Low Miles – High Alert

Travel trailers were made to move. They were made to travel the open highway and designed to go from place to place. However, you’ll very often see classified ads where sellers exclaim “no miles” or “we just towed it to the campground and it’s been there ever since.”

While this might initially sound like a good thing, travel trailers are not cars. They do not have engines where low kilometer use might be a virtuous selling feature. When you read that it has sat idle for years, you should make yourself a checklist or things to evaluate before you buy.

• Check the bearings. Have they seized up? When was the last time they were greased, or re-packed. Check for foreign objects, rodents and debris.
• Tires. Are they flat or deformed? Are they cracked? Did water seep in or compromise the tires?
• Rodents. Anything that has sat through multiple seasons is at increased risk of rodent infestation. Check in corners and cupboards for droppings. Anywhere that you might find sawdust or a collection of debris are signs that some little rodent was trying to fix up a nest.

In the case of trailers, they are made to be lived in, laughed in and enjoyed. Consistent use and care of a trailer is actually exactly how it’s supposed to be used. It’s much better to have a little wear on the carpet from happy feet than to have rot or rodents from lack of care and regular maintenance.

Stop by and see us at Pik-A-Dilly RV Centre to learn more about regular trailer maintenance and what a technician-certified pre-owned trailer should look like.