{"id":8556,"date":"2021-10-17T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-16T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/?p=8556"},"modified":"2021-10-08T14:25:27","modified_gmt":"2021-10-08T03:25:27","slug":"offroad-camper-trailer-repair-guide-pt-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/offroad-camper-trailer-repair-guide-pt-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Offroad Camper Trailer Repair Guide Pt 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

DRAWBAR ACCESSORIES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wear and tear on your camper trailer<\/a> <\/strong>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 \u2013 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 \u2013 if you do need to replace them, replace with stainless steel bolts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your safety chains shouldn\u2019t need too much work, but make sure you check your D-shackles are rated for the weight of your hard floor camper trailer<\/a><\/strong>, and check their condition. Shackles aren\u2019t expensive to replace, and considering their importance, it\u2019s probably worth the $20 or so for a couple of new ones. When you store shackles don\u2019t lock them up tight\u2013 they can seize over time, and you might cause damage undoing them<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STORAGE <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your drawers, compartments and other storage areas of your soft floor camper trailer<\/a><\/strong> 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<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong> camper trailers<\/strong><\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CANVAS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all know we should avoid storing a camper trailer<\/a> <\/strong>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 \u2013 it actually allows the material\u2019s fibres to swell and seal up even tighter, then pack it down when it\u2019s completely dry. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next problem the average offroad camper trailer<\/a><\/strong> tent is faced with is rips and tears, especially old school canvas which hasn\u2019t been blessed with a rip-stop weave. The sooner you catch a problem here the better, and you\u2019ll 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\u2019s stitched joins, especially the spots that have the most tension applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WATER STORAGE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest killer of 4WD camper trailer<\/a> <\/strong>water tanks is mould and algae. Once it\u2019s in there, it\u2019s a painful task getting it out again. When you\u2019re storing your camper trailer<\/a><\/strong> for an extended period of time, leave your tanks completely full. Not only will this stop it from sweating and getting mouldy but it\u2019ll stop steel tanks from rusting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s 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 \u2013 if there is one, cut the hose here and replace it with a fitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t have a tank and only use jerry cans, make sure they aren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12V SYSTEM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loose or improper connections are the major 12V maintenance problems we\u2019re faced with when towing camper<\/strong> trailers<\/strong>.<\/a> Often 4×4<\/strong> camper trailer<\/strong><\/a> owners won\u2019t pick up on a problem here before it\u2019s too late. Many trailers have burnt to the ground due to poor connections and rubbed out wires, so it\u2019s important to inspect connections after each big trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same sense \u2013 even if your 12V wiring looked good when you stored your hybrid camper trailer<\/a><\/strong>, you\u2019ll 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\u2019s important to have an isolator on your trailer battery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FINAL TOUCHES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These steps will all but have your camper trailer<\/a><\/strong> not only looking schmick \u2013 it\u2019ll be in top working condition from front to end and ready to tackle the next adventure you have in mind. All that\u2019s left to do are a few finishing touches that\u2019ll complete the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/strong> and seal up any screw holes, and dap some sealant on any new screws. While you\u2019re under there, just check any other nuts and bolts for corrosion \u2013 it\u2019s best off replacing them with stainless ones if you\u2019ve got the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll also want to upgrade your latches if they\u2019re looking a bit worse the wear. If you\u2019re using the over-centre latches, grab them with the safety catch \u2013 it\u2019ll stop the kids from undoing them without you knowing and means they can\u2019t be bumped open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a little bit of TLC can turn a tired old 4WD camper trailer<\/a><\/strong> into one that\u2019s ready to cross the country at a moment\u2019s notice!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123456,"featured_media":8558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8556"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8559,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8556\/revisions\/8559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}