Single Or Double Wheeler

[Shirley R]

We are thinking of changing our caravan and cannot decide between a Bailey Senator California or a Bailey S7 Limousin. Any help on towing twin wheelers would be appreciated. Pro's and cons. Many thanks.

[CommanderDave]

The twins are safer tow but difficult to turn when maneuvering and in the event of a tyre blow out it has less effect on a twin .

 

 

I only buy twin caravans and trailers if possible as I find the safety outweighs the maneuvering issues for me .

 

 

Dave

[Griff]

Let battle commence.

[Lutz]

There is quite a big difference in the layout between the two models mentioned and I would have thought that layout and weight considerations would be the deciding factors, not the number of axles.

[bubble2015]

A TA with a weight upgrade will give you a payload of around 300kg against the 150kg-ish on most SAs.

We always struggled with our SA to keep the weight legal - now with a TA no problem!

We find towing easier as its more stable.

You soon get used to the mobility being different. We take our TA to exactly the same places we took our SA.

Good luck.

[Tuningdrew]

TA every time for us. More stable tow especially on motorways overtaking trucks.

[Lutz]

A TA with a weight upgrade will give you a payload of around 300kg against the 150kg-ish on most SAs.

We always struggled with our SA to keep the weight legal - now with a TA no problem!

We find towing easier as its more stable.

You soon get used to the mobility being different. We take our TA to exactly the same places we took our SA.

Good luck.

 

My single axle has a 200kg upgrade, so that would appear to be a weak argument.

[Griff]

I had only owned single axles in a previous caravanning life and just 13 footers at that.

 

Got back into it after a 20 odd year break and deliberated long and hard about a Twin Axle, the car not being an issue as I had that, finally settled on the Twin Axle option.

 

Not looked back since, the pro's and con's for me. . . .

 

Heavier (2000kg in my case).

 

Not possible for the two of us to manoeuvre by hand which at times we need to.

 

Mover definitely required for us even though I'm a 'World Class Reverser'.

 

Higher insurance costs with extra security stipulations.

 

More expensive to store (in my case).

 

More stable tow in like for like adverse situations as they track superbly due to their inbuilt resistance to yaw.

 

Safer having 4 wheels should one tyre blow.

 

Need a heavier more powerful tow car generally, heavier fuel consumption/costs in my case, have only towed them with Discovery 3's & 4's.

 

Loads of space for two of us.

 

Never found problems with sites accepting (UK).

 

Checked out some CL's we fancied, no chance of getting in some in the more remote locations due to turning in off lanes.

 

Would not go back to a SA as long as I can afford it along with a strong tow car to pull it!

[bubble2015]

My single axle has a 200kg upgrade, so that would appear to be a weak argument.

But your caravan isnt the average British caravan!

Just food for thought for the op.

[pagan8c]

I have had single axle caravans most of the time but did have a Lunar 640 up till a year ago . I had the Lunar for 3 years and it was a nice caravan to tow and had plenty of space inside . I would agree that the twin was a very stable tow for a long caravan but my now single axle Swift 580 Challenger dealer special also tows very well but it is a bit shorter. I would not be bothered with buying either as to me it is the inside where we spend the time and the layout is the most important thing for us. If you have the vehicle to tow a twin and the layout suits then by all means go for it.

[CommanderDave]

When it comes to braking 4 tyres on road and 4 brake drums instead of 2 has got to make a difference to stopping or not ?

 

 

If the Adria flagships of 2000 kg on a single axle had been a twin I would of stayed with a caravan instead of changing back to a mh.

 

 

Dave

Edited April 9, 2017 by CommanderDave

[Lutz]

But your caravan isnt the average British caravan!

Just food for thought for the op.

 

True, but I just wanted to point out that size and weight is not necessarily a criterion for single versus twin.

 

When it comes to braking 4 tyres on road and 4 brake drums instead of 2 has got to make a difference to stopping or not ?

 

 

No, because ultimately braking performance is dependent on tyre grip and that, in turn, on the tyre load and the coefficient of friction, but not on the number of tyres touching the road.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Lutz

[bubble2015]

Wow, Shirley R, hope all this chat is helping you!

(Well said Griff!)

[chrisn7]

Well T/A always for me. However, for the benefit of the OP, one point not mentioned is that because the van cannot pivot about a single axle, this does generate somewhat more pitching on poor roads, especially noticeable from the towcars rear seats. Also the shorter the towcar,the more pronounced this is

[Lutz]

I notice that the twin axle brigade are always quick to eloborate on the advantages of their configuration, but to me the unnecessary deadweight of a second axle and the higher costs for servicing and tyre equipment outweigh these advantages. Why have a second axle when one will do the job is obviously also the slogan of Continental caravan manufacturers. None of them offer a twin axle below 1900kg and there are even rumours that 2200kg single axles are in the pipeline.

[sleepyfolk]

we decided on twin based on 340kg payload, and more stable, lots of room for two with island bed and I think they're easier to reverse as they react more slowly

[Guest]

I notice that the twin axle brigade are always quick to eloborate on the advantages of their configuration, but to me the unnecessary deadweight of a second axle and the higher costs for servicing and tyre equipment outweigh these advantages. Why have a second axle when one will do the job is obviously also the slogan of Continental caravan manufacturers. None of them offer a twin axle below 1900kg and there are even rumours that 2200kg single axles are in the pipeline.

Having towed numerous caravans and other trailers over the years, both single and twin axle configurations, this is my opinion:-

 

For Twin Axles:

Generally can carry a greater load than a single axle configuration.

More lateral stability on the road, particularly useful in cross-winds.

Often smaller tyres can be used as the load is shared over four tyres, not two.

If a tyre fails the remaining tyre on that side can temporarily carry the weight allowing the outfit to be brought safely to a halt.

Garage forecourts can provide air for normal "car" tyre pressures of twin axles (heavier single axles may need much higher pressures).

Greater braking efficiency in the wet (more rubber in contact with the road).

Against Twin Axles:

Increased weight of caravan.

Increased pitching (up and down movement of the hitch) when on tow.

Increased cost of tyre replacement (more tyres).

Increased wear (usually of the rear pair) owing to scrubbing when cornering.

Increased initial cost and servicing costs.

Harder to manoeuvre by hand than a single axle.

Harder to align both wheels to fit two Al-Ko wheel locks.

[OLD NICK]

TA for me everytime Travelled all over the continent for many years & never had a problem.

[Lutz]

Having towed numerous caravans and other trailers over the years, both single and twin axle configurations, this is my opinion:-

 

For Twin Axles:

Generally can carry a greater load than a single axle configuration.

More lateral stability on the road, particularly useful in cross-winds.

Often smaller tyres can be used as the load is shared over four tyres, not two.

If a tyre fails the remaining tyre on that side can temporarily carry the weight allowing the outfit to be brought safely to a halt.

Garage forecourts can provide air for normal "car" tyre pressures of twin axles (heavier single axles may need much higher pressures).

Greater braking efficiency in the wet (more rubber in contact with the road).

Against Twin Axles:

Increased weight of caravan.

Increased pitching (up and down movement of the hitch) when on tow.

Increased cost of tyre replacement (more tyres).

Increased wear (usually of the rear pair) owing to scrubbing when cornering.

Increased initial cost and servicing costs.

Harder to manoeuvre by hand than a single axle.

Harder to align both wheels to fit two Al-Ko wheel locks.

 

I'd go along with some of your arguments, but considering that there are lots of 2000kg single axles on the market, the higher weight argument is a bit dubious, to say the least.

The safety related argument in the event of a tyre failure is also more a perceived advantage than an actual one. I have never had any problems coming to a safe halt following a tyre failure on any of my single axled caravans.

Greater braking efficiency is definitely incorrect. True, there is more rubber to road contact, but the amount of grip of each tyre is only half because it is only carrying half the load. (Vans of similar load carrying capacity also get by with just single rear wheels).

[Guest]

 

I'd go along with some of your arguments, but considering that there are lots of 2000kg single axles on the market, the higher weight argument is a bit dubious, to say the least.

The safety related argument in the event of a tyre failure is also more a perceived advantage than an actual one. I have never had any problems coming to a safe halt following a tyre failure on any of my single axled caravans.

Greater braking efficiency is definitely incorrect. True, there is more rubber to road contact, but the amount of grip of each tyre is only half because it is only carrying half the load. (Vans of similar load carrying capacity also get by with just single rear wheels).

Here are my thoughts regarding your points . . .

From personal experience I have had a heavy longer body length caravan on a single axle, and the tyre pressures needed to support it were, well let's say excessive, and I was never happy with the overall stability, which is why that 'van was traded in prior to the planed date.

I have experienced a genuine blowout on the front left tyre of a twin axle caravan. The tyre deflated almost instantly leaving only one wheel on the left of the caravan to support the weight while I brought the outfit to a safe stop. I suspect this may not have been as simple had one wheel been on its rim.

Breaking efficiency must surely be improved by the front wheel clearing water in front of the rear wheel, allowing it to grip onto a dryer surface under breaking, but even if not, it is my opinion that additional wheels are still preferable.

At home I own four trailers, and the twin axle box trailer is always my first choice if I have a load to move. The others all have single axles.

Vans and trucks we see today with only one tyre each end of their axles can be built primarily because of tyre design improvements. Previously there was a need for two wheels at each end of the axles simply to carry the load, such as I have on the driving axle on my American RV.

These are just my thoughts borne out through experience although I have no official statistics to prove the issues one way or the other so I'm not going to get into a technical argument.

Gordon.

[ricky_s]

One thing to consider if you do go down the twin axle route.

 

We really struggled to find a storage site because of the length of the van, not an issue if that is already covered but something that caused me real headaches.

[SamD]

Don't know who is right on the tech issues raised in this thread but I do tend to agree with Lutz on many of his points. UK represents only around 14% of the total caravans in use in Europe (2015 figures are the latest) so clearly the vast majority use single axles in the main. My single is 1800 kg and tows like a dream but I have had one which towed terribly with 2 different cars!

[Shirley R]

Many Thanks for all your helpful comments. We have now decided on the Senator California which we pick up on the 28th April. Will be sad to say goodbye to TINK who has given us many happy adventures that's the only downside. ?