Trailer axle size

JKTimmah

JKTimmah

Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Messages
80
Location
Tipp City, Ohio
Looking for some input.

I'm getting ready to start a trailer build. It'll be based off of the M416 military trailer. Most people seem to put 3500# axles on there. I'm wondering if that's a bit overkill. The trailer will most likely weight around 400-500# empty (just guessing) and I can't imaging filling it with enough gear to add another 1500#. I guess I don't really care, but I'm having trouble finding a 3.5k axle with the shorter hub face distance. Thoughts?

T
 
I make trailers all the time, if you can't find a axle the width you want then just buy stub shafts and the hubs as a kit. Then get a piece of steel to weld the stub shafts to.

It's always better to go with a 3,500 lb axle and then you could get lighter leaf springs to make it ride better. The 5 lug wheels are cheaper to buy then most of the other lug patterns.
 
I use a square tube and a square stub shaft and slide the shaft inside the tube. It has to be straight that way if you get the right size of square tube so the stub fits snug. My last trailer I set the stub on top of the tube and used some pieces of flat stock clamped on the sides to make sure it was straight. Then I had a 2" drop axle which made the trailer sit a little lower.
 
Top Bottom