Giving your aluminum trailers frequent routine maintenance saves you time and money in the long run. The hitch of your trailer gets the most action and is the most likely area to need routine inspections. As winter and spring come to an end, do yourself a favour and complete a thorough maintenance service before you hit the road for long hauls this summer. If you are unsure how to do this yourself, or don’t have time, let us help you find a location that will provide professional service. 

1. Remove Excess Grease and Grime

A hitch will accumulate grease, dirt, and debris over time. Grease attracts dirt, and the longer a hitch goes without cleaning, the more it can hide damage and create wear and tear. Too much dirty grease in the contact areas of your hitch will gum up the works and erode the protective coatings on the contact plates. Make sure that the only grease on your trailer hitch is new and squeaky clean. Too much old grease will hide insidious damage. 

2. Inspect Your Trailer Hitch for Damage

Do a few spot tests to make sure that all the moving parts have their full range of mobility. Any stiffness or malfunction could be due to rust and corrosion. Untreated rust can eventually cause the critical working components to erode and break. You want to know about this risk and remedy it before you try to haul weight again. Assess whether you are able to repair the damage with a simple weld, or if a more significant rebuild/replacement is needed. 

3. Lubricate Any Moving Parts

Once the old grease is gone and you’ve checked for tell-tale signs of damage, add a new dollop of water-resistant lithium grease to the ball, screw handle, locking ratchet, couplers, kingpin, joints, hinges, and any other moving parts of your trailer. Light oil can be used on lesser load-bearing parts such as safety chains and wiring harnesses.

If you do not apply new grease, you may have the unfortunate experience of your hitch ball becoming stuck to the ball mount, thus preventing your trailer from being unhitched easily. Receiver openings often become sticky as well. Try a healthy amount of WD-40 or similar lubricant around the contact area. You may need to use a wrench to create more leverage as you attempt to loosen the component. 

Where Can Aluminum Trailers Be Serviced in Ontario? 

There are several Millroad dealers throughout Ontario who can assist you. Use the dealer section of our website to find a location that is closest to you. It is common for these locations or their contractors to offer services such as: 

• Preventative maintenance
• Kingpin replacement
• New coupler plate manufacturing
• Suspension retrofits
• Certified welding
• Spring repair
• Trailer body repairs

If you call a location that does not provide these services, ask them who they trust locally. They will likely give you a good referral. 

Millroad’s Commitment to Aluminum and Custom Trailers

As a sought-after trailer manufacturer in Ontario, we produce several trailer types, including utility trailers, flat decks, dump trailers, deck over, goosenecks, fifth wheels, and tilt trailers. We manufacture using aluminum instead of steel because it is more lightweight, durable, resistant to corrosion, easier to repair, and has a higher resale value. 

We are also proud to offer custom trailer designs to fit your specific needs. Contact us so we can discuss the specifics of what you need, including weight capacity, loading options, dimensions, flooring, and lighting. Our trailers are engineered to withstand heavy-duty usage over many years. Simply let us know what you need, and we will handle the rest.