Trailer and camper maintenance

[threedogs]

Just wondering what sort of servicing ppl do with their caravans /campers/trailers.
I have bearing buddies and give the Obrien tow coupling a squirt of grease every now and then,
thats pretty basic. Im thinking what about water tanks or brakes. Surely they have service intervals
as well, Hopefully Ill be fitting an 82 litre water tank under the back of my camper to help balance it out.
Its atad front heavy for my liking at the moment

[BigRAWesty]

I usually do a 12 month service..
Check wheel bearings, suspension bolts. A pump or 2 of grease in the treg hitch.
But I'll also be doing a canvas treatment to aid in water proofing..

[TimE]

On my old Kimberley Kamper the wheel bearings where repacked, brake pads checked, treg hitch greased and nut and bolted every 10k. Never had an issue with the vital bits. Only real problem was a seam on the stainless steel water tank started to weep, a 4WD club mate who could weld stainless fixed that up for me in a few minutes.

[gregs]

At the moment our brakes and suspension get serviced by Vehicle Components in Brisy as part of the warranty but after that I will be doing it all, I did it to our campertrailer and this is really no different, just a little bigger. I usually go around and check everything before and after every trip or at 12 months. When we bought our van I went around and did a, I suppose you could call it a "pre-failure maintainence program" and checked what needed to be replaced or fixed to "my satisfaction" and there were a few things on that list too.....

The water tanks should be cleaned out every 12 months, I leave them full in between trips though, and depending on the time between trips, either I will drain and refill with fresh water or leave the water in there. Every 12 months I clean the tanks out with a little bleach (you can use milton as well), I use about 50mm of pool chlorine per 100-150L of tanks, drain the tanks a little and using a funnel tip the chlorine in, top up with fresh water, go for a drive to slosh it around, let it sit for a day then drain the water out (I also run a bit through the pumps and pipes to help clean them out too), fill it back up and slosh it around again, drain it out, re-fill with fresh water, this you may have to do a couple more of times depending on how much chlorine you have used, I flush ours about 3 or 4 times to get rid of the taste, but I think I may have used a little too much chlorine this time around. I only ever use proper food grade water hose for filling the water tanks on the van and I use an inline water filter from supercheap (explore). Never use a standard garden hose to fill the tank, the water will be tainted by a plastic taste and it can be very hard to get rid of it.

[TimE]

The water tanks should be cleaned out every 12 months, I leave them full in between trips though, and depending on the time between trips, either I will drain and refill with fresh water or leave the water in there. Every 12 months I clean the tanks out with a little bleach (you can use milton as well), I use about 50mm of pool chlorine per 100-150L of tanks, drain the tanks a little and using a funnel tip the chlorine in, top up with fresh water, go for a drive to slosh it around, let it sit for a day then drain the water out (I also run a bit through the pumps and pipes to help clean them out too), fill it back up and slosh it around again, drain it out, re-fill with fresh water, this you may have to do a couple more of times depending on how much chlorine you have used, I flush ours about 3 or 4 times to get rid of the taste, but I think I may have used a little too much chlorine this time around. I only ever use proper food grade water hose for filling the water tanks on the van and I use an inline water filter from supercheap (explore). Never use a standard garden hose to fill the tank, the water will be tainted by a plastic taste and it can be very hard to get rid of it.

Here in Canberra our tap water comes chlorinated, so don't see the need to add extra to the tank.

My routine is to always leave the tanks full of Canberra chlorinated water, bugs won't grow in it (hopefully). If I have added water to the tanks from anywhere else, I drain and refill when I get home.

If the camper has been sitting for any length of time (ie months) I will also drain and refill before a trip.

As you say always use food grade hose.

[the evil twin]

snip... Ill be fitting an 82 litre water tank under the back of my camper to help balance it out.
Its atad front heavy for my liking at the moment

Trying to balance the Trailer with water can cause it's own issues.
If you put the tank too far back from the axle you may get trailer sway.
If the tank is empty (IE your on the way home) you are back where you started anyway.

[MB]

G’day threedogs John Mate [emoji106][emoji106]

In addition to all the Excellent Advice kindly posted above we do like to fully inspect our trailers undies whenever possible [emoji23]

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2021/06/154.jpg

Currently upgrading springs/guards/axle to a heavier 6 stud share pattern with its little old tug and have fortunately uncovered an extra days worth of chassis crack starting attention needed too thankfully before a hopeful NT work departure [emoji1696][emoji120]

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2021/06/155.jpg

Structural checks too should be added more regularly than we currently do, especially prior to anyone’s adventures on Australia’s perfect roads [emoji23][emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MudRunnerTD]

G’day threedogs John Mate [emoji106][emoji106]

In addition to all the Excellent Advice kindly posted above we do like to fully inspect our trailers undies whenever possible [emoji23]

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2021/06/154.jpg

Currently upgrading springs/guards/axle to a heavier 6 stud share pattern with its little old tug and have fortunately uncovered an extra days worth of chassis crack starting attention needed too thankfully before a hopeful NT work departure [emoji1696][emoji120]

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2021/06/155.jpg

Structural checks too should be added more regularly than we currently do, especially prior to anyone’s adventures on Australia’s perfect roads [emoji23][emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice work mate, What is that trailer used for? i note the ramp on teh back but also the lack of any real chassis. There aint much trailer there. My homemade Tandem (made by another guy) is very much like that and disappointingly light under the tray.

[rusty_nail]

Nice work mate, What is that trailer used for? i note the ramp on teh back but also the lack of any real chassis. There aint much trailer there. My homemade Tandem (made by another guy) is very much like that and disappointingly light under the tray.It's his kanga trailer mate, probably loaded with an 800kg machine? Maybe slightly less?

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[MB]

Apologies, was typing a novel in another thread [emoji23]
Yes, it’s the original Kanga brand trailer purchased 25 years ago to help carry our then new G520 little hole digging machine to the market ….still going strong to this day and is coming to NT off the back of the Acco and back on its trailer [emoji23]
3.0T silly 65mm round elecy drum braked new 6 stud axle going under with 2.5T 10 pack bushed leafies larger guards for up to 33” if needed and extra steel undies galore for up to and under 2,000kg total gear strategically stacked on/around/under old faithful Kanga [emoji23]

EDIT: Not total “gear” atop, meant total ATM (GVM) as is plated at 1,950kg ATM

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[threedogs]

Apart from the obvious Id also look at your towbar bolts
Theyare just ketting dipped in the drink off road,
Ill swear by BEARING BUDDIES best product ever
My trailr/camper is getting a new water tank for our next fishing trip.
Its an 85ltr that Ill fit at the back of the camper to balance the weight a bit better
Check all electrical wires including the trailer plug on the rear of the Patrol thats
probably been drowned a few times as well.
Ill have a Dolium 55ltr tank for sale later on, it will fit acoss the floor behind the driver
so ildesl for ywo up touring

[threedogs]

Trying to balance the Trailer with water can cause it's own issues.
If you put the tank too far back from the axle you may get trailer sway.
If the tank is empty (IE your on the way home) you are back where you started anyway.

Hi Evil my camper is very front heavy even with the
extra 85 kg of water the front is still hard to lift up
The other dolium 55ltr tank was hard agaist the front
of the Hilux single cab tub

[mudnut]

You know the drill... Go have a great time away and forget to release the caravan handbrake before leaving camp. I was unlucky that the handbrake wasn't engaging properly. Old Trol pulled the van easily from the campsite and through town. I only noticed a problem when ascending the hills near Avoca.

Pulled over to discover the hub was hot on the passenger side. Then found the handbrake still on. Released the brake and drove to Amphitheatre and tested the temp again. The hub was only slightly cooler. Stopped at Elmhurst and jacked up the wheel to test the bearings and brakes. There was only a slight dragging sound and the bearings had minimal movement.

After twenty minutes it had had cooled enough to keep going. Unfortunately the hub ran hot, which showed I had cooked the grease. I stopped at AutoPro Hamilton to buy some bearing and seal kits, only to discover that the damn van runs a Holden large bearing and seal, and a Ford small bearing.

I would have been in deep poo poo if the bearings had failed, as the Caravan parts supplier in my home town had sold me a Holden kit !!! Spent today pulling the hub and brake apart, greased and replaced the bearings, and got the hand brake working properly.

[pollenface]

I can't remember if I've even pumped my tyres up since I bought my trailer.

I did fit a remotely switched reversing flood light though, powered by a small battery charged by a 10w solar panel on the toolbox, pretty nerdy.

[mudnut]

I can't remember if I've even pumped my tyres up since I bought my trailer.

I did fit a remotely switched reversing flood light though, powered by a small battery charged by a 10w solar panel on the toolbox, pretty nerdy.

That is the problem with trailers and such. They get forgotten until needed. This is the first time I've had trouble with towing as I usually drive for a few ks then stop and check the temps. (For some stupid reason, I forgot to do it) I also change the grease after 12-18months. The handbrake cable U bolt was loose enough to let the cable slide a bit when I reefed on the handbrake at the site. Just another dodgey thing to add to a long list done by the bloke who sold the van to me.

[pollenface]

fair call, I've actually got a couple of brand new spare hub/bearing kits sitting in the shed ... I might try swap them over tomorrow if it's not raining