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Winter Storage
This will be the first winter I will have a trailer. It will need to be outside since I do not have space to store indoors. What all should I do? I was going to put it up on jacks to get the wheels off the ground and remove the battery.
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Winter Storage
I guess I am not sure I know all the facts. I assume that you are talking about a travel trailer. An equipment trailer is essentially unloaded so I never jack the wheels off the ground. I kept my 5th wheel travel trailer in the barn so I only lightened the load with the front and rear jacks.
It is good to keep the sun and air off the tires as this is what causes the cracking.
The battery needs to be removed or at least maintained at a full charge. If you keep the trailer plugged in it will maintain the battery but could cost some money in electricity. A solar battery panel may be nice.
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Winter Storage
Eric, I think he might be talking about the break away kit battery. Which reminds me that I need to pull mine out of my trailer too. If you leave them out all winter they go bad. I keep mine in the garage and charge it periodically to keep it in ready condition.
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Winter Storage
Chief;
I guess I could not see the need to lift the wheels of an unloaded trailer. Although I have the room most of the time my equipment trailer sits out so I can get it quickly.
Peters
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Winter Storage
I have never jacked up my trailer either. Partly because I am too lazy to do it and partly because it seems to be more trouble than it is worth since you need to replace tires every 5 years.
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Winter Storage
One of the most overlooked problems with a trailer stored outside, particularly in snow country, is the deck itself.
Whether it is wood or steel it needs to be protected. Wood will absorb moisture and the freeze/thaw process will significantly shorten it's life. Likewise a steel deck will always have little spaces that water can seep inot, the freeze/thaw cycle will force these apart leaving a place for sand and dirt to collect, this will hold moisture and accelerate the rusting process.
The simplest way to prevent any of this is to make a 2x4" and plywood 'tent' over the deck and drape a tarp over that to keep it reasonably water-proof.
It sounds like a bit of overkill but we started doing it a few years back and there is now a BIG difference between our trailers that are out all winter working and the ones stored out of the weather.
The tarp comes down far enough to cover the tires so thats a bonus, we also back them up onto scraps of pressure-treated 2x8" to keep the tires out of contact with the frozen ground.
Best of luck.
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Gas Generator Weather Protecti
12-03-2003, 18:38 
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