# The care and feeding of your horse trailer



## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

When you say that it was stored under cover, do you mean inside or that it was just partly sheltered?

Generally moisture causes most problems so a trailer that is stored inside or mostly covered eliminates many of the potential issues. Honestly, a two-year-old trailer even if stored outside is unlikely to have any problems even if stored outside in the snow and rain. With trailer stored outside and exposed to the elements generally the first thing to go are the tires, they tend to age-out (rot and crack) before they ever mile-out. Again being stored out of the elements are having the tires covered well in storage does make a big difference, but I go back to the trailer only being two years old – I would be very surprised if they are not perfectly serviceable even if they were exposed to the sun and weather and everything else – the trailer is just too new. 

Don't be surprised if the brakes on the trailer are very grabby for the first few miles – rust buildup on the inside of the drum where the electric break magnet rides and can make them apply extremely aggressively for the first short while after sitting for an extended period. Taking the trailer for a trip without your horses and applying just the trailer brakes themselves a few times on and off as well as normal driving will generally remove all this rust and restore normal braking action. 

If the trailer was exposed to the rain checking that the bearings haven't had any moisture infiltrate them is never a bad idea, but that is as easy as popping the dust caps off and looking for moisture. Repacking the bearings is something that some people do annually and is never a bad idea, but in my opinion unless you have water intrusion it's also a bit unnecessary unless you tow tens of thousands of miles every year. Your call. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that on a trailer that's only a few years old there's very little that is likely to be problematic at this age, so I wouldn't go overkill – I'm sure a trailer place would be happy to take your money, and having them look over things isn't a bad idea if it makes you feel better, just keep it within reason – you shouldn't be looking at more than one hour or so worth of labor for this sort of thing unless you insist on having the bearings redone at which point the cost is going to be notably higher.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

That new of a trailer I would just check 

wiring to make sure the mice didn't have fun...

Bearing

and tire pressure


----------



## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

You guys are awesome. It's a hour or so drive out to pick up my horse even after a trip to the shop, so if the tires check out, any mild flat spots should be warmed out and the brakes de-rusted before I get there. Good to know about the bearings Pilot. I will have them inspect it, we'll see what, if anything, they say needs doing.

It's stored...under cover. It's under a big roof from an old elevated 60x120" hay barn, so while it's not "inside," it's dry enough under there that no grass can grow (in TN!) and it's still dry even when it's so soggy out I'm not sure if I can get through the mud to the barn to park it with the 4x4 on or not. Definitely better than being straight outside. I've probably put a good 4-5000 miles on it since I bought it, and that's more than most people put on a 2H BP, but still not much in the scheme of things. Still, I do feel I get my money's worth out of owning one.


----------



## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

In that case I wouldn't worry about anything honestly – air up the tires, walk around and check for anything obvious, plug in the electrical cord and make sure all the lights are working and that your trailer brake controller is confirming it detects the brakes, and then head on down the road. 

With regards to the bearings, as I mentioned unless the seals were damaged at the factory (unlikely) it's highly unlikely he there's any water contamination in there, and the fact that it is stored under cover and on dry soil further reduces that chance even more. 

Some people are religious about repacking the bearings every year, but personally all I do is pull the dust caps off in the spring and if there is moisture contamination it will be fairly obvious – the grease will often take on the consistency of A thick white-ish milkshake. In that case repacking the bearings and figuring out where the moisture came from is prudent – typically on a horse trailer it means the wheel seal is damaged or more often...just worn out. That said, coming full-circle again, on a two-year-old trailer I would find that possibility extremely unlikely. 

Myself, unless I find signs of moisture, I only repack them every four or five years.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Sharpie said:


> Good Evening All!
> 
> I would like your wisdom on the Care and Feeding of my horse trailer. Now, I bought it brand new in 2012, and to be honest, I've just about neglected it since. It's a Trails West Adventure trailer (alum roof, steel body, wood floor) I clean it out after each use, but that's about it. It's been sitting unused undercover (rolled about a couple times to prevent flat spots) for 9 months while I've been deployed and I need to get it tended to so I can bring my horse home ASAP after I return.
> 
> ...


Some brakes are self adjusting so you end to find out what you have. Usually if they don't work well they need adjusted.

Bearings. Some have a grease Zirt to add grease every so often. I have mine checked every few years and repacked when I had the brakes replaced.

Tires have a life of about 8 years so you should be ok if the tread is good.


----------



## mred (Jan 7, 2015)

There is a date code on trailer tires. They are good for 5 years from date of purchase. Stored out of the sun they will go longer. But I believe if you check the tire manufacturers, it is warrantied 5 years for dry rot.


----------

