Wheel Chock
Wheel Chock do you have to put wheel chocks on both sides of the rear wheels when doing an oil change? generally if you have the parking brake on then you would only need to chock block the rea...
Wheel Chock
Reinhart Trailer Sales: Your Trailer Maintenance Assistants
Maintaining trailers, whether they are cargo trailers, race car trailers, car trailers, PWC trailers, or motorcycle trailers might sometimes appear complicated, especially after the winter. The truth is all you have to do is follow a few simple trailer maintenance tips to get your trailer back in shape and ready for the spring and summer seasons. Reinhart Trailer Sales, a Toronto (GTA based trailer dealer) with over 15 years of experience in the trailer industry, has developed a quick maintenance checklist designed to make the inspection and maintenance of your trailer simple and easy.
1. Check your tires: Since your trailer has remained unused all winter, make sure your tires have the correct air pressure. Among trailer maintenance tips, this is one of the most important. It is a well-known fact that cold weather can decrease air pressure in tires. Low tire pressure, in turn, can cause your tires to wear out faster, and by itself, can be costly and dangerous on the road. These scenarios can be particularly dangerous when they involve trailers attached to vehicles. Another thing to be on the lookout when inspecting your tires is sidewall cracking. This type of damage is caused by over-exposure to harsh environmental conditions. Excessive weathering can lead to sidewall rubber deterioration and sidewall cracking. If you have concerns due to the severity of the sidewall cracking, consult with a certified tire inspector or certified mechanic. Again, this spring check your tires before you take out your trailer for a test run. This is one of the most important maintenance tips for trailer owners to follow.
2. Torque the wheel nuts: It is also important to ensure that your wheel nuts are tightened to the correct specification. Over-tightening can lead to stretching and breaking of the wheel studs, and cracking of the rims. Both of these can lead to excess force being placed on the remaining wheel nuts and studs. This in turn, weakens the remaining studs, causing them to break. Typically this results in a detached wheel. Similarly, under-torquing can lead to the wheel nuts being loosened, which can also lead to a detached wheel while travelling. To practice safety habits, use the rule of thumb "torque and check your wheel nuts".
3. Grease the bearings: For trailers with EZ Lube Hubs or Buddy Bearings, it is important to grease the bearings with proper wheel-bearing grease. The wrong grease may not circulate enough and can end up starving the bearings. So make sure you ask your trailer maintenance technician or refer to the trailer manual for the correct grease you should use on your trailer bearings.
4. Check your brakes: While you are checking and testing the brakes and tires, please make sure the trailer is off the ground. Trailer brakes do not automatically adjust, so it's important to check and adjust if needed. To adjust, pull the cover, and adjust the brake adjusters with a screwdriver. If you find that your breaks are old and rusty, contact your trailer maintenance technician for assistance and next steps. For your own safety this season, let a professional help you fix your breaks.
5. Check your lights: After you have followed the above trailer maintenance tips, make sure your lights are working by doing a proper circle check with your running lights. For this, you need to attach your trailer lights to your vehicle using a proper connector. If you are planning on taking long trips or travelling at night, make sure your signal lights and trailer lights work properly.
If after you have completed these maintenance tips on your trailer, you would like to have a professional opinion provide you with their assessment of your trailer, book an inspection with a certified professional near you. For the past 15 years, Reinhart Trailers has been servicing clients in the Toronto (GTA), Brampton, Southern and Central Ontario vicinity. Reinhart Trailer Sales has a service department that can assist you with the light maintenance of your trailers.
If your trailer has a yearly safety certificate, check the expiry date. If you're close to the expiry date, contact Reinhart Trailer Sales, to book your annual service appointment.
Reinhart Trailer Sales offers more than just trailer maintenance tips and assistance. They have a wide selection of new and used trailers showcased at their showroom lot in Brampton, Ontario. In addition they have a wide range of parts you can purchase. These include: wheel bearings and seals, springs, weight distribution hitches, aluminium towing accessories, steel draw bars, hitch balls, safety chains and hooks, electric brake controllers, motorcycle wheel chocks, ATV and motorcycle load ramps, tires and wheels, brake parts and hubs, tail lights, marker lights, signal lights, ratchet straps, and D-rings, among other things.
For more information on your trailer maintenance needs or to book an appointment with our professionals, visit ReinHartTrailers.
About the Author
Reinhart Trailers is a new and used trailers dealer in Caledon Ontario. Reinhart Trailers has been in the trailer industry under the same ownership and management for 14 years. For more information, visit www.ReinhartTrailers.com.