A site some of you guys may want to check out is http://karttheft.com/. A guy I know runs that site and it's from a kart racer's perspective, but almost all of the trailer saftey tips on that site translates into other forms of racing also and are things everyone needs to know regardless of what you race. Just thought I would pass it along.
Spare wheelbearings,lugnuts and 2 jacks,in case you get in a spot where one jack won't hardly do it because you couldn't get it where you wanted it the first time.
Fires...I have had one too many, and I wasn't there, so the muffler guy who caught the steering column, and the floorboard and dashboard on fire, used water to douse it all out. But much too late. Lots of damage, leading to a floor shifter, new tachometer, and lots of other positive mods, so not a complete loss. But took months to get rid of the smell, and loss of the front half of the carpet and jute. I figure an extinquisher just inside each door/window could be easily accessed by myself or track personell to at least help out, in case of fire. The back seat is removed, as it is my dog/copilot's perch, with access to all four windows. I will never lose time or money from another fire...I hope I am covered. Besides, when that damned mustang that beat me at the last race (by .25 seconds), before the head/header/intake swap comes up beside me the next time, he will know I am serious, right before I wipe his ...to the curb.
Trailor Safety I drive Tactor-Trailor. I run from Atlanta,Ga to McAllen, Tx 2-1/2 times a week(swap half way in La. on Weds.). The thing I see the most is people loading thier tralors to heavy. So my input is to make sure your equipment can handle whet you are haulin. That is make sure what your trl can carry, and make sure your Tow vehicle can pull the trailor and gargo. And mount the Fire Extinquisher to the outside nose of trailor. God Bless Ya'll
In my opimion there is no need for a pad lock as a safety lock on a cuppling devise ( ie hitch ball or 5th wheel ) . You need to use a safety locking device on your hitches so the latch will not came unlatch in transit . So use a latch safety pin so the latch will not came unlatch (ie. a clovis pin with a hair pin ) If case of a fire you can unhook the tow unit quickley and have something to drive home and fight the fire later . As and over the road truck driver I see this happing to many times during the year people going on vacation towing there toys and somthing happens and they loose the hole damn thing because some body lost the KEYS THINK BEFORE YOU PUT THE KEY IN THE INGNITION SWITCH THX JAY
tariler weight I've pulled an auto trailer for over 12 years now. Up and down I-5, across Colorado on I-70 and thru the Cascades on Wash I-90 with snow and ice. Several things is weight on the trailer. Make sure your car is setting in just the right place to put a little weight on the tongue. Not a lot but you need some. Don't put it to far back or it pulls up in the ball itself. Adjust your trailer brakes to the weight, and road conditions while you're driving and test them once in a while. Nothing like needing them and have them all FUBAR. Make sure the tow vehicles rear springs are strong enough to handle the extra weight thrailer tongue puts down on it. Otherwise the front end of the tow vehicle dances all over the road. Put some kind of rock guard on the tow vehicle. All that stuff the rear wheels throw up goes right to the front of the car on the trailer. Make sure you have working trailer lights. Hate that when people tow a trailer and the lights don't work.
3. make sure any keys for the trailer or hitch are readily available. or a least in the same state you are in when you need them. ...Dons' friend Frank...
After going back over this,I see a few have brought up weight,or better yet weight distribution.NEVER load your trailer tail heavy.It will more than likely cause a 'tail-wag' effect and it WILL jerk your truck right off the road.Saw a guy hauling a Bobcat(no I didn't get the taillights out of it,a Bobcat construction type vehicle)w/a 3/4 ton x-cab GMC 4x4.Plenty of truck.Plenty of trailer(20' w/2 8lug axles).Problem was the goof had loaded the bobcat w/the bucket down just barely over the trailer axles-the rest of it was behind the axles.Nothing on the front of the trailer 'cept a plastic truckbed type tool box w/some straps,chains,etc.There he went up xit 77 onto I75 sb(I was behind him)it starts wagging a bit,then all a sudden the trailer slides off the road,takes him w/it and the trailer flipped up on it's side.Guy's lucky it didn't flip the truck too(the hitch stayed hooked,twisted the reciever though).
Never co-own a trailer with a buddy who does not share your affinity for maintenance, care, and quality of work. He will undo every repair you make to the trailer the next time he uses it. The only time repairs and maintenance get done is when you need to use it to haul a car or two. Co-ownership is bad...very bad. Yes, this post is a result of working on the trailer all day. I will need one more Saturday before I can use it.
I agree on that. My brother tried to co-owner my mustang. I told him to get a life. lol If he wanted to drive it at the track a few times, I didnt have a problem with it, but I dont need anyone else holding things over my head. I also co-owner a utility trailer My mother purchased it. But I have put every penny into it since.. Tires, re-flooring it, keeping it painted, fixing this and that. Its even titled and registered in my name. She wouldn't get rid of it for anything, but when I talked about trading it for a dual axle trailer she got pissed.
Hi All, There is a lot of good information in this thread. I have found that it is helpful to keep a maintenance and mileage log for my trailer plus the road maintenance kit and spare parts in the tow vehicle that others have mentioned including duplicate keys for everything. Maybe, I am just absent minded, but having a wheel bearing seize on a trailer at fifty-five miles per hour is a nightmare. It cost a friend of mine his trailer and race car. The tow vehicle itself ended up in the ditch and was damaged. The total loss was in the neighborhood of sixty large. Luckily, everyone had seat belts on, and no one was injured. David
Speaking from my experience as a former trailer mechanic for a smaller truck and trailer store, here is my top ten list of the things I used to run across on a regular basis: 1. Wires not tied up correctly / hanging down and being ripped off during use. 2. Lights and bulbs broken / missing / inoperative or lighting not up to safety standards. 3. Shoddy / incorrect wires used for repairs. 4. Hitches of too light a capacity being used to pull too heavy of a trailer and / or load. 5. Pulling vehicle does not have enough weight / braking capacity to safely stop the load being pulled. 6. Electric brake controllers not being set properly and / or set when the trailer is empty and not re-adjusted to suit the load being pulled. 7. Brakes on trailer not adjusted / damaged / worn out and not replaced when necessary. 8. Bearings not being maintained / replaced when needed. 9. Incorrect materials used to tie down loads / loads not tied down to the proper locations causing damage or failure of the tie downs and / or trailer parts. 10. Tires not inspected / properly maintained / replaced when needed. This is by no means a complete list of everything I have seen or found in my time of working there, just the most common in no particular order. -Scott H.
