Zinger88 Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Hello All, I've been looking to buy a Toyota Motorhome for sometime now. I'm aware of the rear axle issues but I've come across one that has two axles in the rear as opposed to one axle with the dually tires. Does anyone know about the safety of this model? The owner told me he had it checked out and each axle is only supporting 700 lbs. of weight. Any advice, info, help would be welcomed. Can't wait to join the Toyo Motorhome club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Dolphin (and I think 1 other) tried the 'Tag Axle' solution for a couple of years ('80 & '81). I don't really know if they provided a real solution and they seem to be pretty scarce. Notice I didn't say 'rare' (as that might imply 'valuable'). Not sure where he gets 700lb/axle. Closer to 700l/each rear tire! As far as I know, there are 6 in the rear, 2 up front. I honestly don't know what to say about the safety of the setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 Tag axles tend to drag the rear most tires side ways on a turn and are fairly complex guess it did not work out too well or they still would be using them. I don't know if they put duals on the drive axle or not but if they did that's a lot of tires to replace. Derek's right it's at least 700# per wheel axle not axle set unless the entire back end only weights 1400#. I think a more accurate figure would be more like 1,000# per. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsprandy Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 The tag axle is there to increase the load capacity and means that the original axle is not overloaded. I think it shows a more conscientious builder to have gone to the trouble of the added axle. Downside's are more tires, larger wheelhouses so less interior space, less room underneath for tanks and such, and a higher cost to build. Positive side is more load capacity, less sway, and better ride. If the tag can be outfitted with airbags fun can be had with an on-board compressor. In town the bags can be aired down to effectively shorten the wheelbase and decrease the turning radius. Out on the open road the bags can be aired up to take more load off the drive axle as well as effectively lengthen the wheelbase further improving the ride. Tag's are common on larger rigs but rare on Toyota's. If I were in the market for another Toyhome I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Hello All, I've been looking to buy a Toyota Motorhome for sometime now. I'm aware of the rear axle issues but I've come across one that has two axles in the rear as opposed to one axle with the dually tires. Does anyone know about the safety of this model? The owner told me he had it checked out and each axle is only supporting 700 lbs. of weight. Any advice, info, help would be welcomed. Can't wait to join the Toyo Motorhome club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 I've zero experience with the 'tag axle' design, unless you count looking at a few pictures. But in my mind, if they were such a brilliant solution to the rear axle problem(s), why didn't everyone adopt the design and why was production stopped after a year or two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsprandy Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 No doubt the builder had a good engineer that insisted they use the tag. Maybe he retired or the bean counters saw the competition using just one axle and figured they were safe to overrule the dummy. Tag axles are very common on heavy trucks. I noticed the propane delivery truck that was in my yard today had one. The driver even lifted if for the sharp turn backing into the driveway. I've zero experience with the 'tag axle' design, unless you count looking at a few pictures. But in my mind, if they were such a brilliant solution to the rear axle problem(s), why didn't everyone adopt the design and why was production stopped after a year or two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 I can see how it would improve tracking, which is a good thing if you are barreling down a hill at 75 mph with bad shocks. Damn near had to change my underwear after that experience driving the sunrader home when i bought it. It certainly would eat tires more quickly with the scrubbing that occurs in turns, but, if you kept tight turns to a minimum, this might not be an issue. As for why it went away, I would guess that as soon as proper full floating axle became available, it was a no brainer. 1 good axle is certainly cheaper than 2 lesser ones to build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Except it went away after '80 & '81 production, well before the new axle design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Except it went away after '80 & '81 production, well before the new axle design. Yeah, I was kinda thinking that might be the case after I posted. I suspect they just didn't sell well or were cost prohibitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 I don't suppose we'll ever know. I don't recall ever seeing anyone posting saying they owned one. It'd be interesting to get a 'first hand opinion of the pros and cons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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