After a few years of building our teardrop trailers, we have realized that some people do not know how to properly care for, and maintain their new little campers, So we are going to create a list of ways to avoid damaging it, and suggest ways to properly maintain and store them...
This will be an ongoing list of hints and tips, and outright do's and don't s. Everyone is welcome to contribute to the subject. So here we go. First and foremost. If you are not using your trailer and plan on leaving it outside during the winter months, Cover it. That's right, Cover it. Especially if it's a woody.
Although these trailers can be used anytime of year, they are primarily made for 3 season camping. If you want to use your trailer in the winter time, you should have checker plate fenders and checker plate under carriage. If you want to avoid rusting the frame you should also get the frame galvanized. We can galvanize the frames, but they take 6 to 8 weeks to get dipped. That means we can only accept orders for galvanized frames between October and February.
Even with all these precautions, you still need to cover your trailer when not in use. People cover their boats, snowmobiles,motorcycles, RV's and yes, even their classic cars. One thing people need to remember is that our trailers are made of wood, steel and aluminum. Wood expands and contracts, aluminum and steel do not, which means in the winter months an uncovered trailer that has expanding or contracting wood with temperature changes can allow ice to penetrate the hinges and door frames. This will eventually melt in the spring and if left unattended and neglected will cause mold.
So if you want to keep your trailer looking like new, cover it when not in use. Think of it as the same as a classic car and it will last for many years to come. Leave it exposed to the elements, and you will have a costly restoration repair bill, that we can easily help you with.