Single or twin axle?

[Barry_374348096]

Hello all, new member here, just looking to buy our first 'van, it needs to be a 6 berth and I was wondering what people thought were the advantages/disadvantages of single over twin axle designs. I have heard from a couple of people that they would rather have the single axle but i'm not really sure why.

Budget isn't AS important as getting the right van so if anyone can point me in the right direction for a great, family oriented, 6 berth van then please feel free!

Thanks

 

[Lutz]

This topic comes up regularly. If there were a simple answer you wouldn't have the choice because they'd only be the one or the other on the market.

Basically, twins of the same size as large singles tend to be marginally more stable but they are very difficult to manoeuvre by hand. Because of the weight of the second axle, either you forsake payload by that amount with a twin or the caravan will have to have a higher MTPLM in order to compensate. This higher MTPLM may result in the need for a larger towcar.

So, in the end, you pays your money and you takes your choice.

 

[RichardS1]

We currently own our first twin axle caravan and while it is a very stable tow, so were the single axles we have had. If your children are small most manufacturers make a rear fixed bunk six berth van, however if you have larger teenagers you may find you need the space of a twin like the Bailey Senator Carolina. As Lutz said twins are virtually impossible to move by hand where singles move relatively easily, with this in mind you may find a single axle more manageable for your first van.

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

hiya, i have had a rear fixed bunk single axel 6 berth and i hated it. tiny kitchen and bunks not great.

if i had to have a 6 berth again i would have the twin axel, side dinette, side washroom, and fixed bed. when the kids get older theres no need to change the van because you have the bed, your dining area and your tv chill out area.

i have just bought a 4 berth sterling elite onyx and love it. its a side fixed bed two front seats and a side washroom the kitchen area is bigger than my last one. ive gone from bottom of the range to top of the range.

how old are the kids?

jo-anne

 

[Lutz]

The interior arrangement has nothing to do with whether the caravan is a single or twin axle, though, Jo-anne. Everything is possible either way unless you are talking about the really big battleships that need a second axle because of their size. But that only applies to caravans over 1800kg.

 

[lukebfox]

hi all never towed a twin axle have had an oaklahoma and an indiana and am upgrading to a wyoming for extra bedroom space due to the bathroom being behind it as opposed to next to it also the extra bit of lenght on the front lounge seats ive had no problems towing either long distances however i keep thinking for the extra bit of peace of mind that 4 wheels instead of 2 would would give for stability and god forbid a blowout have swayed my decision to change up. im sure a motor mover or at the very least a few helpful neighbours would sort out any parking problems you may have if you got stuck.best of luck with whatever you choose luke

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Barry

What tug do you have?

Are you perhaps willing to change your tug to suit your caravan?

Once you are clear on this point then the world is your oyster.

I've always had singles until recently and now pull a Wyoming twin. I do find the twin very stable but so was my Pageant.

You need to carefully assess your requirements ie exactly what do you want from your caravan? There is no question that it is very difficult if not impossible to move a twin by hand. Singles are relatively easy. But then that's why we buy movers.

Good luck.

Chers

Alan

 

[Lutz]

Bearing in mind that a twin is going to weigh more because of the second axle, it's going to weigh even more due to likely need to have a motor mover fitted. Without both, you can easily save 100kg or more without having to make do with less interior space.

 

[Barry_374348096]

Morning all, can I first just say how amazed I am by the number and helpfullness of the replies to what I thought would be an easily ignorable question!

I already drive a late model TD5 Discovery so shouldn't have to change my car just yet. I was looking at the Carolina with a mover on. Parking at home isnt a problem, no tight manouvreing so are we thinking a twin axle would be best?

Kids are 8, 6 & 2 and are far more experienced caravanners than me as they go all over with their grandparents!!

 

[Garfield]

I recently did a rough plot of weight against caravan length and found that when the length got to the twin axle version there was no additional increase in weight on top of that related to the length, two axles do not weigh twice as much as one axle as a 20'single axle van will have one heavy duty axle and two very heavy reinforced tyres wheras a 20' twin axle van will have two lighter axles and normal duty lihgtweight tyres.

Our 21' lunar twin axle is only 12kg heavier than our freinds 17' single axle sterling (unladen) The difference is that they have a paltry 144kg payload wheras we have a whopping 344kg payload.

The bottom line is "what size of van do you want?" there are virtually no twin axle vans less than 20' and everything above 20' I have seen is twin axle.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Barry

You certainly have the right vehicle for towing a twin axle.

With your flock the Carolina seems right up your street.

Enjoy it.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Barry_374348096]

I think this may just have made my mind up! Carolina with a mover and some sound proof divideres fitted here I come!

Thanks for all your help with this, i'm going to the NEC on Saturday to have a good look!

Thanks again!

Barry

 

[Lutz]

Some manufacturers design and build lighter weight caravans anyway so your comparison is still unfair. An 1800kg single axle chassis will always be lighter than an 1800kg twin axle because axle weight is not proportional to load carrying capacity. Two axles must therefore always weigh more than one.

By the way, there are quite a number of 21' single axle caravans on the market.

 

[mistermac]

Hi Barry

I think the comments about the size of your tug are very important here. A big twin axle monster might be luxurious, but it's going to put your vehicle under pressure if you've not got the right bus.

One thing that puts me off twin axles is that applying the Alko Wheel Locks is that bit more fiddly than with a single axle (which, with a mover, is a piece of cake).

We've got a six-berth single axle which is excellent. The only thing a twin axle wins over us is that they have a bigger bathroom. But then buying a caravan is always a compromise, so you have to make your choice.

And buying a single axle will mean keeping

 

[Tapestry]

Hi

We have a 6 berth single axile caravan with fixed bunks at the back. There are a number on the market. The thing that put us off twin axiles was that with a single axile we can swing ours around by hand. Ours is 23ft 10' I think in length. We have 3 kids, the layout etc works for us.

Tip, take the kids with you when you look at caravans, get them to try out bunks etc, they will be sleeping on them, also think of where they will play on a rainy, cold day, its worse case senario. You should then get some idea of what will work for you as a family, every family is different. Our kids became very clear about what they thought when we took them along before buying our current 6 berth van.

Good luck

Annette

 

[JasonR_374341560]

Some right iffy comments on this thread.

We have an 8 metre twin axle without a motor mover, it's our 4th twin axle. We were away in the van for 6 months last year and pitched the van with no problems many times. A single axle would be easier, but the twin is a far better tow and far safer as far as we are concerned.

And we can "swing" a twin by hand. You just wind the jockey wheel to lift the front tyres a little.

On sandy or soft pitches we have also left the jockey wheel up

so the jockey wheel does not dig in, you can't do that with a single.

Plenty of single axles are very heavy and all on two tyres, madness.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Jason R,

I am a great fan of twin axles. However you state that on sandy pitches you leave the jockey wheel up so that it does not sink in. Your caravan must therefore be balancing on its four wheels. If this is the case then you have a dangerously low nose weight. We have had 4 twin axles with all nose weights around 90 to 95 kgs. What is your nose weight?

The reason many people have motor movers on twin axles is due to disabilities or to get onto very tight pitches. At our age after two hernia ops we just like the convenience of motor movers.

Hamer

 

[Lutz]

I can't quite understand the concern about having the weight of having a relatively heavy caravan on two tyres only. A good many single axle commercial vehicle trailers carry loads far in excess of what one encounters on a caravan. Of course, it is important that the tyre load index covers the requirements, though.

One argument for a twin axle that I would accept, however, would be the (theoretically, at least) better braking performance of four brake drums vs. two.

 

[JasonR_374341560]

Hamer, I have not been caravanning for five minutes!

Moving a few things and putting the awning frame from the back of the car into the van has most T/A',s balanced and I've seen it done with T/A with mover.

I don't buy what I don't need, I don't need a mover for health reasons and you don't "need" a mover to pitch a T/A caravan.

People considering purchasing a T/A should not be conned in to motor mover being a must have if they are fit, can reverse with caravan or have family to give a little assistance.

As for two tyres versus four and commercial trailers compared to caravan, madness.

Commercial trailers tend to get towed by commercial vehicles, a different animal to saloon car or even 4 x 4 towing.

We towed single axle vans for many a year. Dreamers can come up with many arguments to try and equal S/A towing to T/A, you may convince yourself that your single is as good a tow as a twin.

Enjoy the dream. We bought both tee shirts and know which one fits best.

 

[Lutz]

What's the difference between a saloon car towing a caravan to a commercial vehicle towing a trailer other than the difference in scale, Jason? The same laws of physics apply. The argument that a heavy single axle caravan is inherently unsafe is about as valid as the long held belief that commercial passenger aircraft crossing the Atlantic had to have four engines instead of two.

I fail to see the logic of lugging extra deadweight along with me unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Jason R,

I assumed as you are on your 4th twin axle that you had been caravanning for more than 5 minutes.

What do you mean by "balanced"? You stated that on sandy or soft ground you wind the jockey wheel up so that it does not sink in.I assume you mean you move the caravan with the jockey wheel wound up.If so my point is that you must have virtually no nose weight, otherwise the caravan would tip forward.

A twin axle without a nose weght is not and never has been recomended. As you may know you cannot reach the recomended 7% nose weight on a large twin axle due to Alko's nose weight limit of 100kgs for an Alko chassis.So as near to 100kgs as you can get has to do and seems to do fine.

Both myself and my wife have been able to reverse twin axles for over 30 years, but through choice and the ease of parking the caravan at home we always will have motor movers fitted.

Many aspects of caravaning throw up choices and it is each to his/her own.

Hamer

 

[JasonR_374341560]

Who said that S/A vans are dangerous?

You seem to be in to some kind of argumentative mode Lutz.

Keep the dream going if you want, twin axle is better than single any time towing wise. Only drawback is the parking for a few people.

We've towed the same routes using both types and went from a T/A back to a single, BIG BIG mistake!

Twin is best, end of story.

Enjoy your dream

 

[JasonR_374341560]

I've no idea of what you are on about Hamer, you only need nose weight when towing!

Move load rearwards when unhitched and the tow hitch stays off the ground, it helps at "odd" times.

We don't need a mover that would be used for about an hour per year. Not having carrying weight reduced by the mover is better for us.

A thousand pound or so for something that gets used for a few seconds would only be of benefit if we were not fit enough to move the van ourselves. We are fit so that is not the case.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Jason R,

Even though we choose to have twin axle caravans, Lutz is quite right.

A heavy single axle caravan correctly loaded is just as safe as a twin axle. In fact it has been proved in police roadside checks that some twin axle caravans are a danger on the road. This is due to the fact that some think because they have 4 wheels they can load them how they want ,both in where they put things and how much they weight they put in.

Hamer

 

[JasonR_374341560]

I never mentioned safety. Badly loaded is badly loaded!

That's nothing to do with single or twin axle.

Your both talking nonsensical comparisons.