Tune Up for the New Year: Hitch & Trailer Maintenance

As the New Year approaches, we want to use this time to remind our customers to schedule annual trailer and hitch maintenance. After all, keeping close tabs on the health of your hitch and trailer helps pave a smoother path for your travels ahead.

Top-Tier Maintenance with Southside Hitch

When you visit us for your annual tune-up, we’ll assess the status of your hitch and trailer and address any necessary repairs. Here’s a walkthrough of how our experts maintain your hitch and trailer for the year ahead:

• Perform a visual inspection. First things first, we’ll take a close look at the trailer hitch for any obvious damage. This could include but isn’t limited to rust, erosion, cracks, exposed metal and missing components. This inspection should also include a disassembly of parts to ensure all pins and mounting hardware are present and intact. If you notice significant wear and tear, it could be time for a replacement.
• Remove grease and debris buildup. It’s common for dirt, debris and grease to build up around your hitch after long drives and cross-country trips. During annual maintenance, we properly clean all areas of the hitch to ensure dirt and debris aren’t hiding any more significant issues we need to tend to.
• Check your weight distribution hitch. Whether you plan to tow more or less weight this year, your weight distribution hitch still requires frequent maintenance. This component helps to distribute the tongue weight between the trailer and your vehicle’s axles. We recommend maintaining your weight distribution hitch before every long trip, as it eliminates any extra pressure building up on your hitch and provides you with a smoother drive.
• Check safety chains. As your secondary flexible tension device prevents your trailer from separating from your vehicle, it’s vital that the chains remain in good condition year-round. In fact, we recommend owners check their safety chains regularly and often. During our annual inspection, we’ll look for any signs of rust or broken parts, as well as the length, to ensure it’s correct for your vehicle.
• Align tires. Just like your truck or van requires tire alignment to keep you driving smoothly, your trailer tires should be aligned annually. Potholes, bumpy roads, construction debris and everyday wear and tear can all cause your trailer’s tires to shift out of alignment.
• Align axles. Like tire alignment, your axles can also shift from added strain. The most common sign of misaligned axles is when your trailer’s tires show wear on the inside edges. If a trailer has been overloaded, the axle can lose its camber, which in turn causes the tires to lean inward.
• Check all electrical connections. We often don’t notice an error with a trailer’s electrical connections until it’s too late. That’s why we always check them during our annual maintenance checks, as your trailer is an extension of your vehicle and should alert all other drivers to your actions, whether it’s changing lanes, stopping suddenly or making an upcoming turn.

If you have a trailer with a gross weight capacity of 3,000 or more, it is required to have an annual state inspection. This includes boat trailers, enclosed trailers, utility trailers and campers. We take safety extremely seriously, and you can count on our expert technicians to perform a thorough and cost-effective inspection during your annual maintenance appointment.

Preventative Measures

In addition to annual maintenance, we can provide you with preventative services to keep your hitch and trailer in mint condition all year long.

• Rust treatment. If we spot excessive rust or corrosion, we will recommend a rust removal treatment. To prevent this from occurring again, we can apply a non-solvent-based product to protect the hitch, ball mount and receiver from excess moisture that can lead to rust and corrosion.
• Hitch lubrication. In general, lubrication should be applied to your hitch and towing components as needed to prevent direct metal-on-metal connections. Any areas that could create friction should be lubricated at least once a year. This ensures your hitch will operate effectively and help to prevent corrosion, broken pieces or loose components that could impact the safety of your drive.
• Trailer rewiring. Frayed wires or even minimal issues like a bad bulb within your trailer’s electrical system can cause major problems down the road (no pun intended). If we spot any potential issues, we can provide you with rewiring services, replacement parts and additional maintenance tips to prevent electrical problems moving forward.

Schedule Your Tune-Up Today

All trailers require routine maintenance. At Southside Hitch, we’re proud to offer this service to our customers on an annual, semi-annual or even as-needed basis. Depending on how often and how far you travel with your trailer will impact your maintenance needs. So whether you’re preparing for your annual family camping trip or have frequent cross-country work trips to keep up with, our team is here to help.