BOAT TRAILER SERVICING/MAINTENANCE
Boat trailers get used in some harsh conditions and generally have a pretty hard life so, naturally, the better your trailer is maintained, the longer it will last.
We recommend that every boat trailer be serviced every 12 months with the wheel bearings being visually inspected for any sign of wear, rust or water intrusion. The rest of the running gear including hubs, brakes, axles and suspension should be checked as well as things like lights, couplings and winch straps.
It only takes a little bit of effort every year to make sure that you are not the trailer on the side of the highway that has lost a wheel as we all see way too often.
Every boat trailer should be thoroughly washed inside and out with freshwater after every use in saltwater. Washing needs to be done on the outside as well as the inside of all the frame rails and crossmembers to ensure that any saltwater is flushed out.
This can be achieved by placing a rag in the end of the frame rails and filling the frame with freshwater from the front near the drawbar which will fill the frame and drain into the crossmembers and out the drain holes in the centre of the crossmembers.
Jockey wheels and winches should be kept lubricated to ensure longevity and it is advisable to unwind the winch strap and clean with freshwater to remove any salt residue from launching and retrieving.
If your trailer is fitted with mechanical brakes, it is recommended to check the adjustment of your brakes at least once every 3 months.
Check tyre pressures and signs of abnormal wear or cracking due to age that could cause the tyre to fail. It is very rare to wear out a tyre on a boat trailer but just because it has lots of tread does not mean it is safe to tow.
Grease any greaseable points such as suspension and couplings.
Clean terminals on the trailer plug to ensure a good connection to the towing vehicle and check your indicators and lights are working in unison.
AL-KO IQ7 Maintenance
We use the AL-KO IQ7 Brake Actuator on all of our boat trailers over 2000kg. As they are a high-tech electrical item, there is some specific maintenance required.
After use, when washing down your trailer, do not hose down the AL-KO IQ7 unit. If it needs to be cleaned, use a clean damp rag and wipe it down. Check that the air cleaner at the front of the unit is intact and in place.
Check and clean the Anderson plug terminals as any corrosion on the terminals can cause a loss of power to the unit causing the breakaway brakes to be activated.
When not in use, the trailer must be choked and all of the air in the unit released by pressing the 'Air Pressure Dump Valve' at the rear of the unit.
