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There
are several simple things you can do to assess your trailer's safety at
home.
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Has it been a while
since you hooked up your truck and trailer? Don't just assume
your rig
is roadworthy; check it out before you load up your
horses and head down the highway. Of course a thorough annual
inspection by a licensed mechanic is a good idea, but there are several
simple things you can do to assess your trailer's safety at home.
Here's a trailer inspection even the mechanically inept can do.
Start by donning your grungy barn-mucking clothes and giving your
trailer a bath – inside, outside, and underneath – to expose any flaws
that may be hiding under road grime and mud.
Check your wheels and crawl under the trailer with a flashlight and a
long, sharp screwdriver. Probe all the metal parts of the
undercarriage
with your screwdriver, looking for cracks and rusting, especially at
the joints and rear cross members where urine and manure tend to
collect and eat away at the metal. Poke at the floorboards, as
well, to
see if they need replacing. Solid boards are firm and hard, and
don't
give way to the screwdriver; rotted boards will have the consistency of
cork.
Shine your flashlight over the suspension and the wiring, and note
anything that looks cracked or broken. If the wiring is hanging
down,
it may snag as you drive down a potholed dirt road or through the
hayfield parking lot at your next show. Try to readjust the
wiring, or
note it as something a repairman should fix. Frayed or broken
wires
will need to be replaced.
Inspect your tires. If your trailer has been sitting in one spot
for a
while, more than likely the tires will be soft, and the rubber may have
suffered from exposure to the weather. Check for tears, bulges,
or
cracks, or signs of a puncture, and take a close look at the
treads.
Use a tire gauge to make sure they are inflated to the recommended
pressure. The correct pressure should be printed on the
sidewall. Check
your spare tire to make sure it’s in good condition.
Walk around your trailer and look for signs of rust along the seams
between the trailer tongue and the body, as well as along the roof
seams. If you have a steel trailer, rust will be a perennial
problem,
and you'll probably need to repaint every five or six years to keep
ahead of it. Even aluminum trailers sometimes have steel frames,
so
check carefully along the edges of the side body panels.
Excessive rust
may mean you have a structural separation that a good kick or body
check from your horse could turn into a deathtrap. If there are
areas
on the inside of your trailer where the bare steel is exposed, you can
protect them with a coating of the material used to undercoat cars.
Open the doors, checking that the hinges on the front escape door still
work smoothly, and that the ramp or rear doors (if you have a step-up
trailer) swing without grinding or squealing. Your trailer should
look
straight and square, with nothing out of alignment. Have a good
look
inside with your flashlight, if necessary. Are your roof supports
in
good condition? Do all the latches, chest bars, butt chains or
bars,
and pins for your partition fit together smoothly? Do the vents
and/or
windows still open and close properly? Are there any splinters,
protruding screws or rivets, loose wires, sharp edges, or other hazards
on which your horse could injure himself?
From the inside, brace your hands against the sides of the trailer and
try to twist or move the metal shell. If there's any give at all
from
the paltry pressure applied by a human, imagine what your horse can do
to it. And have a good jump on your ramp (if you have one).
The wood
used in ramp construction is often far flimsier than that used on the
floor of the trailer, and it is subject to some of the worst abuse as
horses clamber up and down (and leap, and plunge, and scramble, and
otherwise try to avoid being loaded). A ramp that gives way as a
horse
steps on it can be a lifelong confidence-breaker, so make sure it can
support his weight, and that it is equipped with some sort of anti-slip
material, whether it be treads, rice mats, or rubber.
Hitch up your trailer to your towing rig. Make sure that rust
hasn't
caused your hitch to seize – a can of WD-40 can do wonders here.
Look
carefully at all the hitch components, as well as your safety chains,
examining them for tiny fissures that could indicate metal
fatigue. The
risk of this is greater if you drive on very rough roads or those that
are salted when icy.
Hook up your electrical system and have a friend stand behind your
trailer to confirm that the lights are working as you try your brakes
and turn signals.
Back the trailer up onto a block so you
can check the bearings. You also can jack the trailer up for this
to
free up each wheel in turn. Spin each tire with your hand, and
listen
carefully. Rolling or grinding noises, or any harsh, thumping
sound,
indicates that your bearings have had it. Grab each tire and try
to
move it from side to side, or in and out, too – any play means the
bearings are loose or worn.
Your mechanic can do a more thorough inspection, including an
assessment of your trailer's brakes. A complete, yearly
going-over is a
good idea and should include removal of your trailer tires to lubricate
the bearings, and a thorough check of your wiring and lights.
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