Trailer Maintenance

[GLASEM]

Purchased my enclosed car hauling trailer back in 2004
Have not really done any maintaince on it since I bought it.
The company that manufactured it..... was bought out by another company....the dealer I purchased it from went out of business so I can't go to either of them for assistance.

I assume the axles on trailers are made pretty much similar from one company to another.

Am looking for a manual on how to adjust....replace the electric brakes....etc.
Anyone got a source on line?

Also.....made a bad choice in buying a white one
What's the secret in keeping that white looking good?
Every time I see those disgusting black streaks in the white paint I cringe.
Seems no matter how much you polish them out and wax it.....they keep coming back

[Tim Hancock]

Do you have leaf spring or Torflex axles? If you can identify your axles (my Dexter Torflex axles had a sticker with part number on them on the cross bar near one end), you can probably find service info on the axle company's website.

[GLASEM]

The axles are not leaf springs.......so I "ASSUME" they are Torflex axles.

Been under the trailer several times and did not see any sort of manufacturer ID sticker.

But will look again.

[M.D. Holloway]

you best take a look at the wheel bearings

[johnsjmc]

Wheel bearings should be inspected and repacked yearly,brakes inspected and adjusted at same time. Most electric brakes are drum with manual adjusters. When I tow my most common failure is tires. I would consider replacing any tire from 2004 even if it looks brand new.

[VincentVega]

I'm in a similar spot, I have no idea what the specifics are on my trailer. I just ordered wheel bearings from Trailer Bearings and Races | etrailer.com , you should at least inspect them. It's easy enough to measure the axles with a set of calipers once you pull off the hub. The site above has pretty good how to videos for bearing check/replacement too.

[Tim Hancock]

My "used" Torflex axles have the grease zert in the end and are well sealed... When I took one apart, the grease and bearings still looked new with no signs of moisture. Unlike other trailers I have owned over the years, these Torflex type axles should be pretty hassle free in the grease/bearing dept, provided I give em a pump or two once a year or so.

[VincentVega]

That's a real time saver. Even so, I would want to have a look, especially if they havent been touch in 7 yrs.

[GLASEM]

In the 7 years........have about maybe 6-7000 miles on it.
Have checked the wheel bearings for play several times.......no issues.
Replaced all four tires in 2010

[Tim Hancock]

If your hub has a rubber plug, pop it off and you will likely have a grease zert staring at your face if you have Dexter Torflex axles. If you have the grease zert style, you can simply slowly pump grease into it and you will displace all of the old grease out around the nut... stop once you see new fresh grease coming out.

Anyhow, here is a link to the service manual for Dexter electric brakes..... Most of them are equipped with self adjusters, but if not, they list the procedure to adjust them. (remove rubber cover on brake backing plate, tighten star wheel with screwdriver working through slot, then back off star wheel until brakes just release providing a barely perceptible drag).

http://dexteraxle.com/i/u/6149609/f/6-8K_Service_Manual_6-11/Electric_Brakes_6-11.pdf

Here is a link to the hub manual.

http://dexteraxle.com/i/u/6149609/f/6-8K_Service_Manual_6-11/Hubs_Drums_and_Bearings_6-11.pdf

[Zeke]

I think I'd dismount the drums and go over the brakes making sure all the springs are in place and none a broken. Check the thickness of the shoes (obvioulsy) but don't change until needed. Reason being the old shoes have a good arc whereas the new ones probably won't unless a real pro installs them.

Repack bearings and go another few thousand miles. Keep the tire pressures dead on.

Only other "maintenance " I can think of is the lighting. Won't hurt to apply dielectric grease to the lamp bases and make sure no corrosion is occurring which is common for something that sits most of the time.

[GLASEM]

Tim Hancock......THANKS......that's what I was looking for.

How come no one has any tips on how to keep the white paint clean of those ugly white streaks????

Won't buy another white one again

[Instrument 41]

There is a product you can buy from either a camper supply house or marine suppliers. Not sure of the name, but it is made for the removal of those black streaks. Parents have a large white camper and dad bought some for ME to use on HIS camper. Worked great

[fingpilot]

Originally Posted by GLASEM

Tim Hancock......THANKS......that's what I was looking for.

How come no one has any tips on how to keep the white paint clean of those ugly white streaks????

Won't buy another white one again

I'll gladly trade my black one for your white one......

[GDSOB]

I wrote much of the Dexter maint manual back in the day. Glad to see it available online.

What Tim and Milt stated is generally good advice. Based on what I saw for warrantynclaims or in the engineering lab, consider the following:

Trailer mfgrs tend to use absolute minimum axle and tire sizes, so pay attention to loadnratings. If your tires wear on the outside, it has been overloaded and the camber is gone from the axle.

Check your nuts (lug) often.

Brake adjustment is key. Even if you have self adjust brakes, the brakes are still probably under adjusted unless you do a lot of backing. Back up and hit the brakes multiple times to keep adjusted.

On sprung axles, make sure the spring is not binding, the hanger bolt may be too tight which will break the spring eye over time. Also, keep an eye on the spring bushings and replace as needed.

Older Torflex axles with open bracket may be cracked.

Use a good quality grease and repack the bearings depending on use. You don't need to go crazy packing the hub full of grease, just do the bearing and races.

Likewise, don't go nuts on the EZ-lube grease axles The grease has to go somewhere.

Discount what I just said if you have a boat trailer, the grease will displace the water.

Bearing buddies will make a mess and blow out the seal.

Probably the worst thing for the bearings is having the sprindle nut too tight.

If you have a trailer that mobile home axles, remember those were designed to be disposable.


Btw- i hate my ipad keyboard

[azasadny]

Krud Kutter (available at Lowe's) on a Scotch pad will get rid of the black marks. I would then apply Rejex to prevent them from coming back...

[URY914]

Check your nuts (lug and others) often. Somewhere between Tampa and Orlando there are 3 from my trailer.

Also check the bolts that go thru the springs and shackles. Standard bolts are not really the right thing to use here. A real trailer supply store will have the correct bolt to use. They have very few threads and a lot of bearing area at the head.

[campbellcj]

+1 on tires. Trailer tires should be replaced every few years even though their tread will rarely wear-down all the way.

[GLASEM]

Thanks for the responses......
Made copies of the brake and hub manuals.....exactly what I needed.
Will be working on the trailer this week.....greasing the bearings (have the EZ lube hubs).....checking bearing adjustment.....inspecting brakes....etc.

Now to get it clean again.

[kaisen]

For cleaning also consider:
Goof Off aerosol spray cans
CLR household cleaner
Clay Bar