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Old 01-28-2014, 09:07 AM   #21
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Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
Had a look at my Treo bill. Last crossing cost $9.

Large Vehicles

$9.00
per crossing
A commercial truck with or without a trailer, a motorbus or a large motorhome.
A motor vehicle that is eight metres or more in length, or a medium vehicle with a trailer having a combined length of eight metres or more.

8 metres is 26.24 feet. My RAV and 17 foot trailer come to 34 feet.
Yup thats what they dinged me for as well pulling the trailer. A couple of times I have had them ding me only for a medium vehicle pulling the trailer... apparently their system for figuring out the actual length can occasionally error. :-) If you register your vehicle online with them you can save the $2.50 processing fee and if you check off the HOV box on the registration on line you you can get 25% off during peak periods (Monday to Friday, from 6:30am to 8:30am, and 4:00pm to 6:00pm) with two or more occupants in the HOV lane.
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Old 01-28-2014, 10:50 AM   #22
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I'm with the folks that say number of axles are just a reflection of the size, amenities and thus overall weight the axle and tires are supporting.

You purchase camper that matches your needs/desires and live with the number of axles that load requires.

You want an Escape? Then once you hit the 19 ft. you get dual axles, happy with a 17 ft. you get single axle. You take the good and the bad of the axle set up provided for the camper you purchase.
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Old 01-28-2014, 11:50 AM   #23
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A note for those with single axel trailers - check that the toll booth operator doesn't automatically assume your trailer has two axels & charges you such. It has happened to me more than once. They see a travel trailer and just assume...
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Old 01-28-2014, 01:55 PM   #24
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Jim,
Small and nimble has several pluses like maneuverability, fuel economy, more campsite selections, less maintenance, lower carbon footprint, lower toll fees, lower cost to purchase trailer and tug, smaller storage area, etc.

The trade off is interior space. A spacious interior can be better organized with dedicated stowage for items without transferring them around while converting dining to sleeping etc. A larger bed is a big plus, and hard to achieve on the smaller designs.

Number of axles is just a way to manage the weight of the rig. They all work. Most tires will need to be replaced due to age before they will wear out from dual axle scrubbing. With multiple axles the driver may be less able to feel a flat tire on the trailer, so a monitoring system would be a plus.

Bigger trailers require more tow vehicle, so require more capital investment, limiting many of us from owning them. I would like the extra space, but don't know if the compromises would null the benefits. We love our little trailer even with its limitations. Oh and my coffee mug always ends up on the floor!
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Old 01-28-2014, 03:33 PM   #25
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I really appreciate having the tandem axles on my Escape 19. Load wise, there are definitely single axles out there that could carry the load.

Dual axles do provide that bit of safety measure should a tire blow, but that is not a big deal either way to me.

What they generally do is to provide a better ride quality, especially as weights increase. For example, should one tire hit a small pothole or bump, the unaffected tire will provide a bit of support for it.

On a longer frame it also spreads out the downward forces from the frame, acting along a 30" (just a quick guess) section, rather than one point.

If one axle was always better than two, most RV trailers would be able to use one. The axles on my construction trailer are rated for 7,000 lbs each, and there are much bigger ones.

Scrubbing is only an issue on tight maneuvering, such as when parking. It really is not much of a big deal.

I keep my tires pressured to near maximum at all times, and rolling resistance really is a moot point.
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Old 01-28-2014, 03:38 PM   #26
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I think that the entire discussion on single v. dual axles is a moot point.

One usually selects a trailer based on the size of what's needed and that will, in almost every case, determine if you get a single or a dual axle. The builders usually select the axle configuration based on how much tire carrying capacity they need.

It's not like we have many opportunities to get the size trailer we want and then have to determine the number of axles, it is what it is.

And, as mentioned, dual axle trailers, at least in FGRV's are always the heavier ones, that's why they need 4 tires.

A good example is the 17' vs. the 19' Bigfoot. That extra 2 feet and a second axle adds over 1000 lbs.
Actually, the Trillium 5500, and Bigfoot 5th wheel were available with either single or dual axles. The Bigfoot may be related to the year of the trailer, (1980's), but the Trillium single axle 5500 trailer has room for two axles.
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Old 01-28-2014, 04:22 PM   #27
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Back in the early 60's my dad had a small RV sales business. He sold Apache, Mallard, Holiday Rambler, and Fleet Line. The largest was 17' and all were single axle. From the factories he picked up all the stock himself. He must of towed 25 or 30 different trailers in that time frame.

A few years later he bought his 1st 21' dual axle Golden Falcon TT. It was the largest and the heaviest trailer he had ever towed. After his first outing he came home and made the comment. " I never new a TT could tow that nice".
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Old 01-28-2014, 04:24 PM   #28
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Jon,

We generally avoid tolls but when we have no reasonable choice we use Easy Pass where there is no human intervention, Easy Pass simply counts axles. It trully simplifies tolls, often allowing high speed bypass.
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Old 01-28-2014, 06:12 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerDat View Post
I'm with the folks that say number of axles are just a reflection of the size, amenities and thus overall weight the axle and tires are supporting.
There is always an exception...
Fiber Stream 16' is about the same size and weight as a Scamp 16', yet Fiber Stream has 12" wheels on dual axles while Scamp has 13" wheels on a single axle.
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