Winter storage - jack stands?

[DoctahDeane]

OK, maybe this is a bit obsessive but thought I'd ask for an opinion, anyway. Trailer is in garage, nicely covered up. Would you folks ever consider putting it up on say, 4 jack stands supporting the frame and getting it up off the floor? I was thinking that once a month I could spin the tires to keep the hubs in working order and also, less weight on the tires. Does this make any sense or nah, just forget about it?

[tony.latham]

I vote, nah.



I've never had an issue after a long winter.

Tony

[DoctahDeane]

I vote, nah.



I've never had an issue after a long winter.

Tony

Thanks! I feel like I just picked up an entire morning.

[saltydawg]

The only thing I would do, and its because I used to hear it with old tires, would be to put plywood under the tires. Supposedly supposed to help prevent dry rot. No clue if its real but its easy.

I do know if you put a car battery on concrete it will, some how, drain the battery flat in 2 months. It has happened to me, brand new battery taken out of my car put on the ground, 2 months later the battery was dead and would not take a charge, in the middle of summer. They say its a myth but it happened to me.
No clue how that works and I am an electrician.

As for leaving the tires in with weight on them, They may get a little out of round but once they warm up from driving they will "fix" themselves.

[John61CT]

I do know if you put a car battery on concrete it will, some how, drain the battery flat in 2 months. It has happened to me, brand new battery taken out of my car put on the ground, 2 months later the battery was dead and would not take a charge, in the middle of summer. They say its a myth but it happened to me.

Yes a myth, at least for all lead batteries built in the last 70 years.

Something else caused that failure in your case.

[GTS225]

Yes a myth, at least for all lead batteries built in the last 70 years.
Something else caused that failure in your case.

What kills lead/acid batteries the most is temperature extremes, or long term low temps.
What most likely killed the above mentioned battery was the ground, sucking any warmth out of the battery and holding it at ground temperature for a long period of time. That caused the battery to drain, and damaged the ability to reverse the drainage with a recharge cycle.

My batteries get put into the basement on an old pallet, and a maintainer gets cycled through them monthly. I have my T-bucket, two lawn tractors, and now my deceased wife's car to take care of.

But I digress. The OP was asking about jack stands to relieve the springs and save the tires.

Roger

[John61CT]

Low temps are ideal for storage longevity, lower is better, right down to just above freezing.

But of course need to keep topped up every few weeks, must stay at 100% SoC

98% will reduce life span a lot

and most people don't know how 100% is even defined for their particular battery model.

Chargers rarely get there with default settings, drop to Float too early, "premature infloatulation" as Maine Sail calls it.

[tony.latham]

How do you guys in idaho keep a tarp so nice and free of holes up there??? i got hundreds of holes in mine. i buy a new car cover every year and i got hundreds of baler twin all over my teardop just trying to keep the 3 rags of 3 car covers on my tear after years of winter wind storms...some years i jack mine off the ground, .most years i never get around to it..this year my tear was stored since July 2019...used to put rv car covers on my wheels....havent got around to it though a couple of years.....slow

That’s a Classic Covers cover that has seen seven winters. They last. I think I paid under a hundred for it as an Amazon return.

It’s coming out of the shed today. Snow by Sunday I think.

But to answer part of your question, I don't think it's as brutally windy here in the middle of Idaho as where you're at in Wyoming, Mike.

Tony


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[gudmund]

am trying something different this year - have read about how car collectors use 'Tire Saver Ramps' for storing their vehicles. They are a plastic 'chock' like pad that the trailer tire is parked on during storage - is suppose to keep the tire from 'flat' spotting/keeping it round along with raising it all off the ground = no ground contact. I found them on Amazon for about $35 for a set of 4 (set of 4 was not that more than 2 - which gives me a extra set) I mounted them on a couple of scrap pieces of 24in long (p/t'ed) 2x10's I had in the wood pile = angle cutting one end for easier drive onto. Drove up onto them parking the trailer for the winter and being it is a level surface they seem to take the place of a set 'chocks' nicely! Can't say how yet they will work in long run? but I do like how they have raised everything up off the ground.

PS the edge of the cover in this picture is the 'new' cover from 'Classic Accessories' that replaced the old I had had like the one seen here that Tony Latham is using. My old one lasted the 3 years they had warranted it for - it ended up with a tear in it's top caused by the 'sharp' edge of the MaxxAir cover I use and I have now replaced it with a their 'lifetime' warranted one - made of a bit tougher rip-stop material. Being I got the 3 years out of the other = I'll be happy to get at least 5 out of this one. They make 2/3 different sizes in each of their 2 Teardrop version's - 8ft / 8-10ft / 10-12ft - my trailer being 8ft long = me buying the 8/10ft version thus having a bit extra cover for covering the tongue box also - they have zippered access panels for the passenger side door and the rear lid. (Classic Accessories - PolyPRO3 & PermaPRO and are available on Amazon................

[Graniterich]

How are the ramps supposed to work, the texture?

[gudmund]

instead of just a flat surface being parked on now, they now have the same corresponding 'round' shape as the tire itself, thus speading out the trailer weight-load across a larger area of the tire itself more evenly - the theory is, with time the tire will end up 'with-out' a flat spot from sitting with direct contact too the ground in one 'small' spot of the tire over time - also, with everything being lifted up higher off the ground now, it will help get the tires up and away for less direct contact with the dirt/ground, thus having less chance of sitting day-in/out in 'water/wet dirt' when parked during the winter weather = dryer rubber - less chance of rot over time. (The one 'plus' I have already found that I do like, is the now having of '2/3' extra/more inches of 'human' body space when under the trailer, for when I just want to crawl under the trailer for checking things out while it is parked in the next few months.

[gudmund]

FYI Note: just saw on Amazon that the Classic Accessories "PermaPro3" teardrop cover (this is the 'lifetime' warrantied version made of a rip-stop nylon) and is the 8ft long x5ft wide one and is $$'ed at $95 today ........ This now is not much more than they are getting for the cheaper version (their PolyPro3 branded one made of a paper based product) which sells for about $80 with a 3 year warranty.