When it comes to preventive maintenance, it’s not uncommon for trailers to be left out of the equation. After all, your heavy-duty truck’s importance outweighs the needs of your trailer, right? Wrong. In order for your truck and trailer to run smoothly, they must both receive adequate maintenance and repair when necessary. Even though today's trailers are made to endure longer, they still need maintenance. The following trailer maintenance advice might help you keep your trailers in good working order at all times.
1. Maintaining Proper Trailer Tire Air Pressure
It's crucial to ensure that tires are inflated to the correct pressure. Make sure to check your tire pressure monitoring and inflation devices for leaks if you utilize them. Tires are a significant expenditure, so pay attention to them. Proper tire air pressure is crucial to tire life. Regularly inspect for leaks and check the supply hose connection to the tire. Check to make sure the system pressure is adjusted properly.
2. Inspect the auxiliary power fuse and the auxiliary battery switch (ABS):
Verify the location of the system shut-off valve. More particularly, because the driver warning light won't turn on without power, check the regulator pressure at least once every three months and the power fuse every month. Every time the trailer is visually inspected, the system shut-off valve has to be verified. If your tires are correctly inflated but you're still seeing tire degradation, the issue is usually not with the tires. Unusual tire wear is a sign that the axle alignment, substructure, suspension, or shock absorbers are malfunctioning.
3. Suspension Maintenance
Visually inspecting suspensions for indications of abnormal wear, rips, or heat fractures on the air springs can reduce the chances of unexpected breakdown tenfold. Verify that nothing is contacting or obstructing the suspension's motion, whether it be road debris or damaged components. Make sure the pressure on the air springs is enough and balanced, otherwise your truck may lean or sag to one side. Every air suspension setup has a predetermined ride height setting, but sometimes it gets manipulated or tinkered with. You won't get the full advantages of an air-ride suspension if the ride height is off. Make sure the riding height is not too high since this might make it difficult to cross overpasses safely.
4. The Importance of Lubrication
To operate a trailer properly, the necessary lubrication must be used in the appropriate quantity. When choosing the correct grease, consideration should be given to the thickening method, grade, and performance rating. The majority of greases are calcium-based; however, others are based on lithium complexes. Though mixing the two greases would reduce performance. The viscosity of grease is determined by its grade, and the majority of grease used on trailers has the consistency of peanut butter. Given that not all makers of grease provide them on the label, the performance characteristics of the grease may be more difficult to locate. To make sure you're obtaining grease with the right performance qualities, follow your manufacturer's recommendations. Make sure to pour enough fresh grease to completely replace the old one.
5. Exterior Lighting Maintenance
An inoperative trailer light is equivalent to raising a red flag and requesting to be stopped for a roadside inspection. Electrical connections are attacked by corrosion, which is the adversary of the electrical system. Liquid road salt used to de-ice roads also has this effect. When the proper precautions are not taken to avoid corrosion, it may spread throughout a truck, drastically reducing the life of the electrical system. Inspect lighting, wiring, and harness systems routinely, and replace grease where necessary at connection points. Keep it clean at all times.
Final Words
Now you are aware of some of the most important trailer maintenance tips to keep in mind. Always adhere to these trailer maintenance tips and make sure that you properly maintain both our truck and trailer at all times. If you can do that, you reduce the chances of breaking down unexpectedly and will likely save yourself a ton of money in the long run.
