5 Tips for Storing Your Trailer
We’ve all been there. We’ve all had to replace our trailer’s tires way too often because of extensive damage from storing it. And as you have picked your jaw off of the floor after seeing the cost of replacing your tires you wonder what you can do to prevent this damage to your tires in the future. You wonder how you can save money from dealing with unnecessary damage and seek proper trailer maintenance. Well look no further! Here we will discuss 5 tips for storing your trailer.
1. Store in a cool, dry place.
It is important to keep your trailer or camper away from the elements as much as possible. It’s really simple: the more your trailer is exposed to elements, the more damage. Make sure to keep your tires out of the sun. Rays from the sun overtime cause the tire compound to break down and cause cracks and dry rot. On the other side, during the winter months make sure to store away from moisture. Overall, it’s ideal to store somewhere inside, like a garage or storage shed to keep it away from the elements. You should also consider using trailer tire covers for extra protection.
2. Store at minimum weight
It is always good practice to store your camper at its minimum weight. Meaning, unpack and empty it out of all of your equipment and/or belongings. Don’t come back after a trip and leave a bunch of stuff inside it or use your trailer to just store more stuff while its not in use. The more weight bearing on your tires, the more they will get beat up and worn down.
3. Keep Tires off the ground
On the subject of weight, best practice is to jack up your trailer when storing it long term. The overall weight of your trailer builds pressure overtime on your tires. And when your trailer is sitting in one spot for a long period of time, all that pressure builds onto the same spot on each tire: the spot in contact with the ground. That much contact with the ground can cause dry rot and will require replacement of your tires and the best way to prevent this is to jack up your trailer. Jacking up a trailer can be difficult, dangerous, and time consuming which is what TrailerLegs aims to improve. TrailerLegs are designed to easily jack your trailer up in just minutes!
4. Inflate your tires
It is important to inflate your tires higher than usual before storing. You should inflate your tires to the recommended operation pressure plus 25% however, do not exceed the manufacturer’s inflation capacity. This is because drastic changes in temperature will cause the tires on your trailer to deflate overtime.
5. Clean your tires!
This last one seems simple but shouldn’t be overlooked. You may be wondering why cleaning your tires before storing them would be beneficial since we often see stored items get dirty over time. Well all that dirt, oil, and grime that has accumulated on your tires can also cause damage when left on for a long period of time. Just use soap, water, and a tire brush to thoroughly clean.
Follow these 5 tips when storing long term for the best tire maintenance and damage prevention of your trailer or camper!
