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The last thing anyone towing a trailer needs is to hear an odd noise followed by seeing something going wrong with their trailer. Whether you are towing or trailering something for the first time or are experienced at this task, it’s important to take care of the trailer itself to ensure nothing goes awry.
Loose trailers can be a danger to anybody on the road including yourself, which is why learning the most important tips having to do with trailer maintenance is so important. Take note of everything outlined in the following article to ensure you stay safe on the road while towing your trailer.
The Average Cost of a New Trailer
To put the importance of trailer maintenance into perspective, it’s important to outline what the average cost of a new trailer actually is. The overall cost for a trailer can vary drastically depending on the type of trailer that is actually being purchased. For example, a new travel trailer that is barebones may cost as little as a couple of thousand dollars, but a standard 24-foot trailer could cost as much as $23,000 an average.
This price certainly isn’t cheap, which is why taking the time to ensure your trailer does not have issues that can lead to further problems is important. Nobody wants to spend thousands of dollars on something only for that item to become damaged, which is why trailer maintenance is crucial.
4 Main Types of Trailers
Depending on the type of trailer that a person owns, the maintenance requirements could change slightly. Specifically, the following four trailers are among the most commonly seen:
- Fifth-Wheelers: Despite the name, a fifth wheel camper trailer actually has more than just a single tire. It earns this name from the U-shaped coupling mount that gets attached to a vehicle, but it is certainly one of the more commonly seen trailer types. This trailer tends to be larger than others, which means there are more maintenance tasks to keep at the top of mind.
- Teardrop Trailers: Teardrop trailers are exactly what they sound like in that they have a teardrop shape to them, and they are typically smaller. Meant to be streamlined and compact versions of the larger fifth-wheel trailers, they often have fewer maintenance tasks.
- Toy Haulers: The toy hauler trailer is a larger size trailer that rivals the size of a fifth-wheeler, though it is distinctly different. Rather than having living space on the inside, a toy hauler is meant to haul a person’s “toys”. More often than not, these toys are buggies, ATVs, or other similar items. Given they carry heavier loads in most cases, there are specific maintenance requirements for this trailer type.
- Expandable Trailers: Serving as a cross between a traditional hard-sided travel trailer and a pop-up camper, the expandable trailer provides more sleeping space than the teardrop, but is smaller than the fifth-wheeler.
How Often Do Trailers Need Maintenance?
Generally, a person should conduct routine annual hitch and towing maintenance to ensure that their trailer is road-ready. It’s worth noting that if specific issues pop up over time, intermittent maintenance may be necessary, but handling large maintenance tasks on an annual basis is a great rule of thumb when just starting out with this type of maintenance.
5 Key Trailer Maintenance Tips
With the key information associated with towing trailers outlined above, it’s time to dive into five of the most important maintenance tips for your trailer. Each of the following tips will help a person reduce the risk of an accident on the roadway in the form of a damaged trailer:
Clean the Interior and Exterior
While cleaning your trailer itself may not seem like much of a maintenance tip, it is undoubtedly important. The interior of a trailer is less important than the exterior for cleaning, but ensuring both are spotless helps to reduce weather damage and rust damage that can eventually degrade the trailer itself.
Inspect the Roof
The roof of a trailer is higher up than most people think which often results in it being neglected the most. While it’s true that an enclosed trailer is the perfect tool for a smooth hauling job, it will be less effective if the roof isn’t up to code. Take the time to visually inspect the roof of your trailer frequently to ensure no damage has come to it.
Double-check Tire Pressure and Tread
Dragging a trailer is serious work on your car, which is why checking tire pressure and the treads of the tires on your car and on the trailer is so important. Tires will wear down faster than normal when constantly towing something as heavy as a trailer, so always inspect this on a monthly or bi-monthly basis to make sure everything is perfect.
Check the Brake Lights
In an ideal situation, your trailer lights will be hooked up perfectly to your vehicle. This will result in the trailer brake lights turning on when your car brake lights turn on. However, in certain situations, this connection can become damaged which can result in unforeseen issues and accidents on the road. Have someone stand behind your vehicle and trailer when it is hooked up and test the brake lights to see if they activate properly on the trailer.
Inspect the Integrity of Towing Parts
Finally, perhaps the most important maintenance tip for trailers is to inspect the integrity of towing parts on your vehicle. Whether it’s the vehicle itself or something smaller like the hitch, double check that it’s not broken and is capable of towing the trailer.
Protect your trailer today
While slapping a trailer to your vehicle may seem tempting at first glance, it’s important to ensure all pre-travel items have been taken care of. The most important of these pre-travel items, and often the least talked about, is maintaining the trailer itself. Utilize each of the above tips to ensure nothing goes wrong with the trailer while you are on the road, as this can lead to safety issues for you and anybody else on the roadway.
Image Credit: Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash