Keeping Your Boat Trailer From Rotting Out This Autumn

Give the whole rig a massive wash down. I reckon a high-pressure cleaner is essential here to get the salt and red dust out of the nooks and crannies. Pay extra attention to the leaf springs and inside the C-channel of the frame.

Let it sit in the sun for an hour. You don't want to be spraying Lanotec over wet metal, or you'll just trap the moisture in. Use this time to grab a cold one and have a visual scan for any obvious cracks in the welds.

Chock the wheels on the opposite side, loosen the wheel nuts slightly while it's on the ground, then jack it up and get those stands underneath. Make sure you're on level concrete, not soft grass.

Look for 'spider webbing' or cracks in the sidewalls. Our UV is brutal, and trailer tyres often rot before the tread actually wears out. If they're more than 5-6 years old, I'd seriously consider chucking them and getting new ones, regardless of how much tread is left.

Grab the wheel at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions and give it a shake. There should be almost zero movement. If it clunks, your bearings need tightening or replacing.

Take off the Bearing Buddies or dust caps. If the grease inside looks milky or brown, you've got water ingress. That's a sign the seals have failed and you need to repace the whole lot.

If the grease looks clean, give it a few pumps with the grease gun until the piston on the Bearing Buddy moves out slightly. Don't overdo it or you'll blow the rear seal and get grease all over your brakes.

If you've got disc brakes, check the pad thickness. If they're under 2mm, swap them out. Give the rotors a quick hit with some brake cleaner to get any oily residue off.

This is where most trailers die. Check for heavy flaking rust between the leaves. Use your wire brush to clean them up, then soak them in Lanotec or a dedicated leaf spring lubricant. (Truth be told, I reckon Lanotec is the best thing ever invented for this).

Plug it into the car and check every light. Clean the terminals in the plug with some contact cleaner. If you've still got the old incandescent bulbs, do yourself a favour and swap the whole lot for sealed LED units. They're much more reliable in salt water.

Unwind the whole winch strap. Check for frays or sun damage. Wind it back on neatly and put a tiny bit of grease on the winch gears. Don't get grease on the strap itself, though!

Check the hitch. If it's rattling too much on the ball, adjust the screw on top (if yours has one) to tighten the fit. Slap a bit of grease on the towball too, it stops that annoying groaning sound when you're turning.

Go over the whole frame with a can of Tectyl or Lanotec. Focus on the bolt holes and where the axles meet the frame. This stuff creeps into the gaps and stops the oxygen getting to the metal.