Tiny House Trailers

bySavannah Dodge/April 13, 2021

TINY HOUSE TRAILERS

Choosing which type of tiny house trailer is right for you is one of the most important decisions within your tiny house build. Your trailer is your foundation, and as we all know, the foundation of any structure is always the most important. B&B Micro Manufacturing creates custom trailers specifically for tiny houses. This allows our Tiny House foundations to be sized appropriately for the load in which they will carry. So what options do you have to choose from when it comes to the trailer on which you will be building? We have laid out everything you need to know so that your next B&B Tiny House can perform to its highest capabilities.

WHAT ARE AXLES?

An axle is a horizontal rod to which the wheels are attached to. Each axel has its own weight rating. Thus, heavier tiny homes will need higher rated axles or a higher quantity of them. It takes mathematical calculations to safely determine your tiny house foundation.

SINGLE: 1 set of wheels

DOUBLE: 2 sets of wheels

TRIPLE: 3 sets of wheels

IE. if your total GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is 12,000lbs you can achieve this with a double 6k axle

WHAT ARE WHEEL WELLS & FENDERS?

FENDER: Covers the wheel

WHEEL WELL: The space between the wheel and the fender

At B&B, we will produce tiny house trailers to meet the specific needs of each home.

TINY HOUSE SPECIFIC

GOOSENECK

TINY HOUSE SPECIFIC TRAILERS

Customizations:

Allowing for your flooring to sit within the trailer frame instead of on top of it. This allows more interior height & installation under the floor
Squared off wheel wells
Welded Metal Belly Pan:
- The underside of the trailer framing has a sheet of metal that has been welded on so that the trailer is closed off from the bottom exterior elements
Drop Axles:
- The trailer is lower and closer to the road so that you have more space for the interior. However, this can reduce ground clearance and can make it easier to bottom out.

DECKOVER TRAILERS

This trailer raises your flooring above the wheel well, eliminating any need to design around them on the interior. However, you risk approaching the max height of 13’6’’ when doing so.

GOOSENECK TRAILERS

Gooseneck trailers place the hitch within the bed of the tow vehicle (instead of the regular hitch on the back of tow vehicles) allowing extra space on the interior as well as easier towing capabilities in regards to weight distribution. You also gain exterior space underneath the gooseneck that allows you to get creative with outdoor elements such as an outdoor shower, hammock, etc.

READ OUR BLOG ON HOW TO TOW YOUR TINY HOUSE

TOWING A TINY HOUSE

CINDER BLOCKS

FRAMING MATERIAL & SHAPE

The framing of a trailer is usually built using steel, however, recently many manufacturers have been expanding to the use of aluminum which eliminates up to 2,000lbs of your GVWR and does not corrode like steel (this makes aluminum a much more expensive but effective alternative).

Whether you use steel or aluminum, the trailer is usually built with either C Channel or Tube Framing. Tube Frame is much stronger structurally than that of C channel, making it also more expensive.

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS

Lights: Every trailer has a variety of lights for safety reasons, like blinkers and brake lights.

Chains: Chains are attached from the trailer to the hitch in case of an emergency so that the trailer does not completely detach from the towing vehicle.

Hitch Jack: This is used to raise the tongue of the trailer so that it is easier to attach the hitch to the towing vehicle.

Leveling Jacks: Placed on the bottom all 4 corners of your trailer, so that when parked you can raise and lower your jacks accordingly to level your tiny structure. Most commonly these are seen as scissor jacks, but you can even use cinder blocks or pieces of wood.

Choosing the right tiny house trailer is a crucial step in having a quality built tiny structure. At B&B Micro Manufacturing we will ensure you have the best foundation so that your tiny structure can be used for years to come!