Welcome back to Part 2 of our camper trailer repair guide, where we look at easy ways you can freshen up your offroad camper trailer and give it a new lease on life.

DRAWBAR ACCESSORIES

Wear and tear on your camper trailer coupling is as common as the cold, but fortunately there are a few simple maintenance tips to make sure they stay in tip top condition. The biggest killer of couplings is lack of lubrication – so give it a hit of WD40 down each side and on the pin after every trip, and grease any grease nipples. Check your coupling bolts for rust – if you do need to replace them, replace with stainless steel bolts.

Your safety chains shouldn’t need too much work, but make sure you check your D-shackles are rated for the weight of your hard floor camper trailer, and check their condition. Shackles aren’t expensive to replace, and considering their importance, it’s probably worth the $20 or so for a couple of new ones. When you store shackles don’t lock them up tight– they can seize over time, and you might cause damage undoing them

STORAGE

Your drawers, compartments and other storage areas of your soft floor camper trailer are often left off the to-do list when it comes to 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 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. Quite often the floor of lighter duty onroad camper trailers 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 camper trailer 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.

The next problem the average offroad camper trailer tent is faced with is rips and tears, especially old school canvas which hasn’t been blessed with a rip-stop 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.

WATER STORAGE

The biggest killer of 4WD 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 camper trailer for an extended period of time, leave your tanks completely full. Not only will this stop it from sweating and getting mouldy but it’ll stop steel tanks from rusting.

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, 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 towing camper trailers. Often 4×4 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 hybrid 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.

FINAL TOUCHES

These steps will all but have your camper trailer not only looking schmick – it’ll be in top working condition from front to end and ready to tackle the next adventure you have in mind. All that’s left to do are a few finishing touches that’ll complete the process.

First up is re-sealing compartments, lights and anywhere that dust and water are getting into. Run over the undercarriage of your offroad camper trailer and seal up any screw holes, and dap some sealant on any new screws. While you’re under there, just check any other nuts and bolts for corrosion – it’s best off replacing them with stainless ones if you’ve got the time.

You’ll also want to upgrade your latches if they’re looking a bit worse the wear. If you’re using the over-centre latches, grab them with the safety catch – it’ll stop the kids from undoing them without you knowing and means they can’t be bumped open.

Just a little bit of TLC can turn a tired old 4WD camper trailer into one that’s ready to cross the country at a moment’s notice!