Trailer axles

[Welder Dave]

I've got an opportunity to get some trailer axles from a trailer shop that just wants to get rid of them. A few have never been used. Some are because they were ordered wrong or a trailer had an axle upgrade and they were take off's. One of the guys working there agree's with me they are worth something. We're thinking of itemizing them and putting pairs the same together with ratings and such. Then putting them in the RB auction. They didn't cost anything so I think we have nothing to lose and could get more than scrap value for them. About half have brakes and brake drums. Should they sell for more than scrap?

 

[56wrench]

If they are an odd width and just the bare tube/spindle they may not bring much but if they are complete with hubs/drums and are 7000k or 10000k then they should bring a reasonable price. But, that being said, with Ritchie sales, you never know. By the time you deduct their sales commission and fees, the bare axles may net you a loss

 

[Welder Dave]

I need to talk to RB and see what they say. I couldn't find anywhere that tells what the sellers fee's are. That makes me think it's ridiculous.

 

[56wrench]

If you are not in a hurry, Facebook marketplace may be an option to sell them. Then you can set the price and, best of all, no fees. Just join your local Buy and Sell group

 

[Welder Dave]

Kind of in a hurry. I could take them to my property but that would be a hassle because it's an hour away. I'm not going to make a special trip for a bunch of tire kickers.

 

[Welder Dave]

Forget RB. They charge 25% up to $3000 and 15% above $3000 which is fine. However it is based on individual lots and each lot has a minimum sellers fee of $150!!! I called another auction house and they charge 25% but that's across the board and no cost if there are no bids. The guy said he may even know someone that would buy all of them. Here's a couple pics. They were moving them off the rack is why they're in a pile. They want the rack gone too. That's a lot of good rectangular tubing. You can see the rack in the first pic. It's about 30' wide. The last pic. I think is 2 10,000lb. axles with hydraulic brakes. The guy said they are worth a few bucks if someone had to buy them new. Quite a few are rubber torsion axles.

 

[OzDozer]

They're only worth scrap value. The problem is no-one wants to build or repair their own trailers today - and axles vary so much in dimensions, capacities and styles, it's a nightmare trying to match up with what someone wants, when they're looking for an axle or axles.

If someone actually wants to construct a tandem trailer, they need two identical axles, and I'll wager there isn't two indentical axles in the whole pile.

Rubber torsion axles are limited in axle travel and only good for smooth sealed roads.
It's easy to overload an individual axle on a multi-axle setup with rubber torsion suspension, if you run over uneven surfaces.

Facebook is full of the wrong people to try and sell this kind of stuff to, and full of scammers that FB don't even care about.
A swap meet might be a better option, or even a garage sale. It's hard trying to find a free sale site today, is Kijiji any good?

eBay buys up all the selling sites and ruins them by advertising eBay products over anything else on the sales site.
eBay used to be good for selling items, now they're as hungry as any auction site with fees, and today they only want to sell Chinese crap in bulk quantities.

 

[4x4ford]

I can see multiple uses for several of them just looking boat trailer could use heavier axles with brakes and would like to add brakes to my single axle some day want to build a car hauler advertise them for 50-100 apiece and probably sell them all in a day or two

 

[Welder Dave]

There are several matched pairs. I have the rubber torsion axles on my skid steer trailer. No maintenance like springs and hangers and superior ride. A lot of the rubber torsion axles are adjustable for drop since the arms mount on splines. There are tons of welders, farmers and diy's in Alberta who like fabricating things. I'm sure some should bring at least $100. They look like scrap sitting in a pile but when they were all on the rack you could see the pairs. I think they could be worth $2000 or more to right buyer but even $1000 is better than a kick in the head. They would look a lot better if they were sorted and all the specs. for them were listed. Some would cost close to $1000 if you had to buy them new. Will have to see if there might be buyer for all of them.

 

[56wrench]

Torision axles may be ok for open flat trailers but i have a 24’ gooseneck enclosed cargo trailer and unless its fully loaded to capacity it rides rough and shakes the crap out of whatever you’re hauling. Right now its being used as a storage shed on wheels. I’m surprised no one has come up with light duty air ride axles for that application

 

[cfherrman]

I could use a few of those axles lol.

I'd try to sell them slow on FB marketplace.

Take them to your property and sort them, let the racers that have trailer see them, they will take a few off your hands.

Auction is fast cheap money.

 

[Welder Dave]

Meeting at the shop with the axles tomorrow with potential buyers. I think the owner of the auction house realized the shop would know what they had since I mentioned the name. They're pretty well known.