It's time to inspect that trailer!

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October 5th, 2015, 07:54 AM
northernontario

1 Attachment(s)

It's time to inspect that trailer!

Hunting season is here, and snowmobile season will be here soon. Get out and inspect that trailer! Make sure the frame is still good, lights and wiring are working properly, and check things like spring shackles.

My utility trailer had the u-bolts stretch recently after using it to move firewood around on the property. Put the ATV on, drove out into the bush for a day of bird hunting... when I got home I noticed some extra rattles and looked underneath to discover the axle was moving around on the springs. Easy to cut off and replace in the driveway... not so easy on the side of the road.

This weekend was a complete R&R on the snowmobile trailer I picked up last spring. Bearings were all replaced last spring, but it needed more serious wiring work and some frame stiffening. When I got it up in the air, this is what I discovered. Those u-bolts were holding on... but barely. Remember, these things get exposed to a lovely salt water mix, then left sitting all summer. $11 in parts to replace both sides, 20 minutes to cut them off and replace both sides. That could have been a bad weekend on the side of the highway...

Attachment 30906
October 5th, 2015, 09:13 AM
FishFrenzy

good reminder!! I'll take a look at mine in the coming weeks.

FishFrenzy
October 5th, 2015, 11:24 AM
Fisherman

A yearly oil spray on the metal would definitely help.
October 5th, 2015, 12:46 PM
patvetzal

Pulled an old skidoo trailer from my parking area last summer with plans to license it. Flipped it over to do the bearings and the axle broke! Rusted almost through and just took a bit to snap it.
This is the time of year to get the lights working as well......
October 5th, 2015, 01:20 PM
sawbill

Time to take a good look at those original tires as well.
Very few trailer tires ever wear out from overuse. But the sidewalls crack from age and will blowout when you least need it.
October 5th, 2015, 02:30 PM
northernontario

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawbill

Time to take a good look at those original tires as well.

Agreed...

One rim was so badly corroded on the inside there wasn't much of a lip left. Held air because it has a tube in it... and the bad side was the inside, so you'd never see unless you took it off or got underneath. Swapped on the brand new "spare" that I'd bought.

Tires on rims on sale this week at Princess Auto... only slightly more than bare tires, and no cost/hassle to have them mounted. ;)

Replaced entire wiring harness and lights with LED's. Ground run to each light. All joints soldered, then sealed with hot glue and heat shrink. Wiring will outlive the trailer. Takes a little longer to do it that way, but you never get corroded connections!
October 5th, 2015, 07:20 PM
patvetzal

Just remember too that if you decide to pull a trailer with four quads on it to go north for the moose hunt, you had better have a yellow sticker on it. If you get stopped for a check they will be running you over portable scales and if your total weight is over 10,000(?) lbs you need the sticker.....
Its not just a fine, they can hold you until you get another unit on scene to split the load.
October 6th, 2015, 09:11 AM
Tony Mo

Good reminder. Pretty much if you have a dual axle trailer you will need a yellow inspection sticker on it AND any truck that tows it will also need one.

http://www.oldbellfarm.com/Drive%20O...egulations.pdf
October 6th, 2015, 09:23 PM
35wailin

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawbill

Time to take a good look at those original tires as well.
Very few trailer tires ever wear out from overuse. But the sidewalls crack from age and will blowout when you least need it.

I need to replace mine next spring. Only a little tread left. They were new in '99. I won't chance them another year. It's actually cheaper to buy them pre-installed on rims on sale than it is to buy just the tires and get them installed. Go figure.
October 18th, 2015, 06:10 PM
Brien

Quote:

Originally Posted by patvetzal

Just remember too that if you decide to pull a trailer with four quads on it to go north for the moose hunt, you had better have a yellow sticker on it. If you get stopped for a check they will be running you over portable scales and if your total weight is over 10,000(?) lbs you need the sticker.....
Its not just a fine, they can hold you until you get another unit on scene to split the load.

4 quads still seem pretty light to me. Say each one quad weighs 500lbs, the trailer weigh 2000lbs. And you have 1000lbs of gear. That equals 5000lbs. Well below 10000lbs. Am I missing something here??
October 18th, 2015, 06:54 PM
last5oh_302

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brien

4 quads still seem pretty light to me. Say each one quad weighs 500lbs, the trailer weigh 2000lbs. And you have 1000lbs of gear. That equals 5000lbs. Well below 10000lbs. Am I missing something here??

If you're hauling with a pickup and have a trailer capable of carrying 4 atvs then you probably do need the sticker, weight wise and MGVWR wise.
Check the manufacturers stickers on both the truck and trailer. If the MGVWR exceeds 4500 kgs when adding the truck and trailer together, then you need stickers on "both" truck and trailer. If you say your trailer weighs roughly 5000 lbs, I would think your truck weighs at least that much, which would also mean you require stickers on BOTH truck and trailer.

The only other time a truck and trailer require stickers is if the RGW of the truck is over 4500 kgs, which is indicated on the registration.
October 18th, 2015, 07:00 PM
Brien

Oh I see, I guess I was missing something in my numbers, thanks.
October 20th, 2015, 04:21 PM
patvetzal

I was told by the cops in a trailer check that if the trailer needed a sticker, then the truck did too. Didn't matter if they were both empty at the time....
October 20th, 2015, 04:29 PM
last5oh_302

Quote:

Originally Posted by patvetzal

I was told by the cops in a trailer check that if the trailer needed a sticker, then the truck did too. Didn't matter if they were both empty at the time....

If the MGVWR of the trailer is over 4500 KG's then yes, this is true.
October 21st, 2015, 12:56 PM
patvetzal

Quote:

Originally Posted by last5oh_302

If the MGVWR of the trailer is over 4500 KG's then yes, this is true.

I was trying to deliver an empty trailer that weighed in about 1100lbs. He noticed that the trailer sticker had expired but the truck sticker was only a month old.. He explained that to do it legally I needed either a larger trailer or a tow truck. He also pointed out that the checkpoint would be going home at 4pm.....
October 21st, 2015, 01:42 PM
last5oh_302

Quote:

Originally Posted by patvetzal

I was trying to deliver an empty trailer that weighed in about 1100lbs. He noticed that the trailer sticker had expired but the truck sticker was only a month old.. He explained that to do it legally I needed either a larger trailer or a tow truck. He also pointed out that the checkpoint would be going home at 4pm.....

If you deliver trailers as part of a business you can just put a dealer plate on it and be legal with an expired sticker. Empty only.
October 21st, 2015, 02:05 PM
3Wheelerdude

Guys, bottom of page 2.

http://www.oldbellfarm.com/Drive%20O...egulations.pdf

Towing for personnal use is exempt.

I tried pasting the text but it comes out like this.

A!“pickVup”!that!is!only!ever!used!for!‘personal!u se’!or!is!only!ever!used!to!tow!a!trailer!that!is! used!for!personal!use,!is!exempt!from!CVOR,!trip!i nspection!and!hours.
October 21st, 2015, 02:25 PM
last5oh_302

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Wheelerdude

Guys, bottom of page 2.

http://www.oldbellfarm.com/Drive%20O...egulations.pdf

Towing for personnal use is exempt.

I tried pasting the text but it comes out like this.

A!“pickVup”!that!is!only!ever!used!for!‘personal!u se’!or!is!only!ever!used!to!tow!a!trailer!that!is! used!for!personal!use,!is!exempt!from!CVOR,!trip!i nspection!and!hours.

What's exempt? ;)
October 21st, 2015, 03:01 PM
3Wheelerdude

Quote:

Originally Posted by last5oh_302

What's exempt? ;)

Exempt from producing a CVOR certificate, daily inspection reports and not subject to the hour of service rules.
October 21st, 2015, 03:02 PM
last5oh_302

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Wheelerdude

Exempt from producing a CVOR certificate, daily inspection reports and not subject to the hour of service rules.

Exactly, but not safeties (those yellow stickers on trucks and trailers).
October 22nd, 2015, 07:42 AM
3Wheelerdude

Quote:

Originally Posted by last5oh_302

Exactly, but not safeties (those yellow stickers on trucks and trailers).

Yes exactly. If you want to avoid the Annual Safety then you have to stay under the weight limitations.
Here it is :

Annual Inspection and Safety Standards Certificate (SSC):
•Trucks, trailers and converter dollies alone or in combination with a total gross weight, registered gross weight or manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 4,500 kilograms (kg),(9,920 lbs)
October 22nd, 2015, 02:58 PM
last5oh_302

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Wheelerdude

Yes exactly. If you want to avoid the Annual Safety then you have to stay under the weight limitations.
Here it is :

Annual Inspection and Safety Standards Certificate (SSC):
•Trucks, trailers and converter dollies alone or in combination with a total gross weight, registered gross weight or manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 4,500 kilograms (kg),(9,920 lbs)

What I was getting at is that there are no exemptions for safeties, other than dealer plate or in transit permit.
Just wanted to make that clear because you made it sound like safeties are exempt.
October 22nd, 2015, 06:32 PM
patvetzal

I had rented a car hauling trailer from the rental to go and pick up a buggy that had been pulled over in a blitz. ( no parking brake)when I arrived the MTO noticed the expired yellow tag so I was going to return the empty trailer to the rental. They would not let me with the expired yellow tag, even if the trailer was empty...
Nothing unsafe, just expired tag .....
October 22nd, 2015, 09:11 PM
last5oh_302

Quote:

Originally Posted by patvetzal

I had rented a car hauling trailer from the rental to go and pick up a buggy that had been pulled over in a blitz. ( no parking brake)when I arrived the MTO noticed the expired yellow tag so I was going to return the empty trailer to the rental. They would not let me with the expired yellow tag, even if the trailer was empty...
Nothing unsafe, just expired tag .....

When a safety is expired the plates can be removed. I'm assuming this is what they did.
October 23rd, 2015, 07:35 PM
Woodsman

Quote:

Originally Posted by last5oh_302

What I was getting at is that there are no exemptions for safeties, other than dealer plate or in transit permit.
Just wanted to make that clear because you made it sound like safeties are exempt.

Oh yes there is one big exemption.
Somehow the RV industry (camping trailers) are exempt from the safety requirements.
October 24th, 2015, 07:34 AM
patvetzal

In my case the officer told me that I had better find a solution within the next hour as they would be packing their tents and heading for the station at 4pm. After then I would be on my own to return the empty trailer to the rental.......did I mention that the sticker had expired two YEARS previous??

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