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The best time to complete your horse
trailer's annual
safety check and servicing is before the
trail riding season starts.
If
you aren't mechanically inclined enough to
do these checks yourself, a qualified
professional can do the work for you.
However, if you are going to send your horse
trailer out for servicing you should know
what needs to be done so you can be sure
that nothing gets overlooked. Make sure to
use a shop that is experienced in dealing
with horse trailers, a local body shop or
mechanic may not be familiar enough with
horse trailers.
Before taking your rig to someone else, try
giving it a good going over yourself.
Start your inspection with the trailer
floors. For the safety of your horses, the
floor must be in perfect condition. Take out
the mats and check the floor. If you have a
wood floor, test it by sticking a knife
firmly into the surface and twist it. Do the
same test from underneath. Rot can be hiding
there where you can't see it. If the wood
crumbles easily you may need to replace the
floorboards. If you have an aluminum floor,
check for corrosion or pitting. Check the
welds for stress fractures.
 This
floor needs to be cleaned to prolong its
life.
Move underneath the trailer and look at the
undercarriage. Severe rust or corrosion
should be repaired immediately. Sometimes
steel beams will have some surface rust that
isn't much of a concern because it does not
cause structural weakness, ask an expert for
an assessment. Cleaning surface rust off and
repainting or undercoating can slow the
rusting process. For aluminum trailers, look
for potential problems in the welds and
joints where stress fractures can occur. A
frequent source of potential problems in all
aluminum trailers is where the axles are
attached to the frame. Check the bolt holes
and fasteners for excess wear and loosening.
Do the same where the hitch coupler is
attached to the frame.
Check all components of your trailers
suspension system for signs of excess wear,
elongation of bolt holes, and/or loosening
of fasteners. Loose fasteners should be
tightened or replaced. Worn bushings,
sagging springs, or broken springs should be
replaced.
Examine the coupler for excess wear inside.
Sometimes the coupler can wear enough inside
to make the coupler fit too loosely on the
trailer ball. The closure system should work
perfectly. The coupler should be repaired or
replaced if it is not working perfectly.
Check safety chains and the
breakaway braking system. Check the
breakaway brake battery. Does the jack work
properly?
Note the
exposed wiring that needs to be fixed.
Check each part of the hitch system, both on
the trailer and on the towing vehicle. The
hitch is only rated as strong as the weakest
link. The rating on the ball, the slide in
ball mount, and the hitch itself should meet
or exceed the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating) of your horse trailer. (There are
two ratings on the hitch - weight carrying
and weight distribution. The weight
distribution rating is only valid when
stabilizer bars are used) Check the welds
and/or bolts where the hitch is attached to
the tow vehicle.
Does the towing vehicle ball
size match the coupler size (2" or 2 5/6")?
A coat of grease on the coupler will keep
things from sticking.
Turn on the tow vehicle lights and check the
horse trailer’s lights. Are all the lights
and turn signals working properly? Replace
bulbs as necessary. If they still don't
work, have the wiring checked.
Now look inside the trailer for any
potential problems. Do all moving parts,
doors, and latches work properly?
A lot is riding on your wheels so it’s
vitally important that the wheels, tires,
and axle are properly inspected.
Now inspect the tires themselves for
pressure, wear, and age.
If your trailer has been stored for a while,
check the tires for dry rot. More horse
trailer tires wear out from rot rather than
from road miles.
Tire inflation pressure should be as
recommended by the manufacturer for the
load. Pressure should be checked cold before
operation. Check inflation pressure weekly
during use to insure maximum tire life and
tread wear.
This tire has plenty of tread
but is the rubber too old to be safe? Check
the date of manufacture.
Tires deteriorate over time, even if they
are not used. The tires may appear to be in
new condition on the outside, but on the
inside the rubber is slowly deteriorating.
This can dangerously weaken the tire and
increase the risk of a blowout.
A tire’s date of manufacture is indicated by
the last group of digits in the DOT
manufacture code on the sidewall of the
tire. The number is often stamped in a
recessed rectangle. The DOT code tells who
manufactured the tire, where it was made and
when. The last group of digits in the code
is the date code that tells when the tire
was made.
Before 2000, the date code had three digits.
Since 2000, it has had four. The first two
digits are the week of the year (01 = the
first week of January). The third digit (for
tires made before 2000) is the year (1 =
1991). For most tires made after 2000, the
third and fourth digits are the year (04 =
2004).
This tire was made in 2007
Wheel nuts or bolts must be applied and
maintained at the proper torque levels to
prevent loose wheel, broken studs, and
possible dangerous separation of wheels from
the axle. Check and re-torque the wheels
prior to using the trailer and periodically
throughout the year.
Wheel bearings need to be inspected annually
to keep your trailer rolling smoothly. This
may be a job for your trailer professional
since the wheel hub must be removed to
inspect the bearings and brake drums.
Bearings must be cleaned or replaced and
lubricated. If the axle is equipped with E-Z
lube feature, the bearings can be
periodically lubricated without removing the
hubs from the axle, but bearings must still
be inspected yearly.
Brakes drums should be inspected and
examined for excessive wear or heavy
scoring. Depending on the amount of wear,
the drums may have to be turned or replaced.
Your trailer brakes should also be cleaned
and serviced at yearly intervals or more
often as use and performance requires.
One of the most common trailer electrical
problems is low or no voltage and amperage
at the brakes. The following are common
causes of this condition: Poor electrical
connections, open circuits, broken wires,
and improperly functioning controllers.
Before you put your horses in the trailer,
make one final check to make sure creatures
have not made a home inside. You might also
want to give the trailer a nice washing and
wax the outside and inside, too. Aluminum
trailers that do not have a painted or
clear-coated finish can be given an acid
bath.
Taking the time to make these yearly
maintenance procedures will increase your
safety margin when you are on the road, add
years to the life of your trailer, and help
insure that you spend time on the trails,
not in the shop.
See More
Trail Riding Tips Here
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