The trailers we use to haul our boats, horses, equipment and other toys are one of our most overlooked and under maintained possessions. We rarely think about them until we need to take our boat out to the lake when the weather warms and even then, most of us are lucky to just check the tire pressure. It isn't that hard to keep our trailer in good running shape and it can even save you from at best a minor inconvenience to at worst a serious accident.
The bearings would be the most common maintenance. If you have a boat and are submerging your wheels in the water at the boat dock, then they are without a doubt one of the more critical items on the trailer. Once a year, you should have your hubs disassembled and thoroughly inspected and cleaned. You can either do this yourself or take it to a local auto shop. Whoever works on it, it should be inspected for gouges, wear marks, or pits that could have developed over the last year.
Having the wheels off to clean the hub assemblies would mean that you can inspect the axle and springs when you get under the trailer. Make sure that the springs look to be in good working order and check the axle to make sure that it is not bent.
The next step once the axle has been inspected and the hubs have been cleaned and replaced would be greasing the axle. Keeping your bearing properly greased can head off a lot of problems and make your trailer last longer and ride safer. By keeping a grease gun handy, you will be able to always add a little to the bearings. A cordless grease gun might be a good investment if you own a fleet of trailers. A cordless grease gun can make quick work of a long and tedious greasing job.
It is also a good idea to have your bearings and hubs checked for excessive heat after you have been driving for a while. Something being seriously wrong and causing a lot of friction is what it could mean if your hub is overheated. A wheel can come completely off a trailer and cause a bad accident. The hub should not be hotter than a morning cup of coffee and this is considered as a good rule of thumb. If it is hotter than that, do not drive on it until the problem is corrected.
Even though trailers are not sexy or fun like the boats we carry with them, we still need to properly maintain them because otherwise, we won't get very far.
The bearings would be the most common maintenance. If you have a boat and are submerging your wheels in the water at the boat dock, then they are without a doubt one of the more critical items on the trailer. Once a year, you should have your hubs disassembled and thoroughly inspected and cleaned. You can either do this yourself or take it to a local auto shop. Whoever works on it, it should be inspected for gouges, wear marks, or pits that could have developed over the last year.
Having the wheels off to clean the hub assemblies would mean that you can inspect the axle and springs when you get under the trailer. Make sure that the springs look to be in good working order and check the axle to make sure that it is not bent.
The next step once the axle has been inspected and the hubs have been cleaned and replaced would be greasing the axle. Keeping your bearing properly greased can head off a lot of problems and make your trailer last longer and ride safer. By keeping a grease gun handy, you will be able to always add a little to the bearings. A cordless grease gun might be a good investment if you own a fleet of trailers. A cordless grease gun can make quick work of a long and tedious greasing job.
It is also a good idea to have your bearings and hubs checked for excessive heat after you have been driving for a while. Something being seriously wrong and causing a lot of friction is what it could mean if your hub is overheated. A wheel can come completely off a trailer and cause a bad accident. The hub should not be hotter than a morning cup of coffee and this is considered as a good rule of thumb. If it is hotter than that, do not drive on it until the problem is corrected.
Even though trailers are not sexy or fun like the boats we carry with them, we still need to properly maintain them because otherwise, we won't get very far.
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