Horse Trailer Tip of The Month - June 2007

With show season in full swing our minds are full of all things relating to getting the trailer packed with show equipment, show clothes, clean bedding, work tack, feed, grooming tools and supplies...the list seems endless. Keeping the LQ stocked with food, clothing and essentials is another whole list. But we've got it done and we are headed down the road. Whether traveling near or far, each weekend or once a month, we all seem to remember most of our essentials for survival of human and animal. We keep up with maintenance on our vehicles because breakdowns not only slow you down but can be very costly. How many of us pay close enough attention to our horse trailers tires?

Monitoring tire pressure is a simple procedure and one that should be conducted constantly. Tire air pressure can change for many different reasons including leakage and temperature.  Carrying a good tire gauge and using it can offset a myriad of problems we would all rather avoid. These problems include uneven tire wear, premature tire wear and tire blow outs.  It takes only moments while fueling to check the air pressure in your tires, to make sure that the bearings aren't too hot and to see that your valve stems are intact. Make your fuel stops a total "Pit Stop" for humans, animals and equipment.

Knowing what size and load grade tire your trailer has the manufacturer has a suggested tire air pressure. Set the air pressure to the maximum rated pressure for the tire to achieve maximum load capacity and tire life.