Welcome back to the third and final article in our series Easy Ways to Look After Your Camper Trailer! Camper trailer maintenance is a must-do if you want to get the most life out of your offroad camper trailer. When we tow 4×4 camper trailers through extreme terrains we work them hard, and when they get worked, camper trailer maintenance is as important as the maintenance on your tow vehicle! Thankfully ways to look after your camper trailer are easy to follow along at home, even if you’ve only got basic hand tools. Here’s some more essential camper trailer maintenance we should all be doing!

STORAGE

Your drawers, compartments and other storage areas of your offroad camper trailer are often left off the to-do list when it comes to 4×4 camper trailer maintenance and inspection, which is interesting considering how much use they get and how essential they are in a camper trailer.

The first things to go on your camper trailer’s storage compartments are the rollers, latches and the seals. The biggest killer to you drawer rollers is excess weight or not being secured on a firm, dead flat surface. On lower quality or older trailers, the floor of the camper trailer can warp, so if yours a looking a bit worse for wear, try installing a couple of lengths of angle iron and run the rollers on them. This will give them a dead flat surface to roll on and provide a thicker mount to screw into.

CANVAS

We all know we should avoid storing a tent or rooftop tent away wet, or even damp to prevent mould from forming. In fact, the best thing you can do if the weather turns bad is leave the tent set-up in the rain – it actually allows the material’s fibres to swell and seal up even tighter, then pack it down when it’s completely dry. It’s also a good idea to give it a quick wipe with a broom to rid any dust before you store it, which helps keep the canvas soft for years. This will substantially prolong the life of your camper trailer’s tent.

The next problem the average campers tent is faced with is rips and tears, especially old school canvas which hasn’t been blessed with a rip stop style weave. The sooner you catch a problem here the better, and you’ll find a canvas patch applied correctly will rectify most minor holes or tares for the life of the canvas. Keep a good eye around the tent’s stitched joins, especially the spots that have the most tension applied. The tent section is one of the most important parts of your camper trailer, so it makes sense to look after it!

WATER STORAGE

The biggest killer of camper trailer water tanks is mould and algae. Once it’s in there, it’s a painful task getting it out again. When you’re storing your 4×4 camper trailer for an extended period of time, leave your tanks completely full. Not only will this stop it from sweating and getting mouldy and stainless tanks from rusting, but while it’s full you can also find any leaks in your fittings and hoses and fix them up before it becomes a problem. Also check for kinks in your hoses. The solution to kinks is simple – if there is one, cut the hose here and replace it with a fitting.

If you don’t have a tank and only use jerry cans on your camper trailer, make sure they aren’t rubbing on their holders. Just 10km of harsh corrugations is all it takes to rub through a jerry can wall, so ensure your holders have rubber or Corflute protecting the jerry can.

12V SYSTEM

Loose or improper connections are the major 12V maintenance problems we’re faced with when doing regular camper trailer maintenance. Often camper trailer owners won’t pick up on a problem here before it’s too late. Many trailers have burnt to the ground due to poor connections and rubbed out wires, so it’s important to inspect connections after each big trip.

In the same sense – even if your 12V wiring looked good when you stored your 4×4 camper trailer, you’ll still need to check it all before your next trip. Just a few months is plenty of time for rodents to come in and chew out wiring or corrosion to build up. This is also the reason it’s important to have an isolator on your trailer battery.