How to prepare your caravan for the season

Before you go on your first spring or summer trip with a trailer, it is worth paying attention to it. Before the spring and summer season, you should carefully check the condition of the trailer. And although you cannot stop at the external inspection only, you can start with them.

Body and equipment

We usually start preparing the trailer from taking care of its body. Thorough washing of the trailer is important not only for aesthetic reasons - during washing, we may come across, for example, cracks or leaks that will need to be removed.

You can use a car shampoo for washing, but products designed for the care of boats also work well. Difficult to remove deposits (e.g. from tar or resin) can be overcome with the use of industrial spirit or kerosene. It is best to use a soft cloth to clean the windows. If we find abrasions on the body, these places should be degreased and then painted with polyurethane enamel. Removing cracks is already more difficult, so it is better to go to a specialized service with them.

Any traces of rust will also be dangerous. It is worth protecting the undercarriage with an anti-corrosion agent in advance.

Another important thing is the condition of the devices inside the trailer. Before a long journey, you need to make sure that the gas installation is tight, and that the heating, cooling and sanitary systems are fully operational. If any appliance is designed for different power modes (e.g. the refrigerator can be powered by gas, 230V or 12V electricity), make sure that it works in all of them.

Security

However, the most important for travel safety will be completely different issues. Eg wheels. It is worth checking if they rotate without unnecessary resistance and play. It is also necessary to carefully inspect the tires. Not only is the tread depth important, but also that the surface of the tire is not cracked or bulged.

Another important issue is the suspension. Make sure it is firmly attached to the floor. For this purpose, we should check that the nuts have no play. Then you can proceed to checking the axle of the trailer. It should not have any bends, dents or other damage.

Connecting the trailer plug to the car will make it possible to check if all lights are working flawlessly. It may happen that the non-working lighting is a result of the bad condition of the plug - e.g. broken pins. Dusty contacts, if any, should be cleaned.

Some items can only be checked while driving. It's worth going for a test ride, during which you need to carefully ... prick your ears. Thanks to this, we will see if there are any disturbing sounds coming from the trailer.

The next thing is the brakes. Overrun first. By repeatedly braking, you can check whether the braking is effective and - what is not less important - even. The parking brake on the trailer must also be checked. If the car is still able to pull the trailer despite the puff, the braking system is not working properly.

In such a situation, and in other cases that indicate damage, it is best to hand over the trailer to an experienced mechanic or a proven service center.