Keeping up with inspection, maintenance and service assures reliable performance from your Featherlite trailer. If you’re not comfortable or confident you can do the work, your Featherlite dealer is ready to be of service.
How often should these items be checked and who should check them? Download our handy
trailer use, care & maintenance guide (pdf).
The best way to care for the finish on your trailer is to keep it clean both inside and out. Road chemicals, tree sap, environmental pollution and animal waste can be very harmful to your trailer. Frequent washing can be one of the best ways to prolong the life of your trailer. Most products suitable for automotive finishes will work well on the exterior of your trailer, although you should use extreme caution when using automotive "cleaner" waxes or polishing compounds as the abrasives contained in these products can damage the baked on finish of your trailer. Standard automotive waxes applied to the painted surfaces of your trailer can provide protection to the finish against staining and discoloration.
Six to eight inches is the best. Clearance of less than that can be used with additional care by the driver, and trailers that are used off the road or that are towed in uneven terrain require the driver to be extra careful to prevent damage.
Owner's manuals are available for download from our website. You can also call Featherlite Customer Service at 563-547-6000 to request one by mail.
It is very important that when your trailer is loaded that it is as level as possible. If the trailer is not level, the suspension system in the axles can be damaged, or the tires on one axle may be overloaded. Measure the distance from the bottom of the trailer frame at the front and rear of the trailer on a level surface and compare the measurement. The measurements should be nearly equal. This should be done with the trailer in a loaded condition. If the measurements are not equal, the gooseneck stem or the hitch on the towing vehicle will need to be adjusted.
An older gooseneck trailer can be hauled with one of the new taller pickups, but the clearance between rails of the pickup box and the bottom of the gooseneck needs to be checked out. Insufficient clearance will result in damage to the pickup box and underside of the gooseneck. Some older trailers will need to be raised to work with a new taller pickup. Most dealers can help you with this situation.
Call your Featherlite dealer concerning warranty issues, and they will make arrangements to get the problem resolved. In the rare event that your Featherlite dealer is not able to assist you, call Featherlite Customer Service at 563-547-6000 and they will help you.
Yes! Featherlite warranties are transferable! There are some restrictions: Transferable warranty is available only on a trailer with remaining warranty that is traded in for a new Featherlite trailer at an authorized Featherlite dealer and resold by the authorized Featherlite dealer.
Most trailer tires should be run at their maximum inflation pressure. Consult the maximum pressure rating on the sidewall of the tire, and inflate your tires to this amount when the tires are cold. The pressure will rise as the tire heats up, so it is important to check them before you leave and not bleed off the pressure when they get hot. Most tire failures result from too low of pressure, overloading or excessive speed. These factors or a combination causes the tire to become hot and may result in a catastrophic tire failure.
The stability of bumper pull trailers is directly associated with the tongue weight of the trailer. Trailers loaded with too much weight on the rear of the trailer may have problems with sway. Trailers with too much weight loaded on the front of the trailer may have excessive tongue weight that could overload the hitch on the towing vehicle or exceed the capacity of the trailer hitch. It is extremely important to load your trailer properly. Please consult your owner's manual for more information.