After a full season of hauling your boat to and from the water, your boat trailer is likely in need of a good tune-up. Rather than letting your boat sit as/is during the fall and winter, conducting seasonal maintenance and checking for potential repairs will ensure it’s ready to go for next summer’s boating, fishing, and sailing season.
Below, we’ll review the importance of seasonal and preventative trailer maintenance and repair and how you can get high-quality service at Factory Outlet!
The Importance of Seasonal and Preventive Trailer Maintenance
If you’re a seasoned boater, you probably get a lot of use out of your boat trailer throughout the year. Just like your vessel requires maintenance to remain waterworthy, your boat’s trailer requires upkeep to keep your boat safe and secure during transport.
If you have the right trailer for the size and weight of your boat, you will likely face fewer maintenance issues in its lifetime (our team at FOT can help you find a better trailer if yours isn’t up to par). Nevertheless, regular trailer maintenance helps detect and prevent issues before they become a bigger problem.
Here are some standard maintenance checkpoints to review and perform on your trailer:
- Tires: Low tire pressure and worn tread can cause your tires to fail while hauling.
- Wheel bearings: Rust is common for boat trailer wheel bearings due to their proximity to water (dripping off the boat, wet driveways, etc) and can cause swift degradation if left unchecked.
- Axle: Regularly check that your axle is straight and properly aligned to prevent tire wear, instability, and poor handling.
- Trailer brakes: To prevent stopping issues and potential accidents, clean your brakes, check pads for wear, check the fluid reservoir, and lubricate the trailer coupler.
- Trailer lights: Cover your light connection with a plastic cap and switch out light bulbs regularly to ensure safety on the road.
Performing maintenance on these areas of your trailer will maintain its lifespan, reliability, and safety during hauling!
Signs Your Trailer Needs More Than Standard Maintenance
During maintenance checks, you may spot a few trouble areas that indicate your trailer needs repairs. Make sure to get these issues looked after right away to prevent your trailer from degrading during the off-season.
Here are a few indicators that your trailer needs more than routine maintenance:
- Weird noises while towing: Grinding, squeaking, clunking, and other similar noises can indicate an issue with your trailer’s suspension, axles, brakes, or bearings.
- Brake problems: Noises, longer stopping distances, a squishy feeling on the brake pedal, or your trailer pulling to one side can indicate your brakes are faulty. Issues like fluid leakage or worn brake pads are common.
- Faulty lighting or electrical: Signalling lights are critical safety features of a boat trailer. If your signal lights are flickering or not turning on, there could be a problem with your wiring or a potentially blown fuse.
- Cracked or worn tires: Tire wear can indicate either the age of your tires or an underlying issue with your trailer’s alignment or suspension. Significant tread wear patterns left unattended can cause tire blowouts while on the road.
If you spot these issues, it doesn’t automatically warrant a death sentence for your trailer. With the right technician, you can have your boat trailer back in shape and ready to roll for the 2026 boating season!
Our team at Factory Outlet is ready to help with maintenance and repair, parts replacement, and customizations to keep your trailer roadworthy.
Why Choose Factory Outlet for Boat Trailer Repair
At Factory Outlet, our highly skilled technicians are committed to maintaining the performance and lifespan of any and every trailer brought into our shop. For 25 years, we have been Western Canada’s go-to source for high-quality trailers, repairs, and upfittings, with over 40,000 customers served in 13 locations.
We have a reputation for quality work that maintains the value and longevity of every trailer or vehicle we service. If you need to get your boat trailer roadworthy for the 2026 boating season, we’re here to help!
We offer a wide variety of repair services, from routine checks to specialized repairs, to keep your boat trailer en route to your coastal or lakeside destination. Here are just a few of the repairs we offer:
- Trailer lighting and wiring
- Axle repair and replacement
- Coupler and jack service
- Weld/leak repairs
- Tires and wheels
- Running gear
- Brake check repairs
- Insurance inspection and repairs
- Installations and customizations
- Warranty repairs
Whatever your boat trailer needs, our skilled technicians are ready to diagnose and repair the problem so you can start the 2026 boating season with peace of mind!
Contact Us Today
Need expert boat trailer repair? Contact Factory Outlet Trailers for quality service! If you’re looking for a new boat trailer, visit our Inventory page to check out the models we have in stock from the nation’s top brands. We’ll help you find the right fit for your boat’s size and weight, and that works for your budget.