafide reason that mobile home axles are not legal for trailers? My dad had a large utility box trailer with tandem mobile home axles for a few years while I was in high school. I never figured there was any problem with it. We loaded it crazy heavy, and towed it with his '79 250 Plymouth Voyager Prospector Edition Maxivan. 360, 727, limited slip rear. Biggest 2 bbl Holley carb I had ever seen!

74dart

Ive been told there illeagle in NC because they don't like how the tires are held onto the axels.

annabelle

Key word "licensed" in TX. Many examples of this. Personnally, I don't care for them and do not use or advocate the use of them.

bigredBCS

im pretty positive they are or were here in texas....we sold quite a few trailers out of the ag shop back in high school with them on there




.....they are legal to carry a house down the road...why not a trailer?

Box5

My trailer is legal and licensed with two mobile home axles. If u have a choice, regular hub 6 lug axles would be better. But mine do great for my excavator.

Clayten

Was your trailer inspected by any DOT authorities? Curious to how it would be deemed legal.

2500CTD

How do you get the mobile home axles? I also read somewhere that the hubs can be changed to run a normal 6 bolt hub.

annabelle

There were companies which bought and sold them in the College Station/Bryan area. Of course that was back in the late 70's.

BearKiller

I see and work on probably twenty different trailers per day.

Many low-boy type heavy equipment trailers have the same axles as mobile homes.

Most mobile home axles are 5200# DEXTER axles with low-boy style hubs.

A 6-lug 5200# DEXTER hub is a direct swap, bearings and all.

The backing plates may possibly be different.

We have some of the least understanding DOT officers in the world and they don't ticket any of them, so long as they are equipped with LT-rated tires, and not "Mobile Home Use Only" tires.

zulusafari

OK, I am still confused. What is the difference between Mobile home equipment and regular trailer equipment? If I understand the previous post correctly, then Mobile Home axles are made by Dexter, but with a "lowboy" hubs? What are those, and what is wrong with them? What makes mobile home tires different/unacceptable from LT tires? I read on this forum section that some DOT's don't accept LT tires, but insst on ST tires only?? I am a nebie when it comes to this subject, so bear with me. I have helped my Dad tow trailers for years, and have a 5vr I need new tires for, and am reading as much on the subject as I can. I also want to build a trailer this summer, but all of this makes me wonder if I would be better off buying a nice used trailer instead.

Haulin_in_Dixie

The tires used for mobile homes are illegal. You might check, seems that dayton type wheels were made illegal, but I cannot be sure of that. If so the hubs would also be illegal. Around here, the axles and wheels are ok on a dot check but the tires have to be road rated not trailer tires.