Snowmobile Trailer Tips

When the snow starts to fall, you may be itching to hop on your sled and hit the trails. However, before the fun can begin, make sure you are prepared to get there in the first place! With the excitement of the snowmobile season, it can be easy to overlook the condition of your snowmobile trailer. To help get you to the trail safely, we have created this article to make sure your sled trailer is ready to go.

Check Your Tires & Wheels

It may have been a while since you last used your snowmobile trailer, so before you hitch it up, start by checking the condition of your tires and wheels. Begin by inspecting the condition of your tires. Dry rot, cracking, and excess wear are all good reasons to consider replacing them.

Due to the conditions snowmobile trailers are exposed to, like excess moisture and road salt, snowmobile trailer wheels are susceptible to corrosion. Wheel corrosion can cause your wheels to leak from the tire bead and around the valve stem. Galvanized trailer wheels are popular amongst snowmobile trailer owners thanks to their anti-corrosion properties. Temperature changes and time will cause your tires to lose some pressure in the offseason. Make sure to inflate the tires to their maximum PSI rating to prevent blowouts from excess heat building up in the sidewalls.

Grease Wheel Bearings

Trailer wheel bearings should be greased every 3,000 miles. If you haven’t greased your bearings since last season, it is best practice to do it before your first journey. We recommend using grease that is capable of handling extreme temperatures to provide the best protection even in severe cold.

If your wheel bearings are making excess noise even after greasing, now would be the time to replace them.

Hitch Up the Trailer

Start by confirming your trailer's weight capacity. If you bought a new sled (or a couple of them) over the offseason, make sure your trailer is capable of handling the weight. An overweight trailer puts excess stress on its components and can lead to dangerous situations, such as tire blowouts.

Check that your trailer ball, hitch, coupler, and safety chains are present and working properly. Once the trailer is hitched, be sure to hook up the necessary safety pins, chains, and lighting connections.

Check Trailer Lighting

Like any trailer, proper working lighting is extremely important to safety. With shorter days and winter weather, your snowmobile trailer must be highly visible. Once you have your trailer lights connected to the tow vehicle, ensure that all lights are functioning and will be bright enough to see even when traveling through heavy snowfall. Tail lights, license plate lights, turn signals, and clearance lights must be in proper working order. If you need to replace or upgrade your lights, LED lighting provides great visibility, uses less energy, and lasts longer than traditional incandescent lights, making it a great option for snowmobile trailers.

Properly Load the Trailer

When loading your sleds, be aware of how you position them and the weight distribution of your trailer. As discussed in our Trailer Towing Safety Tips article, the best practice is to keep 60% of the load placed in front of the trailer’s axle. If too much weight is placed on the front, rear, or sides of the trailer, it can cause unpredictable handling characteristics. Improper weight distribution combined with slippery road conditions can lead to some serious consequences.

When securing your sled on your trailer, tie it down from four points. Two heavy-duty straps on the front and 2 on the back are the best method to prevent movement or damage during transit.

We want you to have a great time on the trail this season, so make sure trailer issues don’t prevent that from happening. While often overlooked, proper trailer maintenance is necessary before the fun begins. If you need replacement snowmobile trailer parts, check out our selection by clicking here.

Have fun and be safe this winter!