trailer storage?

[smit0577]

Hi all,

I've never stored a trailer outside before. I'm in Minnesota, so anything that gets stored outside faces rain, heat, mud, then snow, ice and and multiple freeze/thaw cycles. And that's just in the first two weeks of February!

So, what do i need to know about storing outside and keeping it in pretty good and health and condition for the camping season?

Thanks!

[Andrew Herrick]

Without knowing the specifications of your camper, it's hard to give exact instructions.

Is it an aluminum-sided camper? Fiberglass? Expoxied woody?

Is your trailer chassis steel or aluminum?

Any plumbing or electrical?

[KCStudly]

Set the axle on jack stands placed as close to the backing plates as possible. This takes the load off of the tires and prevents them from flat spotting; also I think it keeps debris and stuff from collecting around the contact patch of the tire, at least helping to keep them nicer cosmetically, if not their integrity. The reason I say to put the jack stands as far out as possible is to avoid cantilevered loads that could dent or bend your axle (some axle types and load ratings are more sensitive to this than others; some axles state not to jack on them, so best check the specs for you particular axle).

You can put tire covers on to keep UV off.

Don't lay a tarp or cover directly on your camper otherwise moisture can be trapped and do more harm than no tarp at all. A car port or canopy is preferred.

[smit0577]

Great, thanks to you both for the responses.

It is a bit theoretical at this point as the camper is yet-to-be-built. But it will likely be on a 4X8 or 5X8 steel bolt-together. I have a boat on a trailer parked in a garage at a cabin up north and never thought to worry about flat spotting, but I suppose anything to prolong the tire life saves $$ and prevents problems. I was just worried about moisture and rust and the bearings and so forth.

It would sorta be nice to get that boat out of the garage too. Maybe if it doesn't spell instant disaster for the operation of a trailer (the wind and rain and snow and winter and freeze and thaw and all that), I could find a little space somewhere to put up a carport over the real boat and the theoretical camper.

Thanks

Scott

[Andrew Herrick]

Well, being up North, you already know to hose down the undercarriage of a vehicle/boat/camper during the winter due to the salt. Don't want to rust out your frame and fasteners or acid etch your aluminum siding.

I second the advice to get tire covers. And if you don't want to jack up the axle itself, just put down any and all stabilizer jacks. Best two things you can do to prolong your camper's tire life, to my knowledge.

Wrap your trailer wiring in split loom to prevent corrosion.

Most sealants degrade with exposure to ultraviolet light. I'd be more concerned with that than freeze/thaw cycles. So I like the carport idea.

So long as you have plenty of grease in your hubs, the bearings won't rust.

I know it's not much information, but I hope it helps