Caravanning

Hi Bobbev,
Towing is safer due to more stability & weight balance on the road, reversing is easier as the trailer is not as 'twitchy' so there is not as much over correcting, however, positioning is a little more difficult as the dual axle makes the trailer not as responsive so fitting into tight areas may need several attempts.
Depending on the size of the van, i would choose a dual axle over a single as the benefits are outweighed - again, depending on van size.
Cheers
Jason

Easy , also I seen first hand experience of a tourist near Mt Isa with a new van and the rear right spring broke forcing the the wheel and azle back under the middle of the van , If that was a single axle that would have steered the van violently to the right , and rolled the whole combination, or a worst case scenario into an oncoming roadtrain,
4 Wheels to carry the weight
more stabillity.
better ride,
better brakes,
and when you can back an 8ft wide van around a corner and into a 9 ft wide door using the mirrors ....let me know...lol .

.

I agree with what has been stated & I have experienced tyre failure travelling at 90 klm p/hr with a tandem & you will find that the van tracks straight with out causing mayhem.
Next time your on the hwy take notice of how a van with a single axle travels along the road most will continually bounce along where as a dual axle glides along smoothly & are more stable.

Regars Ray

G'day

Its to do with the size and weight capabilties of the van. More tyres, brakes, springs and shockers to replace. Towing is great no difference when towing single axle. Reversing is no different. Twitchy reversing has alot to do with the lenght of the drawbar. Longer the drawbar easier to reverse. So why do some vans have two axles in stead of one. It quite simple, bigger van means more weight carried on the chassis so it needs more wheels axles springs and shocks to support it on the road. Thats why tippers that carry heavy loads have two set of axles instaed of ones that carry less have a single axle. Get what van you feel comfortable with when it comes to towing it safely, storing it at home. Oh and I forgot when you've got a bigger van the hand brake thinks its for loading more unwanted junk in it that you don't need. (so my farther in law tells me) A mans van is his castle.

Derek L

Hi Bob bev

I once made up a list of the advantages and disadvantages of dual v single axled caravans. We have had both.

The only advantage of the single axled one (it was a small windup up van with slide out beds) was that you could manouvre it around 180 degrees by hand if needed, which we can't do with our Bushtracker. A bit like the way we girls sometimes cheat when we can't back the trailer to turn in a confined space, we unhitch, spin it around then move the vehicle to re-hitch (sshhhh - don't tell they guys what we do). Meanwhile i have to rely on my man to back the present caravan into a precise position.

Disadvantages of the single axled caravan; stuff was tossed from one side of the cupboards to the other (we travel off the bitumen frequently), damage to fittings, milk bottles and cartons leaking from the bottom from the bouncing. I wouldn't even try and take eggs! My husband insisted on a dual axled caravan next time, although his reasoning had more to do with safety in case of a blowout or losing a wheel, and general stability of the unit when on the road.

Now everything gets a smooth ride. There is also less thrust up and down on your tow hitch with the van stable on dual axles.

Motherhen

This is an interesting post but I have issues with some of what is being said here. Basically I’m a lifelong caravanner but have only ever had experience with a single axle vans and didn't know I was SO disadvantaged…………………..! I don't doubt that dual axles have some advantages but that is not to say there is anything wrong with a single axle.

Now a 6 x 4 trailer is twitchy but a 15-17’ single axle caravan – no way.

I can't argue with the point that a blowout would be a problem to single axle van – but Ive never had one. Obviously you should use quality well maintained light truck tyres. Perhaps there is a greater chance of blowout with dual axle vans because the tyres always seem to be in much poorer condition due to scrubbing………? Still, it probably depends where you intend to take your van.

I can't argue with Motherhens point about off-road stability but my vans have been on-road vans so in that respect it probably depends what type of caravanning you want to do.

Regarding manoeuvring by hand when unhitched - unless you could rotate a dual axle van on the spot with something like a Maco jockey wheel (is that possible anyone??), then dual axles would have been a SIGNIFICANT disadvantage to me over the years. In caravan parks etc, not such a worry, but getting it into my garage at home would be next to impossible.

Just my two bits worth.

Cheers JD

HI Bobbev,
I would have to agree that a dual axle van is likely to be more stable on the road than a single axle. Our first van vas an old Chesney single axle and if cornering on a rough road the van actually "skipped" sideways a little. This would be less likely in a dual axle setup. In good road conditions there is probably no difference but I think in adverse conditions a dual axle is safer and more stable. In addition as stated in case of tyre failure its a lot better to have three lft than one.
After the Chesney we have always had dual axles and found them very stable to tow. They are a lot more difficult to move unhitched but see my reply to post above about my new Esimove Jockey Wheel setup.
Cheers,
Glen