Mobile home axles

[4seasons]

I have picked up a new to me trailer that needs a bit of work to get it up to reliable roadworthiness. Along with new lights, flooring, jack and wiring, I want to change the mobile home wheels and tires out to 6x5.5 lug wheels to match my tow truck. I also want to have trailer brakes. I have looked up some parts on Amazon and it looks like it will cost around $500 (more than I paid for the trailer) to change it over to 6 lug electric brakes on both axles. Of course I could do just one axle but I do tend to overload so I was even thinking about putting a third axle under it.
Now for the question. Has anyone else done this before? Are there any tricks to make it work? Is there a cheaper option using some junkyard parts. I can't see myself buying new tires, brakes, springs and magnets for the old axles for the same cost.

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[rarefish383]

Can't help. I have a 42' mobile home for a hunting camp. The two axles under it have electric brakes on them. They are just so old I don't know if parts are still available. I plan on putting one of those Amish cabins on the property till I can build a real log cabin. I was going to make a carriage on it for my mill. It would be nice to be able to mill 40' cabin logs.

 

[rancher2]

Welcome to the world of trailers over the last 40 years I have built and bought a lot of trailers with mobile home axles. I assume you have the open center 14.5 wheels and tires. If yours only have idlers axles know they probably don't have a way to bolt a brake backing plate to them. A lot the what they called a one use mobile home axle had the backing plate welding on to the axle so there is no changing over to a different brake and hub. There were some factory trailers that had Dexter mobile home type axles with bolt on backing plates that could be changed to six or eight lug. This is why these trailers can be had cheap as they usually need a axle change over. Probably not going to find any help in the junk yards unless you have one with a lot of junk trailers. If your axles have brakes I would just run them or it is time to buy new 7000 pound axles with six or eight lugs wheels.

 

[tla100]

Keep an eye for used trailer axles. I was in same boat, scrap trailer has 2 mobile home axles. Tires were getting bad. Never easy to find replacements, or cheap. Did find a hookup at a manufacture home dealer for $50 a tire/rim combo. But that dried up. Had bearings go bad on one wheel, wheel that kept blowing tires. I think axle is bent. The hub is about trashed but I am limping by.

CL had 3 axles, 2 with brakes with 6 tires for $100 I was going to get. But then other deal came up.

Just picked up a 33' deck, 5 year old travel trailer camper frame with 6 lug axles with 15" aluminum wheels. No deck but will put 1/8" diamond plate steel. So i figure sell old trailer and be a wash.......deals are out there. Just have to find em!!!!

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I put 2 new Dexter 6k axles under a trailer, they were ~250 each. I'm sure cheaper in the L48.