*A quick check now can prevent a posture such as this on the road side.*

With a background such as mine in mechanics, I am called to write this week on the importance of inspecting your trailer. Before we are in full swing of the riding and hauling season it is a good idea to check on the mechanical workings of your trailer and truck. A little time spent now going over things can save a lot of time and hassle in the future. Traveling with horses adds an extra dynamic that is a good cause for concern.

Just last week I was caught a little off gaurd with this very thing. We loaded up early morning and headed out to do some riding with a friend of ours. The drive was all main roads and typically a relatively straight shot. With two horses in tow, we were excited for a much needed break from the day to day grind. The fact that I had been overly busy with projects and others needs, kept me from performing my usual pre-season trailer prep. I had planned on checking things out a bit later but chose to sneak away for some fun.

As you can well imagine with a build up like that, we were in for a surprise. Three quarters of the way into the trip we heard a loud bang from the trailer. Feeling some shaking from the trailer, I checked my mirrors. Immediately I knew there was trouble, as I saw smoke emanating from a wheel well. I quickly and gingerly began applying the brakes. Soon after we began to slow, we saw one of our trailer wheels rolling by us. Common sense told me this was not good. I got the trailer safely slowed to a stop as we watched in dumbstruck fascination, our wheel roll up a hill, across the road, and down a steep embankment into the thickets below.

With the sudden turn of events, we knew that our fun day of riding was not going to come to fruition. Luckily in this scenario nobody, including our horses, were hurt. No other cars or people were involved and nothing was damaged. Though our day was blown, we were able to get things repaired and return everyone home safely. I still am not exactly sure what caused our wheel to come off, but feel a systems check prior to traveling could have prevented this scenario from playing out the way it did.

This event inspired me to write this blog in hopes that you and your loved one's are not faced with a similar or worse outcome. I recommend a general trailer inspection be performed by you or a repair shop. There are a few critical components that can be checked relatively quickly. First place to start is with the wheels. Do a general look over of the tires and their condition. Check the tread depth and be on the lookout for rubbed or worn areas where you may see the steel belts showing through. Be sure to check the not so easily visible backside of the tires as well. On trailers with dual axles it is common to see uneven wear on the tires and rotating them is recommended from time to time.

***Even a well running truck like this won't pull a broke down trailer far.***

While checking around the tires it is a good idea to verify the lug nuts are all tight. Go around with a tire iron and attempt to tighten all the nuts. The recommended torque, to those whom are concerned, is around 100 foot pounds. Work your way around each wheel counting nuts as you tighten them to assure none are missed. Trailer wheels take a bit of a beating and sometimes a nut may work loose over time.

Next I like to verify that all my tire pressures are even and within a couple pounds of the specified max inflation that is stamped on the tire sidewall. Don't forget to check the pressure of the spare tire as well. A nearly flat spare tire is not much better than the flat tire it is replacing. I speak from experience here and can say that it is very disheartening to go trough all the trouble of changing out a tire, only to find that there is hardly enough air to get you to a service station. The same holds true for the truck spare. Don't miss it.

At this time it is also a good idea to add some grease to the wheel bearings. A few squirts of a high temp wheel bearing grease should do the trick. The grease zerks can be found underneath the wheel hub dust covers. Adding grease annually is usually all that is needed unless you do a lot of hauling. This check of the wheels should keep you safe and happy as you haul your horses around with you. I am going to add here that I occasionally like to check the brake pad thickness on my electric trailer brakes. Though they will usually have a high pitched squeal when applied if the pads are nearly worn out.

Another check that is worthwhile is of the trailer floorboards. By either crawling under the trailer or pulling out the mats you can determine the condition of the boards. Look for any damaged or rotted sections. Also take note of the condition of the bolts and nuts. Floorboards can last quite a long time but the outcome of a board failing while hauling is one that can be quite horrid. Take the time to check and replace any that are questionable.

Lastly a quick check of the hitch, safety chains, and wire harness is a good idea. Though typically this area is looked over while hooking up to pull somewhere. It is a good idea to check all the lights to verify all signals are working properly. This is one area that I neglect checking. So an annual check is, for me, a good reminder to do so. It is not often that I have someone following me to let me know of problem bulbs.

A thorough pre-season check can keep us off the side of the road and where we truly want to be. In the saddle, having fun. Traveling with horses and having a trailer brake down is an experience better to have heard about than lived through. You can be assured that I will not neglect my future pre-season check ups.

Travel safely,

Eric

Easton Horsemanship