Five Snowmobile Trailer Tips You Might Not Have Considered

A snowmobile trailer is often the most overlooked piece of equipment in one’s fleet, primarily because it spends most of its time sitting idle between seasons or trips. Whether open or enclosed, snowmobile trailers haul some pretty valuable recreational equipment, so keeping them in tip-top shape is well worth the effort. Here are five simple things you can do to protect your trailer and keep it hauling your precious cargo.

Maintain Your Connection Points

The link between your tow vehicle and trailer is a critical connection point. If you’ve ever experienced issues with trailer lights blinking on and off while driving, the coupler on your trailer tongue (or ball attached to your vehicle’s receiver) may be corroded, preventing your lights from being properly grounded. Cleaning the contacts points can help remove any rust that can often be the cause of the problem. Now, this may not do the trick in situations where the corrosion is extensive. In such cases, you may have to replace your coupler and/or ball.

Remember Your Spare Tire

Before you hit the road, make sure your spare tire is onboard and is properly inflated. Most enclosed trailers have a fixed carrier inside, but if it doesn’t (or you have an open trailer), it can be easy to forget your spare, especially in the excitement of getting ready for an adventure in the snow. And since you’re checking the tire pressure on your spare tire, now is a great time to make sure the rest of your tires are inflated to the correct air pressure, too. Carrying an emergency tire inflator, tire plugs and a couple cans of aerosol tire sealant to get you off the side of the road in a pinch are also great proactive steps to take. Just remember that aerosol tire sealants are a one-time product, designed to get you home or somewhere where the tire can be professionally repaired. And oftentimes, there are speed restrictions with aerosol tire sealants, so proceed with caution.

Service Your Wheel Bearings

You should regularly monitor the grease in your wheel bearings. Quicksilver High-Performance Extreme Grease is an excellent general-use lubricant designed to prevent bearings from rusting when exposed to moisture, helping to promote longer bearing life. It also works wonders on snowmobile suspension system.

Protect Against Harsh Winter Conditions

Your trailer can take a lot of abuse, especially in wintertime. Road salt and chemicals, slush, dirt and the exposure to extreme temperatures all take a toll on a trailer’s metal components. To protect those surfaces against rust and oxidation, use a rust inhibitor like Quicksilver Corrosion Guard. After thoroughly washing and drying your trailer, apply Quicksilver Corrosion Guard to the metal surfaces by spraying any areas exposed to road grime. Corrosion Guard protects against these harsh conditions by forming a clear, water-resistant barrier

Warm Up without a Heater

If you have an enclosed trailer without an inside heat source, you’ll definitely want to try this after a day on the snow. Promptly get your snowmobile inside your trailer after you’ve finished riding. Once you have your snowmobile inside your trailer, secure the doors. The heat from your snowmobile’s engine will quickly warm up the inside of the trailer, providing a more comfortable place to take off riding gear before heading back home.

Doing these five simple things will not only help protect your trailer and snowmobile, they’ll also help you get safely to your destination and back. And when you do that, you’ll not only get to enjoy more time on your sled, you might also help prevent costly repairs.