I'll start with the fact that I know the simple answer to my question: Just stick it somewhere and drag it out when you need it.
The question - what's the best practice for storing a trailer outside? Mine will be parked on semi-level gravel with a lot of tree cover. Should I get the tires up off the ground? Should I put those RV tire covers on them? Should I put a tarp over it? Just knock down the weeds and other plants so they don't grow up, through and around it?
I know, I know, just stick the berkeleying trailer somewhere and drag it out when you need it.
My sailplane trailer was parked at the airport all summer, stashed behind the garage in the winter. I always put a slab of Trex material under each tire, wood seems to suck the moisture out of them. I also made a D shaped piece of plastic sheet to prop up in front of the tire inside the wheel well, UV protection.
If the trailer is a camper or boat, I always hung a light bulb (not LED) in the center; small heat source to repel moisture.
Dan
My trailer stays parked beside the garage on grass year-round. About every 3-4 years we have to replace tires both from wear and age/weather checking.
Just park it. Maybe cover the tires if it's in the sun.
Put something waterproof over the tongue so it does not rust up........
Just park it. If it's under trees sweep the deck on occasion to keep the leaves from piling up and causing rot.
From my experience, tires that sit in one place for a long while end up getting flat spots, can take less than a year to do that. I'd jack it up and put it on risers or something.
Thanks all, much appreciated. The plan is to park it, don't let things accumulate on top, coat the tongue in WD and wrap with a plastic bag and maybe get it in the air over the winter when it will get the least amount of use.
I've always used harbor freight tire covers on my trailers. Never had an issue with cracked tires due to a lack of sun exposure. If the car is parked on pavement, those covers can last a few years. On grass, they collect moisture and dirt and will fall apart after ~ 1-2 years.
It's a trailer, don't over think it. Bigger issue is security in case of theft. I use multiple locks on the tongue (one through the top handle hole and one at the ball) and a tire boot on one of the tires. All defeatable with the right tools or a deterrent for the lazy thief.
My trailer is parked more or less where yours sounds like it would....gravel next to my house (behind a fence where it's difficult to steal), with a bit of tree cover. I repaint it every couple years, and seal the wood deck every couple of years. I don't put it on stands any more (I did for a couple years) and haven't noticed any issues with radial tires on it. I also used to cover the tires for UV, but I've found that trailer tires usually die of a flat or flatspotting or a pothole next to a narrow road long before UV can kill them, so i don't really bother any more.
Trailer has a small solar battery maintainer to keep the brake battery good. I keep it locked with both a ball lock and a chain through the wheels, and it's parked in a place that would be a hassle for a thief to get to unless he knows the right angles (trust me, backing it in has taken a lot of practice by me so as not to hit my gate with 4" clearance on each side!......then again, my neighborhood has almost no crime, I could probably park it in my driveway unlocked and be fine.
Also, a cop buddy told me once that most stolen trailers are ones that look stock - black, regular wheels, nothign special to make them stand out, so the thief can re-sell or get a way with nobody noticing. He said that trailers painted colors, or with lots of stickers, or custom racks or whatever are way less likely to get stolen because they're harder to hide/re-sell. IDK how accurate that is, but it does make some sense. Same reason car theives steal Honda Accords and Minivans more than red sportscars....
My enclosed trailer has "Purple Frog Racing" painted on the roof in 3 foot high letters.
Makes it easier for Sheriff Department chopper to spot if it decided to wander without me.
Supposedly enclosed trailers are often stolen for the tools that are expected to be inside more than the trailer itself. Tools are much easier to sell.
The tires on it really should be replaced anyway and, good point about the covers deteriorating quickly in this setting.
It would be almost impossible to steal without someone noticing once it's in it's final parking space. The thief would have to see it stashed behing the shed, first of all, then come up my driveway, go through one 10-foot gate to get into the back yard, then through another 10 foot gate to get out the back of the yard into the woods, then up the 20 ft. path to where it is and then repeat that entire process without me or anyone else noticing. And this is all after realizing there is a trailer back there to begin with.
Stickers and other identifying things is a good idea though as the whole point is it won't always be sitting at the house.
I think the key to keeping a trailer safe is indeed it being more involved to steal. People who wanted to take mine would have to move the Subaru, then move the 7000lb camper van.
Codrus of the people I've know who got there enclosed trailers stolen, that statement holds pretty true, they eventually got the car and sometimes the trailer back but the extra wheels, tools generator etc were never recovered.
Tom1200 said:
I think the key to keeping a trailer safe is indeed it being more involved to steal. People who wanted to take mine would have to move the Subaru, then move the 7000lb camper van.
This. Getting mine out usually involves moving a couple of cars and frequently a boat. It's not going to be a snatch and run.
