Starting to think about my trailer build and want to run tandem axles because I've heard how everyone that has tandems love em.

Anyone ever ran tandems and single?


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I have a tandem axle trailer. Pulls great and it's easier to back down a ramp. Only issue I have is it's way too heavy and it's a bitch to try to move around the yard when not hooked to the truck. A lighter trailer would probably be easier, but it's still going to be harder to pivot around by hand.

Well if I need to move mine around I'm gonna hook it to the truck. Getting too lazy for all that!

My rig is a 2054 and really don't need tandem axles. But it's going to be a heavy boat.


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I would consider the tandem though, if for no other reason than how bad the roads are.

I would think that it would help absorb the beating that it takes driving on those La roads....

That will be a big heavy boat, and I would overbuild the trailer.

The other huge plus is if you have a blowout you can likely still limp to the ramp and back on 3 tires w/o ruining the day/trip.

Tandem axles are a bitch IMO unless you need one. Caddobrook brought up a good point about those LA roads though. Overbuilt isn't a bad idea in that regard

Caddobrook has been through a number of trailers and axles over the years driving those MS, LA, TX roads.....

Never "overloaded" but sometimes close to the "max" capacity of the trailer....

I think a 3500 lb axle will do it.

Boat is going to weigh about 1200-1400 and trailer will weigh about 500-600.


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I have both.

Pros of the tandem:

1. Better on rough roads like someone said. Less bounce of a heavy motor on your transom. Also, less likely to bottom out in deep ruts/holes in unimproved launch areas.

2. If you have a flat, it's easier to jack up and replace tire/wheel. (I have had blowouts on my single axle and had the wheel sitting so low on the ground that I couldn't get the jack under the axle)


Cons of the Tandem(most have been said):

1. Heavier and harder to maneuver by hand. I like to position my boat in the garage by hand as I can get it closer to the wall and out of the way better. A single axle is easier to pivot on and lighter to push.

2. Twice as expensive to replace tires when it's time.

3. With a light trailer and boat set-up, the rig will actually "float" a little when backing down into the water. It will usually eventually settle to the bottom once the trailer tubing fills with water but if you're backing down a ramp with current, beware.

4. I don't think the tandem is any easier to back up if you know how to back up a trailer. It has more to do with length of the overall trailer and not the number of axles. The only difference is that the tandem tends to be a little less responsive to turns and, therefore, tends to jackknife less. Personally, I see this as a "con." I prefer the added maneuverability in the tight spaces where I sometimes launch. Although I've never measured "apples to apples" with the same boat set-up, I think the turning radius of the tandem is bigger as well.

I would base your decision on two things, IMO. Whether you want to be able to move the rig around the house by hand and how rough your roads are where you travel.

What I meant by easier to back down is it tends to wander less. The tandem trailer seems to want to go straight back and doesn't need much correction to keep it going that way. Don't really launch in a whole lot of real tight places, but I could see how a single could benefit in that scenario. It's not a huge difference either way, but for my use, I see this as somewhat of a pro.

For everything other than trying to move it around in the yard, not attached to the truck, I like the tandem setup. I didn't buy mine for any particular reason, just a cheap craigslist find. It's a heavy bitch and I cuss it when it's not attached to the truck, but if you don't move it around by hand at all, I don't think you'll have anything to dislike about it.

Well for some reason the roads to every ramp I go to are rough as hell. And I'm not moving that big bastard by hand.

I believe I'm going to go with tandem axles.

Thanks for the help fellas!!


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You finish the boat yet?


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Getting close. Back deck, console and top is all I lack. And a trailer!


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dont like tandem if you dont have to have it. seem like I only get a flat when im on the phone , then the tire shreds, beats the hell out of everything and you need another tire and posibly a fender. Single, you know right now two bearings or 4, 2 tires or 4. just my 2 cents

Tandem trailers good for long or heavy boats, swing wide turn sharp, prevent dragging long ass trailer over curbs and other things. But good for traveling and pulls better on the highway for long trips. Seems its is easier to back down those longer ramps. And a lot of that moving boat by hand is about axle placement not to light of tongue weight for better pulling, not to heavy for lifting.

My 24' long boat weighed in at 1400# before I hung two ProDrives on the back.

Current trailer is a Sport Trail with tandem 3,500# torsion axles. That trailer pulls like a dream on these rough ass Louisiana roads, and offers some redundancy for unexpected blowouts.

My last big boat trailer was a McClain with tandem leaf spring axles. It pulled like shit. It was so rough it jerked a 1/2 ton truck all over the road at highway speeds. The torsion axles I have now are a 600% improvement no doubt.

Over the years, I've found that tandem axles are always better. No matter what.


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Tandem.
Drop spindles with a well matched set of spings and center pivot and you won't even notice that your towing.
I've never been able to get over how many big boats are on singles. I build trailers here at times for wages and have built as small as 6x4 garden trailers on tandems.

I've owned many, many of both types.

IMO- For a big boat it makes some sense, but for anything under 5,000 lbs single is the only way I'd go. I'm not a fan of tandem axle boat trailers, unless its big and really heavy. The tandems not any easier to back up for me... zero difference to me. They don't travel any different on a long ride either... Although I've never had one jerk me around on the road.

I guess I'm the odd man out.

I can't imagine why the heck you would want another set of tires and bearings to maintain when you don't need them. If a trailer is set up properly with adequate tongue length and the axle (torsion only) positioned to create the right amount of tongue weight, it should tow perfectly whether it has one or three axles. How well it backs up is a function of the length of the trailer and the length and wheel cut of the tow vehicle. Longer trailers back up easier. More wheel cut and a short wheel base in the tow vehicle makes it easier to correct errors.

Crews new trailer tows like a dream because it was built by one of the finest trailer builders around, not because it is tandem. When Sport Trail builds a trailer they make sure it goes down the road like a doggone lincoln town car!