November 2017 | Winterizing Your Horse Trailer-- Tips from Paul Congelosi
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Winterizing Your Horse Trailer-- Tips from Paul Congelosi

November 2017

The folks at Paul Congelosi Trailer Sales recommend servicing your trailer annually. This service involves pulling the wheels, lubing the brakes and greasing the bearings, checking the frame and floor of the trailer, and checking to ensure it is safe for use. The best time of year to do this is between November and February, as you are probably using the trailer less and service facilities are less busy in the winter.

Cleanliness is also essential to keeping your horse trailer in good condition. Washing and waxing the exterior of the trailer will leave a protective coating and keep the skin shiny. The interior should also be cleaned by pulling and cleaning floor mats and cleaning the floor. This will keep damaging liquids and other substances from eating away at the floor.

Keeping moisture from being trapped against your trailer is also a key element for storage. Do not put a tarp over the trailer during storage periods. This only keeps moisture trapped against the trailer, and therefore expedites the aging process. You should also keep the tires out of wet, muddy areas. If you do not have an area made out of concrete, rocks, or pavement, drive the trailer onto blocks of wood to keep it off the wet ground.

A few other areas need to be addressed if you have a living quarters trailer. The water and other liquids must be drained from all tanks, including water that is just sitting in the hot water heater. RV antifreeze should be used to flush the systems as well. Finally, you should disconnect the batteries, and recharge them before use in the spring.

By doing these things, you can ensure that your trailer is ready to go in the spring. And, you won’t have to worry about going crazy to get your trailer ready when that first nice weekend hits in the spring!