Race Car Trailers - Trailer Tips

There was a time when the best piece of towing equipment I could afford was a new piece of rope. Now I own an enclosed trailer with a ramp door, workbench, lights, brakes, and load leveler hitch.

I probably paid more attention to the rope. At least I looked at the ends when I tied them to the bumpers.

The trailer? As long as it follows behind the pickup, I assume everything is OK.

My guess is many other racers do the same.

We can spend $30,000, $40,000, or more on a race car and engine, then haul it to and from the track with a trailer that's rusted, has makeshift tie-downs, and hasn't been checked since the day it was delivered-maybe a few owners ago.

Trailers take an incredible amount of abuse. They are often overloaded. Most of them sit outside year round, where they can be attacked by everything from rain to rodents. They are seldom greased. Wheels get rusty and tires get old.

It is probably a minor miracle more of them don't break down.

The off-season is a good time to give your trailer an annual checkup.

Routine maintenance will make it last longer, minimize the chance of a failure, and maybe even make it look better. It doesn't make a lot of difference if you have a single-axle trailer to tow a Legends Car or a triple-axle enclosed garage on wheels, because the basics are the same.

Peter Calhoun, marketing manager for Pace American, says the first thing to do is give the trailer a good bath with a high-pressure washer. Put on your rain gear and goggles and tackle the underside, too. A year's worth of dirt and grime-and mud from the pits-can hide a lot of problems.

If you don't have a pressure washer, a few bucks at a car wash is a good substitute.

Then begin looking at what you tow. Be critical. Examine the trailer like you are considering buying it.

Start with a walk around. Look for broken lenses that will allow moisture into the light housing, broken or frayed wires, missing or cracked rubber grommets where wires pass through metal panels and can eat away the insulation, and wires simply hanging down where they can get snagged.

Is the wiring harness clean and complete with no splices, or is it a patchwork held together with electrical tape, allowing moisture to get in and corrode the connections?

Plug the trailer into the tow rig and check all the lights. You'll probably find at least one that doesn't work.

Nick Barnes, service manager for 99 West Trailers in Newberg, Oregon, suggests checking lights every trip.

Late last summer, his shop was repairing about $2,500 in damage to a trailer that was rear-ended because the brake lights weren't working.

"It was probably just a blown fuse on the truck or a simple wiring problem," he says.

"I'd never just replace a light with what's there," adds Tim Masud, owner of Golden Gait Trailers in Charlotte. "I'd replace everything with LEDs. They last longer, take less power, and are brighter so they are easier to see."

With three outlets in Charlotte, Golden Gait is one of the largest trailer sales and maintenance operations in the nation.

Masud says the trailer's electrical system should be checked without the trailer being hooked up to the tow ball.

"That's the easiest way to know if you have a good ground," he says. "The trailer's wiring system should be grounded through the plug and a wire, not through the ball hitch or the safety chains.

"People call all the time with strange electrical problems. They turn on the lights and the blinker starts, or they turn on the blinker and the backup lights go on. The most common cause of the problem is a bad ground."

Masud says next on the checklist should be the trailer brakes.

"The way I like to do it is to drive slowly on gravel-maybe 5 miles an hour or so-and then reach down and pull the brake lever. All four wheels should lock up and skid on the gravel. It is a good way to confirm all four are working."

Masud says the next check should be on pavement. Again, driving about 5 mph, yank on the brake actuator.

"The trailer brakes should be good enough to stop the tow rig," he says.

They will probably need to be adjusted. Most states require working brakes on every axle on a trailer large enough to tow a stock car.

Barnes says it is important to have proper adjustment because if brakes aren't adjusted properly, they can affect tire wear.

"They are a different kind of animal," Masud says. "They aren't like anything most folks ever get to work on. The trick with electric trailer brakes is that if you are going to fix them, do the job 100 percent, or not at all."

He says that in many cases it is easier to take a brake problem to a professional shop or buy a complete backing plate that has everything already installed and simply bolts in place.