What to do with trailer during winter?

[C_M_25]

I can't use my boat for the next 3 weeks, so I put the trailer on jackstands to get the tires up off the ground. Well, when I set the trailer on stands, the shocks expanded and pushed the tires back to the ground. Granted, the majority of the weight is off the tires which is what I want. However, when it comes to storing it for the winter, I would like the tires to be off the ground completely. What do you guys do during the winter? Oh yeah, this will be stored outdoors. I will likely take the tires off, but is there something I need to do to protect the hubs? Just thinking in advance here.

[teecro]

Stop over thinking everything... I've lived from La to Mi and I've yet to see a really good reason to go through the trouble of taking the weight off of tires unless it is intended to be stored for several YEARS... Your tires will likely rot from OLD AGE before you can wear them out....

[landlockedsailor]

Been storing trailers everywhere for many years. In pole barn with concrete floor, tires ALWAYS need air the next spring. Trailers left outside with a tarp fared just fine, as long as the tires were sitting on gravel (or bricks specifically placed under the tires). Didn't need air either. Never let the tires sit on dirt. This year, new home for the pontoon, will stay on boatlift thru the winter. The brand new Suntracker trailer (compliments of Suntracker-love them) is sitting in a storage unit, on concrete floor. Next year, it's going outside, under a tarp, and on bricks. Free. Be sure to check the wheel bearings every year. You'll be fine.

[C_M_25]

I don't know why you have to come down on me like that. I'm just trying to protect my equipment.

Anyway, I store my boat in a storage facility with a gravel lot. It's a pretty good site, but it seems like they skimped on the gravel. Anyway, I'll just do what I'm doing now. Thanks

[landlockedsailor]

I don't know why you have to come down on me like that. I'm just trying to protect my equipment.s

Curious...what part of any of these answers denoted "coming down on" you?

[Bamaman]

You know, to store a pontoon boat and trailer or just a pontoon boat trailer really take a bunch of room.

If I kept my trailer in my driveway, it and my crewcab 3/4 ton truck would take up 50'+ of space.

I'm fortunate to have a paved parking lot at our lake house. Unfortunately, I also have my old pontoon boat, a Triton bass boat trailer, a SkiNautique, 2 inboard trailers, two PWC trailers, 1 PWC and a utility trailer I don't know who it belongs to. Don't you just love neighbors?

I still think about removing the four boat trailer tires seasonally--if just for security reasons. It's bad enough that they're Chinese Will Pop tires subject to blowing.

[Heatman]

Kept my toon parked in a gravel area I made off the drive for 10 years. Sold it with those 10 year old tires still in decent shape. Never a flat or issue with the trailer. Always with the weight of the toon on it.

[teecro]

I don't know why you have to come down on me like that. I'm just trying to protect my equipment.

Anyway, I store my boat in a storage facility with a gravel lot. It's a pretty good site, but it seems like they skimped on the gravel. Anyway, I'll just do what I'm doing now. Thanks

If you consider telling you to stop over complicating stuff then I'm guilty as charged....

[Bryden24shp]

I've never jacked up a trailer to keep the tires off the ground for all of my 35 boating years. From light 16 footers to my biggest Baja. Never have had an issue. Been stored on dirt, gravel, black top and cement. I really would not worry about it, to tell you the truth. But I have never had a boat trailer with shocks on it... I bet that pulls nice!

[teecro]

I've never jacked up a trailer to keep the tires off the ground for all of my 35 boating years. From light 16 footers to my biggest Baja. Never have had an issue. Been stored on dirt, gravel, black top and cement. I really would not worry about it, to tell you the truth. But I have never had a boat trailer with shocks on it... I bet that pulls nice!

Going to go out on a limb here and say that the OP meant to say springs and not shocks....

I don't like parking on dirt if for no other reason than I don't like to see the dirt rain splashed on the tires.... When I bought my utility trailer back in 02 while I was parking it in the backyard I was struggling to park it on pavers... That grew old really quick! Those same tires still look really good at 12 years old with no special treatment whatsoever. ..

[evinrude2stroke]

I've always stored my boats & jetski on their trailers with the weight on the tires. I've never had a problem. When I stored them on dirt I would roll the wheels onto concrete pavers just to keep them from sinking into the dirt over time.
Btw.... Shocks on the trailer , cool! I've never even seen that. It must be pretty expensive. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

[C_M_25]

Sorry, I should have said springs. I wish it had shocks. That would be pretty cool.

[Bamby]

It seems I'm the odd lot out again . I have to overwinter my rig in a green area, read yard. I found out the first year that through the freeze thaw processes the trailers tire would settle deeply into the soil. Fact is I thought I was going to pull the axles out from under it the following spring attempting to remove it from the yard. From that time on I now jack up the axles one side at a time and place a treated 2x8 under the tires on each side. The 2x8's hardly settle into the soil at all, the trailer removes easily in the sping, and I don't have four big divots in the yard that need filled and reseeded with grass.

[MH Hawker]

My boat sits on the trailer all winter and no special prep is done just some wood under the tires so it dont sink in the ground. I back mine in then put a 2 x 12 x 16 piece of wood in front of the tire , then pull the boat up on them, i am to lazy to jack up the trailer and this year i will have a carport with a gravel floor.

[Capt Sully]

all I do is park it. take out everything that might freeze, add some fuel treatment, keep the on-board battery charger on.

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