trailer with mobile home axles

DressCowboy · Jun 9, 2013

Hi to everyone , i'm new and its my 1st time placing a thread.my 16' car/equipment trailer has mobile home axles w/wheels and tires . with one axle being setup for brakes. My question is has the STATE OF TENNESSEE outlawed mobile home axles being used under trailers? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

PS. THE TRAILER HAS NOT JUST BEEN MADE AND IS NOT A HOMEMADE TRAILER, I WILL ONLY BE USEING IT INSIDE THE STATE OF TN

hernando · Jun 9, 2013

welcome to the site.....I have talked to the dot people at the weigh station in Manchester tn. and was told they could be used,,,but not the tires,,,i was told to use regular lowboy trailer tires ,,, what I have are 14.5 in size kinda pricey...but they are 14 ply, should last along time. I hope this helps bruce

crazyal · Jun 9, 2013

Welcome. If the trailer is not homemade why do you think that it has mobile home axles? I have an older tri axle equipment trailer that's factory made with axles similar to mobile home axles but they are not. I would look for a tag on the axle to see who makes them and any other information. A sure fire way to identify if they are MH axles or not is to remove the drum and see if the back plate (that holds the brake pads) is welded in place or held on with bolts to the axle tube. Bolts are a sign that it's not a MH axle. Another not so good way is to see if the leaf springs are just one think spring or are stacked layers of springs. Stacked springs usually are not used on MH axles.

Another thing to look for is the tires, do they say "mobile home" on them? A lot of MH dealers will sell used tires for cheap. So it's not uncommon to find them on trailers of all types. I don't know about your state but around here the police will not bother you at all even if they are MH axles and tires. If Tenn is picky then you should get the proper tires on the trailer. Since just having the Dayton style rim could get you pulled over and inspected closer you can switch them over to the more common style of wheels but it'll cost you since you'll need drums, wheels, and tires. Plus you'll most likely want to replace the bearings and brake pads.

Rmart30 · Jun 9, 2013

You can buy different hubs to convert it to regular style rims and its good to go... its the rims that are the problem if Im not mistaken as to why they dont allow them.... Replacement hubs are on Ebay. or if you have a Quality trailer (company name) near you they have them as well.

Diamondpilot · Jun 10, 2013

Around here they are illegal but not in all states. Like mentioned you can convert them but if it was me I would sell it and get a proper setup.

We stopped working on them at my trailer business 5 years ago or so for many reasons.

Chris

cj309 · Jun 10, 2013

When I had mine I talked to the local thp dot officer and he told me that as long as the tires wasn't stamped mobile home use, and it was being used for personal use only that I was fine. But I will tell you when I priced swapping to normal springs and hubs etc I found it to be heaped to replace the axles all together this was with new wheels an tires tho just a thought to keep in mind for the future not trying to discourage you by any means.

triptester · Jun 10, 2013

Here is a quote from an axle manufacturer,
AXLES - Can mobile home axles be reused?
The Dexter MH (mobile home) type axle is designed for limited usage in the delivery of manufactured homes and has a one-time limit use. The axle has steel forged spindles that are not precision ground. The brake assembly is welded onto the beam and not intended to be field replaced. Additionally, the bearing package is smaller than the more expensive service type axle. Most MH axles are also equipped with a single leaf spring suspension for very heavy loads. We do not have components that would convert MH axles to serviceable assemblies

When using these axles for other than their intended use you are open to law suits and your insurance company does not cover if an accident happens.

LD1 · Jun 10, 2013

Cant speak on behalf of TN, but I think many states are similar to OH in that you can no longer build trailers with MH axles, but ones that were already built are grandfathered in, and you are not supposed to use tires that state MH use only (unless of course you are towing a MH). So a simple tire swap is all that is required to be legal here provided the trailer has previously been registered.

That said, One of my trailers has MH axles. And I use MH tires as well. No one bothers you unless you are doing something stupid and begging to be stopped.

Turbys_1700 · Jun 10, 2013

My dad has two trailers with MH axles...
We just replaced the tires on the single axle...
They were pricey at a smidgen over 100 each...
Oddball size...
Perfectly legal here in NC as long as you have brakes on anything over 4K and the tires are trailer tires, proper lights, ETC...
I have a two axles trailer that my dad had for years and it is not registered...
To get it street legal I will need to get new tires, new floor, and inspected at the DMV...