Winter Protection?

[fvkartguy]

I asked about trailer storage before and got some great suggestions (http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64975), but now I have a question specifically for the guys up north.

What do you do in the winter to protect your trailer? Anything? What kind of problems have you had due to harsh winters?

[racerdad2]

Put extra air in the tires if you leave it outside. If you can put some jack stands under the axles, you can take some or all the load off the tires. Put tire covers on to protecr from UV. Check the tire pressures once a month. Make sure you have no roof leaks. My trailer has been outside for 20 years with no ill effects.

[Brian]

I try not to hit it when I am plowing snow. My trailer has lived inside one winter, I charge around $400 to store a trailer and somehow mine gets left outside while all the others are inside... Mind you they are boats and RV's, which don't stand up as well to winter as a good car hauler.

Brian

[racerdad2]

And lube everything. Bearings, hinges, latches, tongue, etc. Just pull it slowly come Spring for a bit to let the grease flow & the tires to 'round out'.

[kea]

Lucky for me, I have a shop to bring it inside to prep it for the (outside storage) winter.

I Armor-All the tires, pack the wheel bearings and adjust the brake shoes. I wash, then wax the outside, remove the battery I have inside for lights. On the outside mounted on the trailer tongue I have a generater that I prep, then cover (the generator) in a plastic bag.
Once parked, I put the multi-pin electrical connecter in a plastic bag and seal it off to keep water (snow) from getting to it.

Doing this now means it's ready for the first race of next year.

This method has worked on this trailer for 22 years.
If you asked anyone who has seen it, they would not guess it's that old.

[DaveW]

I have left my current 22' 1989 Wells Cargo trailer outside every winter in northern Ohio.

So far, I have had no problems with it related to that, except one time I left it at Citation engineering near Indianapolis - it got so cold that the tires froze to the ground and a piece of tread (cheap trailer tires) pulled off one tire when we tried to move it in the dead of winter.

I don't do much extra for winter except make sure everything is lubricated, and the electric brake safety battery is brought inside.

In the spring, I touch up the roof and any other rusty spots that developed.