Trailer Maintenance

The sun is shining, the fish are biting, the hardware store has a sale, the children are moving out of home, your mate’s got a great deal on a motorbike, you have decided to learn the piano and found the perfect one. It’s time for your trailer to be put to work, but you haven’t used it for a few months.  

 Will it be okay to take on the road? 

The trailer looks okay, no rust, tyres don’t seem flat, but you wonder if there’s anything else you need to do to make sure it’s roadworthy and safe for whenever you want to use it. Or should that be whenever your family and friends want you to use it for them? 

We’re a family business at Longlife Trailers and between us and our staff, there’s been a few demands from family and friends to use our trailers. These tips below are how we keep our trailers maintained and roadworthy.  

We can also inspect your trailer for you to check if it’s roadworthy and safe. The things we will look at include your trailer’s wheel bearings, suspension, brakes, and tyres. 

 Will it stay connected to your vehicle? 

To keep your trailer well maintained gives you greater confidence it will stay connected to your vehicle. 

 It is the maintenance of the tow coupling that is important. 

 Check the tow ball on your vehicle is tight, nothing is loose. Apply grease occasionally to the tow coupling to help maintain it, reducing wear and tear and making it easier to hitch and un-hitch. 

 Lights, camera, action 

Lights need to be manually checked. 

 You need to check that the brake lights on the trailer come on when you touch the brake in the towing vehicle. The indicator lights indicate, the hazard lights flash and the number plate light and taillights are all fully illuminated.  

 Electrical cables are chewable 

It may not be solely night-time animals finding your electrical cables tasty, they may just become frayed or damaged over time if not stored properly.  

You do need to regularly check your electrical cables for any fraying or damage. The electrical plug can occasionally be sprayed with WD40 to prevent rusting.  

 Brakes to stop breaks 

The braking system needs to be checked regularly and to do this look at your brake cables for wear and tear and the bearing and brake shoes.  Replace the brake pads too if required.   

 Our team at Longlife Trailers can help you with this. 

 Tyres deflate when not used  

Always check your tyre pressure before your journey. Check the spare too.  

Always carry your spare wheel and tyre with you. A no brainer yes, but hands up how many of us have once in our lifetime taken it out to make more space? 

 Check your bearings 

Your trailer’s wheel bearings are important because they allow for the wheel’s free rotation. They need maintaining because they are metal on metal against the axles, and they need to be greased to prevent friction.  

 Cleaning, yes you must 

Think of your trailer like your car, sometimes it feels like it drives better when it’s clean.  

Feelings aside, keeping your trailer clean helps with maintaining it in roadworthy condition.  

Soapy water and using a regular hose are all you need. Clean around all the lights and reflector plates. Spray underneath to remove road dirt. 

 Your trailer must be washed after every use, especially when it’s been in sea water.  The salt water will accelerate corrosion and make sure to hose with fresh water around the wheels, suspension, and brakes. You don’t want any salt residue on the metal.  

 Look for rusted parts as you wash and sand away any patches with sandpaper or steel wool. 

 

If you are not sure or have concerns about your trailer’s maintenance, please contact one of our Longlife Trailer team and we can help you.