Being a sportsman, it is likely that you own at least one trailer. Whether it be one or more boat trailers, the utility trailer you use once a year to haul gear to high camp, or even motorcycle trailers, they all need a little TLC for winter duties.
The late Patrick McManus addressed life with trailers in his book “The Grasshopper Trap”, a collection of short stories. A few quotes from his story “Trailer Trials” may find their way into this article.
“Over the course of his life, any sportsman worthy of the name will own a dozen or so trailers of various kinds—utility trailers, tent trailers, boat trailers, house trailers, horse trailers, trail-bike trailers, and snowmobile trailers, to name but a few.”
Patrick F. McManus
With all these trailers cluttering up the driveway, it is probably a good idea to create a Winter Trailer Maintenance Checklist. Below are a few suggestions for maintenance checklist items, but be sure to customize the list for your specific needs:
- Check your tire pressure.
- Check the spare tire condition.
- Check your tires for wear and correct inflation.
- Check Bearing Buddies or the oil bath sight glass for condition.
- Check brake pads, shoes, brake drums, and hydraulic lines.
- Check the brake fluid reservoir.
- Check the trailer lights.
- Check the trailer for overall condition.
- Check trailer and payload for unauthorized passengers, cats, raccoons, and wasp nests.
- Ball mounts and Safety chains
- Hitch and ball mount
- Check payload tiedowns.
Tires
Check tires for condition and proper inflation before each trip. Check tread depth for uneven wear, damage, cracking, and bulges. Include the spare in your tire check. Make sure the spare tire lock is functional. The spare tire for my drift boat trailer is mounted under the trailer tongue. The lock gets seriously fouled with mud, road grime, and ice.
Bearing Buddies and Oil Bath Bearings
Failed wheel bearings are often a preventable source of trailer troubles. Bearings can get rusty if they are contaminated by water. Most boat trailers are equipped with Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors or oil bath hubs. Bearing Buddys use a spring-loaded piston to hold grease in the wheel bearings to displace any water. With oil bath bearings, the bearings run in a sealed cavity filled with oil. Typically, there will be a sight window that allows you to assess the level and condition of the oil.
Servicing Bearing Buddys is easy. An occasional pump of waterproof grease is really all that is required between bearing repacks. Depending on usage, they should be repacked and inspected every 1 to 3 years.
Oil bath bearings should be checked for leakage, oil level, white frothy contamination, or very dark oil regularly. There isn’t really a recommended teardown interval. If you see any signs of contamination or water in the oil, it’s time to service them.
Brakes
If you launch your boat in salt water, it’s important to rinse the trailer brakes as soon as possible after you retrieve the boat. Trailer brakes may be disc-type (with brake pads) or drum-type (with shoes). Just like the brake pads or shoes on your tow vehicle, trailer brakes will wear with use,
Inspect or have the pads or shoes inspected every few seasons.
You can combine brake service with wheel bearing service. This can be handled via DIY, a general auto repair service, or even some tire stores can handle this job.
Be sure to also check the brake lines for signs of rust and cracking.
Brake Fluid
Check the brake fluid reservoir in the master cylinder (on the trailer tongue) a couple of times a season, following instructions in the trailer owner’s manual. The fluid level will go down as the pads wear. If the level is suddenly very low, you could have a leak in the brake system, which should be repaired immediately.
Trailer Lights
“One eighth of a sportsman’s life is spent trying to hook up trailer lights.”
Patrick F. McManusAnd if the wife tries to help, “The divorce rate among trailer owners is nine times that of the general population.”
Patrick F. McManus
Be sure to check your trailer lights every time you hook up the trailer. It is a good idea to protect the trailer light connector pigtail on your trailer when not towing to prevent corrosion from forming. Many will have a plastic cap that fits over the connector, or even a small plastic bag with a twist tie will get the job done. A little dielectric grease will also help prevent corrosion.
Bad grounds are often the cause of trailer light failure. The ground wire should be white and secured to the trailer. Locate the connection point and evaluate for corrosion or broken wires. Make sure there is a good, clean ground path with the trailer frame.
Most new trailers have LED lights. Aside from ground issues, LEDs are reliable and more or less trouble-free. Older trailers with incandescent bulbs, on the other hand… Even with proper care and feeding will frequently burn out, sometimes between the boat ramp and home! Keep a stash of the correct bulbs and a small tube of dielectric grease handy.
“Shortly after man invented the wheel, he invented the trailer. Ever since then, he has been trying to figure out how to hook up the lights.”
Patrick F. McManus
Tie-downs
Check the condition of your tiedowns. It may be a good idea to store them somewhere out of the elements, but then you have to remember to install them before you hit the road. Even if your boat is heavy, use some form of tie-down straps. Years ago, I was pulling my offshore sportfishing boat down the 22 Freeway in Southern California. A car bounced off the K-barrier and spun right in front of me. I had to slam on the brakes hard to keep from hitting it. I managed to stop in time without jackknifing. With the traffic stopped, I got out of the truck to check on the boat. Where I had thought that it was heavy enough to stay put, one of the tie-down straps had broken. Fortunately, the safety chain prevented the boat from going airborne and landing on my truck.
Ball Mounts, Trailer Hitch Receivers, and Safety Chains
Check the ball mount and receiver for any obvious signs of damage. Be sure the ball is the correct size for the trailer hitch and is secured to the ball mount. Check the pin holding the ball mount in the receiver. Look at its condition and verify that any locking feature is functional.
Regarding safety chains, all trailers should have 2 different safety chain setups. One secures the boat to the trailer, and the other secures the trailer to the tow vehicle. Make sure that both are connected properly and in good condition.
“Trailer hitches can be a problem, although they are nothing compared with trailer lights. The hitch simply clamps down over a steel ball on the car. The steel balls come in three sizes—too large, too small, and just right.”
Patrick F. McManus
“Safety chains, by the way, are required on all trailers. Their purpose, should the hitch come loose, is to rip the rear end off the towing vehicle, thus further punishing you for using the wrong ball.”
Patrick F. McManus
Winter driving
Double-check your trailer and tires, being sure to check the tire pressure. Consider running mud and snow tires on your trailer. They can help prevent the trailer from sliding around. Properly fitted chains are your friend in icy conditions.
If you tow a trailer during inclement weather, never use the cruise control. Drive with a plan, no sudden stops or hard turns. If you miss an exit or turn, continue to the next safe place to turn around. It is a good idea to keep a bag of kitty litter or sand and a shovel in the back of your tow vehicle. The added weight will improve your traction and can be used under the tires for extra grip if needed. Know when to say no, we need to pull over, or even we’re going to leave it in the driveway.
Storage
If you’re storing your rig for winter, try to find a covered location like a garage or barn to protect it from the elements. Otherwise, invest in a breathable or ventilated tarp. Pull all drain plugs and ensure there is no water in the washdown pump or livewell system. To keep water from pooling, try to store your boat a little bow high if possible. If your boat is an outboard, tilt the motor down to the running position to prevent freeze damage to the internal components or lower unit. It is also a good idea to jack up the axles and block them to prevent damage to the tires or bearings during long-term storage. Tire covers can help prevent tire UV damage.
Conclusion
As your winter work week ends and you feel the need to get up 3 hours before your alarm would normally go off, then hook up the boat or hunting trailer to hit the road. Be sure to take a few minutes to ensure your rig is winter roadworthy. In closing, a few more quotes from our friend Patrick McManus.
“Rancid was poor. He didn't seem to know that he was poor, however, and I never had the heart to tell him, because he was the happiest person I'd ever met. If he had known he was poor, of course, then he would have been sad and miserable all the time. As it was, Rancid was able to live out his whole life in blissful ignorance of the fact that he was poor.”
Patrick F. McManus (They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?)
“My grandmother had actually known some real mountain men back in the old days, but she had never taken a liking to them. She said they drank and swore and spit tobacco and never took baths, and fought and bragged and lied all the time. I don't recall, however, that she ever mentioned what was bad about them.”
Patrick McManus
