Although the highlight of your winter may be snowmobile season, what you do after the snow melts is equally vital, especially regarding gear care. Snowmobile trailers should be properly off-season stored to guarantee they endure many years and stay in perfect shape for the next ride. Ignoring basic maintenance could cause rust, tire damage, electrical problems, or expensive repairs. Fortunately, keeping your trailer isn’t too tough. Your investment will be safeguarded, and the lifetime of your equipment will be extended with a few easy procedures.
This blog offers doable, simple advice for securely and effectively storing your snowmobile trailers over the off-season.
1. Give Your Trailer a Complete Cleaning
Any trailer should be properly cleaned before being stored. Trailer collections of road salt, filth, grime, and moisture over the winter can all cause rust and corrosion.
- With water and a light soap, wash the undercarriage, deck, and frame.
- If necessary, use a pressure washer to get caught-on trash off.
- Before you store the trailer, let it dry.
- Think about giving exposed metal pieces a rust-inhibiting spray.
- Cleaning also allows you to look for any seasonal damage that might have happened.
2. Check the Tires
Common points of wear during storage are tires. Should they be left under-inflated or in bad condition, you could find flat patches or dry rot.
- Get tires inflated to the advised PSI.
- To relieve the weight on the tires, if at all feasible, store your snowmobile trailer on blocks or jack supports.
- Store away from soft ground like grass or mud to prevent moisture trapping.
- To guard against UV damage, think about covering tires.
3. Look over and lubricate moving components
Check all moving parts for good shape before storage. This covers ramps, coupler, jack, hinges, wheel bearings.
- If you haven’t lately greased the wheel bearings.
- Oil locks and hinges to prevent rusting.
- See whether the coupler is damage-free and latches correctly.
- Make sure that the trailer jack is secure and runs without problems.
By looking after these components now, you can avoid dealing with broken or stuck ones next winter.
4. Remove the battery (if relevant)
Before storage, remove all powered systems with a battery in your trailer—internal lighting, brakes, or other devices. Ignoring it over several months could cause corrosion or battery drain.
- Cut the battery, then keep it dry and cool.
- To help keep the battery maintained, use a trickle charger.
- This little action can help extend battery life and performance.
5. Guard the Electrical System
For trailers with wire, moisture is a main issue. For prevention of corrosion:
- Look over every wire connection for wear or damage.
- To stop rust, dab dielectric grease on plug ends.
- To keep dust and water out, cover the electrical plug.
- To limit weather exposure, store indoors or beneath a weatherproof cover.
6. Select the Appropriate Place of Storage
Your snowmobile trailer storage location might significantly impact things. You should ideally find a dry, sheltered area free from direct sunshine.
- Best protection comes from inside garages or storage spaces.
- If you have to store outside, choose a heavy-duty, waterproof trailer cover.
- Parking under trees might cause sap, leaves, or bird droppings to fall.
- Level the storage surface to prevent undue strain on the tires or frame.
7. Lock It Up
Like in winter, security is equally vital during the off-season. With these steps, guard your trailer against theft:
- Wheel lock or coupler lock.
- If storing in a less safe location, think about a GPS tracker.
- If at all feasible, park your trailer in a properly illuminated or fenced location.
8. Conduct a pre-storage inspection
Take one more tour around before you leave your trailer for a few months.
- Look for rucklings, corrosion, or loose bolts.
- Verify every door, ramp, and latch is locked.
- Verify the correct support and level of the trailer.
- Little time spent now can help to avoid major issues down the road.
Last Words
Although it takes little time or money, maintaining your snowmobile trailers over the off-season does call some attention. Your trailer will be ready to roll when the snow falls with good cleaning, tire care, safe storage, and minor repairs.
These storage ideas will keep your equipment in great shape year-round whether you are storing utility trailers or snowmobile transporters.
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