SAFETY CHECKLIST

REGULAR TRAILER MAINTENANCE FOR OWNERS AND OPERATORS

It is highly recommended that any painted steel trailer be thoroughly oil sprayed on at least a yearly basis to protect the frame from corrosion. Your new trailer is designed to be as maintenance free as possible. However, it is important to keep your trailer well maintained to ensure years of trouble free use.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID TO ABOVE TO HELP AVOID ACCIDENTS OR SERIOUS INJURY

Most of the tire damage comes from sitting & the sun beating down on them
When left in the sun the air leaks slowly & the heat dries them
Always check tires for cracking & correct air pressure before each trip
Take wheels off at least once a year & inspect bearings, tire wear & replace if needed

Must be checked each time you hook up to go anywhere
Check that the marker lights are all on
Check the turn signals & brake lights
Always make sure the wiring harness has a ground wire between the tow vehicle & trailer

Some trailers sold with electric brakes have a brake-away kit including battery, battery box, brake-away switch with attached plunger & cable
Always check there is enough power in the battery & the brake-away switch is properly attached to the vehicle
Charge the battery periodically
The brake-away switch cable should be attached to its own anchor in order to provide the correct amount of play

Inspect the wiring on a regular basis to make sure the wires are clean & tucked into position & not dangling
In winter conditions it is important that the wiring behind the brake drums don’t ice up
Causes of wiring problems are poor grounding or poor contacts in the truck end or trailer & electrical plugs
It’s a good idea to spray electrical plugs with a penetrating fluid to help dissolve the built up corrosion
Also don’t forget to check the ground as part of your check list

Regular maintenance of your trailer should include attention to the suspension components & structure
A typical trailer contains hangers, leaf springs, shackle straps, shackle bolts, equalizers, u-bolts & axle plates
The leaf springs & equalizer usually contain Teflon bushings to extend the life of the suspension components
They will eventually wear and need to be replaced
Periodic inspection of these components can avert problems such as premature tire wear

Ball mount & ball are the same size & proper capacity for trailer
Coupler is latched & pinned if possible
Safety chains are crossed under tongue & hitched to towing vehicle
Tongue jack (if trailer is equipped) is retracted
You should have even weight displacement over the axles
If trailer is to high in the front excessive stress may be applied to the rear axle & if the front of the trailer is to low the front axle may become stressed
In extreme cases this can lead to axle failer due to overloading

Electric brakes are a full time operational brake system used on most of today’s small & medium duty trailers
They are 2 systems working together one is the brake actuator or electric brake control & the other is the electric drum brake system of trailers
When a trailer is new it can take a few hundred km for the brake shoes to set in
The sensitivity & gain will very somewhat with respect to typical load weight
If after adjusting the gain you find the trailer is not providing enough braking it might be your electronic brake control does not have the capacity to handle the load

Remember to adjust or balance your load by placing adequate tongue weight on the front of your trailer to insure proper tow ability
Load is within trailer capacity & distributed properly to maintain tongue weight
Heavy end of load must go in the front of trailer
When using ramps to load trailer you need to block trailer under the frame to help support the weight