Wash the salt off your trailer before storing it

This question should be answered based on where you decide to store your trailer during the winter months. If it's stored in a damp environment, then yes definitely remove it. If it is in a heated garage, there is no need to worry about it. Everyone has a different place they keep their teardrop stored. I leave my mattress inside the trailer all year round. However, My teardrop is stored inside my shop and the shop is temperature controlled all season. When in doubt, pull it out :-)

Here is another question we receive a lot. Should I take out my battery during the winter months ? Well, it really does not depend where you are storing it. If it's inside a garage or outside in the dead of winter. I leave my battery in my boat all year round ( outdoors). I also leave it in my snowmobiles ( outdoors ). The key to a prolonged life of a battery is to trickle charge the battery throughout the season. A low amp trickle charger will keep your battery fully charged at all times. The damage occurs when you let the battery die completely and then try to charge it again in the springtime. It does not matter where a battery is stored, as long as it receives a slow trickle charge. If it did matter, then you should take your car battery inside every night before bedtime. The reason your car battery works all winter is because every time you start your car, your alternator tops up your battery amps. Same idea applies with a teardrop trailer. Take it out of the trailer if you want, but if you don't slowly trickle charge it throughout the season it may still end up dead. The fact of the matter is, If you don't charge a battery, it will die. No matter where you store it. Although, "Cold weather makes it more difficult for an already weakened battery to hold its charge, Storing your battery in a garage during spells of cold weather should keep the battery warmer and, easier to charge, but trickle charging will make it last a lot longer. Keeping your battery fully charged means your battery will have a longer lifespan and use energy more efficiently". More tips can be found at this link here: MTA Most importantly remember this: It is better for your battery to opt for the slow charging method, because A fast charge increases the potential of overcharging your battery and can create permanent damage.

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.