Winter is Here – Get Your To-Do list Ready

If you’re in the middle of the deep freeze, you have something in common with almost everyone right now. Winter is here – Get your to-do list ready

Despite the horrible weather, this really is the best time to start on any travel trailer repairs or projects (unless they involve water). After all, you are probably not going to be camping for at least three months. On the bright side, your trailer has a furnace so if your working inside – no problem.

Here in the Dallas area, the temperatures are decent enough that almost any type of maintenance can be done. Temperatures can still get below freezing at times so it makes sense to blow the lines out if any plumbing repairs are on your list.

So what are some of the things that might make your list?

A complete cleaning of all areas of the trailer.

Visual inspection of all areas where water might seep into the trailer. This means the roof, windows, vents, etc. If your windows are the type that require an external seal, this might be the perfect time to replace any seals that have shrunk.

Clean out all your external appliance panels (refrigerator, Water Heater) sometimes critters will build nests in there so make sure you inspect them regularly. Use this time to do any preventative maintenance to these areas as well.

Fall, Winter, or Spring might be the perfect time to repack your wheel bearings and adjust your brakes for the upcoming camping season.

Inspect all the wiring running underneath your trailer. Don’t forget to inspect the wiring that runs to your trailer brakes.

Inspect your Hitch Assembly for rust.  Sand and repaint as necessary. Most hitch manufacturers recommend inspection for rust and repainting annually.

Double check your battery fluid levels if necessary and make sure you keep it on a trickle charger.

Check all your tires for any damage or defects.

Change all the items that need batteries, such as smoke detectors, CO2 Detectors, Tire Pressure Monitoring systems, etc.

Add additional lighting or modify any storage areas.

Additionally, take some time to go through all the things you haul throughout the year. If some of the items were not even used last season, decide if they are even necessary to carry along on your trips.

These are just a few ideas, I’m sure you can think of many, many more. This is the best time to get proactive with your travel trailer. No one wants to get 75 miles down the road to deal with an issue that could have been handled easily in the off season.

As I say all too often “It’s always something”!