A car trailer is useful for a lot of things, and if you live a bit further away from the busy cities, chances are that you’re already using one for the transportation of goods. It’s not very practical to load up our daily driver vehicle with all sorts of materials or supplies, which is why a lot of people tend to use the trailer instead.
Of course, a trailer isn’t always used for the transportation of materials. Sometimes they serve as a living area for people who like to often be on the road and go camping. Needless to say, there are many different types out there, but today we’re going to focus on something else rather than categorizing them.
If you ever wanted to upgrade or repair yours, well, you’ve come to the right place. In today’s guide we’ll give you some of the easiest DIY repairs and fixes that you can do, as well as a few neat upgrades, so without any further ado, let’s take a look at what you need to know.
Improving the brakes
Sometimes trailers can weigh quite a lot, especially if you use them for transportation of heavier materials, which is why we recommend that you start your upgrading process from the brakes. When it comes to these, there are a few things that you can do to improve the entire experience, and here’s how:
- Replace your older hydraulic brakes with an electronic air/hydraulic system, something that’ll give you more stopping power. However, this decision should be made based on the type of terrain in which you spend most of your time towing the trailer. For example, if you’re often around water, a good choice is to swap your old brakes with disc ones. These are very resilient when it comes to corrosion and are also easy to wash.
- Upgrade to special downhill brakes that are resistant to the heat that’s being produced from constant stopping. These are also very resilient to the shock that your vehicle has to go through when you’re driving off-road.
Your vehicle must be properly connected to the brakes, as well as some of the other components such as lights, and for that, you’d want to use a high-quality cable that’s resilient and will last you a long time. There are numerous options available on the internet, but if you’re new to all of this and you don’t know where to start, you can find more information at zwcables.com.
Better suspension
It’s quite obvious that a heavier vehicle needs stronger and sturdier suspension, and the good news is that everything in this category related to trailers is improving drastically with the latest advancements to technology. If you happen to be using an older suspension system, now is the right time to switch. It’s a valuable upgrade that will last you for a long time, and it is especially useful if you’re about to do some off-road touring with your trailer shortly. Be wary that a new suspension will cost a bit, so if you’re on a budget, we wouldn’t recommend it unless your old one is damaged and not functioning properly.
New tires
Changing a tire is easy, and we’re pretty confident that you can do it yourself. If you’re planning a trip and you haven’t used your trailer in a long time, going without changing your tires might put you in a danger. It’s an easy DIY upgrade and it doesn’t cost a lot of money, but make sure that you carry a reserve one as well.
From all the other things that you can perform as an upgrade to your vehicle at your garage, swapping the tires is something that requires the least tools. Don’t underestimate this upgrade though, although it’s easy and basic to do, it will have a huge impact on the way your trailer handles and grips on the roads. This falls both into the category of upgrades and repairs because if your old tires are damaged, you’re repairing by replacing them.
Installing LED lights
We all love LEDs as it’s the new and cool thing to do. The colors are shiny and they provide very good visibility in the night, which increases your safety as well. This upgrade isn’t one of the cheapest that you can do, but it’s totally “DIY-able”. Now, this isn’t as easy as purchasing the lights from a shop because you’ll also have to wire them, and that might be difficult if you’re a beginner, but we feel like there are so many online resources that could help you with the process. It shouldn’t take more than a day for you to be done with this.
Install a spare tire carrier
As we mentioned above, carrying a spare tire is very important for your safety, and in most countries, it’s even mandatory that you do it no matter where you go. However, if your trailer doesn’t already come with a mounted tire-carrier, a very cool thing that you can do is to create one yourself. This will allow you to save money while also giving you the option to shape it and place it exactly as you want.
You can either create one yourself, completely from scratch, which is the best option if you want to save money, or you can purchase one but save cash by mounting it yourself instead of paying for someone else to mount it for you. If you choose to make one yourself, you’ll need some equipment, but it can be done very easily if you have a garage with some of the most basic tools.
Install a cargo net
If you’re using a trailer that’s meant for transporting cargo, and you know that shortly you’ll have to deal with light and “loosey” items, installing a cargo net on your trailer is a great solution. Do it in a way that allows you to easily spread the net over the items and take it back when you’re done with the transport. This way you’ll be able to carry bags of cement and other similar items such as wooden logs, without worrying about them dropping on the road while you’re driving.
