Overloaded trailer or not?

BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
If a trailer has two 3500lb 6 lug axles, and the trailer and camper that sits on said trailer weigh in a combined 3300lb, would it be over loaded if I put my 98 TJ on there? As you can tell I have never weighed my jeep, so not sure if it weighs more than 3700lbs.
 
The tj prob weighs in the 3800-4000 lb range so you'd more than likely be over the limit.
 
It's also critical to know some details about the trailer itself - most trailers long enough to allow a camper and a Jeep and get enough tongue weight with the Jeep on the back are long enough that they won't have 3500# axles under them.

Oh, and if it has 3500# axles, then it probably has shitty 15" wheels and tires on it, too.
 
Most 6 lug axles are 5000 lb axles. Double check that.

5 lug axles are normally 3500 lb axles.
 
Good information here, I will double check the axles.
 
Is the 3300lb weight of the camper and trailer from weighing it on a scale (actual weight on the tires), or just adding two known weights? If just the total added weight, 3300+4000=7300-730 (10% tongue weight)=6570. Plus you can always put more tongue weight on the tongue if the tow vehicle is capable of it. Regardless of the actual numbers, a few hundred pounds isn't going to make or break it. If you are pulling this much daily or weekly, I would want a beefier trailer. If it's just a couple times a year, you'll be fine. If it's somewhere in between those figures (which it probably is), its a tough call, haha.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Is the 3300lb weight of the camper and trailer from weighing it on a scale (actual weight on the tires), or just adding two known weights? If just the total added weight, 3300+4000=7300-730 (10% tongue weight)=6570. Plus you can always put more tongue weight on the tongue if the tow vehicle is capable of it. Regardless of the actual numbers, a few hundred pounds isn't going to make or break it. If you are pulling this much daily or weekly, I would want a beefier trailer. If it's just a couple times a year, you'll be fine. If it's somewhere in between those figures (which it probably is), its a tough call, haha.
Click to expand...

3300 is what the owner has told me, I didn't ask if it was an actual known weight or just adding up the two. I actually didn't know about subtracting tongue weight, so that just may keep me in the gray area and not in the red haha.
 
With an older trailer, & C rated cheap tires, I Had Many tire problems. I was running about 80% capacity of the tire load. Once I switched to a Quality tire & E rated, I've had no problem!
Check out the load cap. of the tires.
 
BigClay said:
3300 is what the owner has told me, I didn't ask if it was an actual known weight or just adding up the two. I actually didn't know about subtracting tongue weight, so that just may keep me in the gray area and not in the red haha.
Click to expand...
It's trailer stuff. There's a lot of gray area. I assume the guys who "engineer" the trailers are the same ones who do the wiring, so it's all really a gamble.
 
shawn said:
It's also critical to know some details about the trailer itself - most trailers long enough to allow a camper and a Jeep and get enough tongue weight with the Jeep on the back are long enough that they won't have 3500# axles under them.

Oh, and if it has 3500# axles, then it probably has shitty 15" wheels and tires on it, too.
Click to expand...

Ive got a dual axle with 15" rims...whats the deal with them?
 
Bogleparsons said:
Ive got a dual axle with 15" rims...whats the deal with them?
Click to expand...
Probably that most actual trailer tires suck and its hard to find heavy load truck tires in a 15". With a 16" tire and rim you have many more tire options, im currently running load range g 16" trailer service tires on mine. Theve been good but probably going to load range e lt truck tires for the replacement.

Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk
 
Tim C said:
Probably that most actual trailer tires suck and its hard to find heavy load truck tires in a 15". With a 16" tire and rim you have many more tire options, im currently running load range g 16" trailer service tires on mine. Theve been good but probably going to load range e lt truck tires for the replacement.
Click to expand...

Yeah but soon Shawn will go 17.5" wheel/tire and his elitism status will elevate him WAAY past a simple snob-Cummins fanboy "gooseneck with 16's is the only way to go" and into "Commercial truck driving GOD" :flipoff2:
 
Tim C said:
Theve been good but probably going to load range e lt truck tires for the replacement.
Click to expand...

If you're at all close to 3k/tire, stick with ST Gs. BTDT, popped a bunch of LTs.

CasterTroy said:
Yeah but soon Shawn will go 17.5" wheel/tire and his elitism status will elevate him WAAY past a simple snob-Cummins fanboy "gooseneck with 16's is the only way to go" and into "Commercial truck driving GOD"
Click to expand...

Fuck that noise. No 17.5s for me.
 
shawn said:
If you're at all close to 3k/tire, stick with ST Gs. BTDT, popped a bunch of LTs.
Click to expand...

My trailer and rig weight is right at 10k. Dads bronco and trailer is between 9 and 9.5k hes been running the lts for a few years. I only went to the g rated tires because the local tire warehouse we get our tires at work from was out of the e rated. I had 4 e rated Carlisle tires blow one summer. Bought the g rated Carlisle ones and they've been on there probably 5 years now, still look new. As soon as one pops the whole set is getting swapped though!

Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk
 
You can get Sailuns online for like 120 a piece. They're rated for 4400lbs a piece....which is probably more than the rims are rated for.

That said...my next trailer will definitely have 17.5s. 4805lbs per tire with a nice, stiff, sidewall.
 
$1100-$1300 shipped for a set of 17.5 tires and wheels. No brainer for anything with 8-lug axles. My small trailer with 15" wheels (6-lug) can't keep tires on it. I rarely use it anymore but when I used it regularly I had quite a few blowouts. It currently has one tire that separated, and another that won't hold air. I HATE buying trailer tires...

My opinion, don't buy anything with 3500 lb axles, you will always be pushing the limits of them and wondering when they are going to come apart (tires or axles)
 
Tacoma747 said:
$1100-$1300 shipped for a set of 17.5 tires and wheels.
Click to expand...

That's what I paid for the Sailuns on aluminum wheels. Steel is a bit cheaper, and if SHTF, I can buy a spare tire at walmart.
 
Back
Top