We noticed a Ford Transit (one of the high and long ones) with double wheels at the back. My son asked me if the two wheels were joined together, could they be removed separately which ones the brakes worked on (or both?). I didn't know but said I would ask... Also, sitting in a motorway queue we were next to a lorry and I noticed a kind of digital meter at the centre of one of the rear trailer wheels. Would this be the tyre pressure or something else? Thanks for any answers! diymostthings
The transit wheels come off separate. All our old transits had twin rear wheels then they were phased out. Now some models have them back again. The numbers on the lorry axle is a Hubodometer meter which counts the mileage.
It's a hubmeter. Trailers have them so operators can know the mileage done by the trailer, which may be pulled by any lorry traction unit (the front bit) .
Thanks JJ. Never thought about that before. Obviously the unit has a milometer & tacho, but never thought about the trailer. Just shows...You're never to old to learn.
Ah - ha, an expert. Thanks JJ. While we are on the subject, on the same journey we noticed a trailer with one set of wheels raised off the ground! How an when would these be lowered? - presumably when the weight goes above a certian level?
The second set are lowered by air and are only used when the trailer is either carrying a heavy load or you cannot balance the load over the existing axle.
Spotted a Peugeot Boxer 440, 5 ton last week, it has the Alko twin axle, usually it's motorhomes that have a twin axle arrangment. They are offering horse boxes with same setup. http://www.jswhorseboxes.co.uk/tran...ew-jsw-cleveland-two-5ton-living-horsebox.htm
DIY, the double wheels on the backs of some Transits etc. are effectively bolted together, so are powered together and are braked together (whether disc or drum). Basically they are like very wide wheels to cope with the load. The 'twin axle' setup - the trailer you saw, for example, is usually avoided as long as possible 'cos if you imagine the vehicle going around a corner, the two sets of wheels will not be following the exact same path, so will be 'scrubbing' to some extent. Hence increased tyre wear. Hence keeping the second axle up when not required.
Thanks Davmac- must be a hard job to change the brake linings of pads roadside without help. I guess those wheel are not light. diymosttthings
Thanks DA - so I suppose you could unbolt the outer wheel as a separate entity (e.g. to change a tyre). I guess you would need two spare wheels - one for the inside and one for the outside, as I assume they are not interchangeable. diymostthings
If the vans fully loaded, your not going to want to jack it up at the roadside . Wheels can be made of alloy, making them lighter to handle, look a bit better, and assist with kerb weight.
Yes they are interchangeable. If your not loaded and one is flat you can continue the journey without changing.