A Comprehensive Guide For Getting Your Snowmobile Trailer Ready For The Season

So, your snowmobile trailer has been sitting in storage or been parked in your driveway or garage for 6 months or more while you await the return of Winter weather. But after the leaves have turned and fallen, and the first flakes of snow begin to fly, you want to be ready to hit the open trails as quickly as possible, right? Why not use these last warm days to prepare your snowmobile trailer for the season. The following tips are listed here for your convenience to help you through the process of preparing your trailer for action.

A simple first recommendation would be to thoroughly wash and detail your trailer. Remove those last bits of dirt and grime from last season or dust from storage. Use a gentle car soap or RV wash soap to protect any painted snowmobile trailer parts and sealants. And don't forget to wash the undercarriage of your trailer.

Once your trailer is washed and dried, it is time for inspection.

• Start by removing the wheels and hubs or brake drums. If you have trouble breaking the lugs free, a few sprays of Corrosion Block CB-12 will help.
• Then, check the suspension for wear.
• Test the bolt tightness for recommended torque. Test the hanger bolt, shackle bolt, and U-bolt nuts.
• Next, inspect the brake drums and armature faces for damage, wear or scoring. Also, check the brake linings for wear.
• Use an ohmmeter to check brake magnets. They should read out at 3.2 ohms. Replace brake magnets if worn.
• Use a recommended brake lubricant to lubricate each of the moving brake parts. Make sure not to get any grease or oil on the magnet face or brake linings.
• Look over the trailer for any rust. Inspect the braking surface and clean off any rust with fine sandpaper and a soft cloth. Use sandpaper or steel wool to remove rust from other parts of the trailer surface and undercarriage. Spray the previously rusted area with Corrosion Block CB-12 to halt the spread of corrosion and spray nearby areas to provide protection from corrosion due to Winter road salt.
• Check oil or grease seals and replace if worn. Grease the trailer joints and axles with a recommended grease for trailer applications like Corrosion Block Grease.
• Don't forget to check and lubricate your lift springs, tongue jack and ball hitch parts. Again, we recommend Corrosion Block CB-12 for lubrication and protection of these parts. Replace any excessively worn parts.
• Next, clean and lubricate the wheel bearings with Corrosion Block Grease. Mount the hubs and bearings and adjust the bearings to make sure they wheel will rotate freely. If the bearings are overly worn, replace them. An instructional video is available on our website on the Corrosion Block Grease product page.
• Inspect the tires for wear prior to re-installing them. Please refer to our Snowmobile Tire Wear FAQ for guidance and replace any excessively worn tires/wheels.
• Re-install the wheels and tighten the lugs in the proper recommended sequence. Our FAQ titled "How do I properly secure the wheel bolts or nuts when mounting a trailer tire?" will show you the proper sequence for your wheel bolt pattern.
• Check tires for proper inflation and inflate tires to the recommended PSI. For information on the recommended PSI and load carrying capacity, please refer to our Trailer Wheel & Tire FAQ titled "Where can I find the maximum load capacity and maximum PSI for snowmobile trailer tires?".
• Connect your trailer to the hitch on your vehicle, fasten safety chains and check that the attachment is secure. If unable to secure the towing hookup, inspect the hitch for proper wear and lubrication. Adjust your hitch to a level towing position.
• Connect and check the trailer lights for proper operation during braking and signaling. A few sprays of Corrosion Block CB-12 is also recommended to protect and lubricate the trailer plug connection. Replace non-functioning trailer lights/bulbs. If still not functioning properly, re-wire or replace the trailer plug connection.

Now that your snowmobile trailer is clean, greased and lubricated, inflated and functioning properly, it is ready for you to load, unload and enjoy the new snowmobiling season. Happy trails :)