X-Country Trailer tips

[gwhunter]

What happens when you dont abide the checklist....

 

[Bullshot]

Followup results from recent CO trip and some additional reminder tips.

Despite much prep, the usual minor trailer issues ensued on my recent 4500 miles...

Something was feeling wonky on Rt. 80 about 1/2 there. I crawled under the trailer and the nuts holding the axle u-bolts were loose enough that I think the axle was shifting either side to side or spooling back and forth on bumps. box wrench (in the kit) and a rest-area fix and all was back to good.

Burnt out taillights/ turn signals in CO. YES! I had spare bulbs and even complete units. Fixed in camp.

Broken wiring. This took a trip into town where I found a shop with a spool they sold me. Fixed in camp.

Broken wire AGAIN when I pulled in my driveway at home. No idea how long I drove that way.

Stashed my spare hairpin cotters TOO well and couldn't find the brand new bag of them after I stupidly lost 2 from the trailer while moving it around in camp. My trusty small roll of baling wire (thanks Dad!) saved me again as it has countless times over decades.

Finally, with the tongue load, my nose was high and I was getting flashed for "high beams" continuously. I finally heeded the memo and pulled over to adjust the headlight angle with a philips driver. Not sure if that is the same on all vehicles but theres a slot over each headlight on my Toyota to do so. Surely an overlooked detail by most.

Drive safe!

 

[wvhunter304]

This is good advice.

Well done hunttalk.

 

[Wild Bill]

My trusty small roll of baling wire (thanks Dad!) saved me again as it has countless times over decades.

But where'd you use the duct tape?

 

[elkduds]

I used zip ties to secure 7 round wiring harness to broken outlet on truck.

 

[gburk]

Followup results from recent CO trip and some additional reminder tips.

Despite much prep, the usual minor trailer issues ensued on my recent 4500 miles...

Something was feeling wonky on Rt. 80 about 1/2 there. I crawled under the trailer and the nuts holding the axle u-bolts were loose enough that I think the axle was shifting either side to side or spooling back and forth on bumps. box wrench (in the kit) and a rest-area fix and all was back to good.

Burnt out taillights/ turn signals in CO. YES! I had spare bulbs and even complete units. Fixed in camp.

Broken wiring. This took a trip into town where I found a shop with a spool they sold me. Fixed in camp.

Broken wire AGAIN when I pulled in my driveway at home. No idea how long I drove that way.

Stashed my spare hairpin cotters TOO well and couldn't find the brand new bag of them after I stupidly lost 2 from the trailer while moving it around in camp. My trusty small roll of baling wire (thanks Dad!) saved me again as it has countless times over decades.

Finally, with the tongue load, my nose was high and I was getting flashed for "high beams" continuously. I finally heeded the memo and pulled over to adjust the headlight angle with a philips driver. Not sure if that is the same on all vehicles but theres a slot over each headlight on my Toyota to do so. Surely an overlooked detail by most.

Drive safe!

Wow my recent trailering was a lot less eventful than that- but I only went about 1500 miles round trip… 4500 is a helluva a trip, especially with a trailer and without a backup driver. Impressive

I still haven’t repacked any trailer bearings, though I did fondle them at every rest stop on the way there to see if any was hot (no, not really)

 

[Gr8bawana]

Bailing wire is something that is always in the toolbox. I've lost count of how many things we've used it for.

 

[Bullshot]

Wow my recent trailering was a lot less eventful than that- but I only went about 1500 miles round trip… 4500 is a helluva a trip, especially with a trailer and without a backup driver. Impressive

Long haul yes, but mostly uneventful. It's the in-country miles that really seal the deal.... Utility trailers in general, lights and wiring in particular, do not seem to get along nicely with a couple hundred miles of USFS rocks, mud, washboard, sagebrush, potholes, and rock dust.

 

[gburk]

Long haul yes, but mostly uneventful. It's the in-country miles that really seal the deal.... Utility trailers in general, lights and wiring in particular, do not seem to get along nicely with a couple hundred miles of USFS rocks, mud, washboard, sagebrush, potholes, and rock dust.

And I was less than 10 miles off pavement

 

[Schutzhund]

Put a jack in a place easy to get to that is capable of lifting the trailer. Make sure you have lug wrench to fit trailer. I found a new way to break a trailer last year and ended up having a new axle installed in Wyoming.

Yep, breaker bar with the right socket and torque wrench to torque them back down evenly.

 

[Tradewind]

I pull the wheels off the truck and put anti seize on all of the threads.
The pull the chains out and fit them on the unmounted wheel

 

[Tradewind]

Don’t trust google maps. We see it every year here in northeast Oregon. Interstate 84, take you from Boise to Portland, it is the only east/west freeway in Oregon. There are a number of passes between the Oregon/Idaho border and Pendleton, lot of snow, lot of wrecks and unique to interstate travel, lot of access to forest service logging roads. It is the most frequently closed section of freeway in the country.
When the free way is closed Google maps routinely will send people on alternate routes into the national forest. They get stuck. Even more remarkable are the people who get stuck trying to go past people who are already stuck. (That of course is a different problem).
Having a good paper map and using it before you commit to Googles alternate route may save you from becoming acquainted with the local SAR.

Lady at the truck stop laughed at me when I bought a state gazetteer. Nothing better than a real map when you're
out of cell signal. Road maps are getting hard to come by

 

[Bullshot]

I pull the wheels off the truck and put anti seize on all of the threads.
The pull the chains out and fit them on the unmounted wheel

careful with the antiseize. can spin then right off the hub when your torque wrench never hits spec. ask me how I know. I think its better just to have threads clean but not lubed.

but perhaps we can expand the tips on this thread.... I also carry spare studs for my truck (front and back can be different) and the stuff needed to extract or install... punches, heavy hammer, C clamps, various sockets and washers (for adaptation as collars for pulling new ones in). Break one and you'll figure it out. Not hard, but it tskes a minute to regain composure if you snap one.

Hmmm... come to think of it, I do NOT have spare lug nuts... so that's next to join my kit.

 

[Tradewind]

careful with the antiseize on lugs. can spin then right off the hub when your torque wrench never hits spec. ask me how I know. I think its better just to have threads clean but not lubed.

but perhaps we can expand the tips on this thread.... I also carry spare lugs for my truck (front and back can be different) and the stuff needed to extract or install... punches, heavy hammer, C clamps, various sockets and washers (for adaptation as collars for pulling new ones in). Break one and you'll figure it out. Not hard, but it tskes a minute to regain composure if you snap one.

Hmmm... come to think of it, I do NOT have spare lug nuts... so that's next to join my kit.

I raced for a lot or years. You run everything at the limit. I'll take anti seize (d) threads and a bolt torqued
to spec over anything you want to mount. Especially rusted on bolts way out on some mountain road
where breaker bar finally tears the stud off

 

[Hertervillian]

I’ve taken to bringing a couple 2X8’s for a jack base. Bringing the lithium powered impact takes no room at all.