There’s a lot of things about trailers that we normally don’t want to talk about because we want to go fishing, but the fact is we have to maintain our trailers in order to keep us fishing. So this week I visited First Coast Trailers in St. Augustine, Florida to learn a couple of tips on trailer tires and corrosion on trailer hardware.
Tire Maintenance
Tires are the most high maintenance part of the trailer, so it’s important to pay attention to them. The first thing to look at is the date on the tires. Something that I didn’t know is that there is a time stamp on every tire called the DOT (Department of Transportation) code. So if you look at your tire, right above the rim somewhere it will tell you the week and the year that the tire was made. The thing you want to keep in mind is, if you have tires on your trailer that are three or four years old, you may want to think about replacing that tire because that is around the time it will begin breaking down. So if your tires are in that three to four year time frame and you start to see some cracking around the sidewalls or irregular wear on the treads, that’s a good clue that you might want to get them replaced before your next fishing trip.
Rust Prevention
Another quick tip is, I’m always looking to fight rust and Chuck told me about Fabulous Blaster Corrosion Stop. You just spray it on anywhere that you’re getting rust on your trailer, rims, lugs, etc. and it kills and protects from rust.
Tire Type
I like to use the radial tires because they are more durable and last longer than others.
As a charter captain I have my trailer on the road quite a bit and I’ve learned the hard way how important it is to make sure my trailer’s tires are healthy. I’m grateful for the advice that Chuck at First Coast Trailers shared with me and the opportunity to pass it forward to my readers. That’s it for this week. Make sure to stay up to date with my latest posts by subscribing below.
