Our 18-foot Carson flatbed has served our staff in a variety of ways over the past two years. What used to be a monumental task, requiring renting or borrowing a trailer from a friend, is now a simple jog back to the corporate office to snag our red workhorse. We stopped keeping track of how many times the rig has saved our bacon during breakdowns or while attempting to move large heavy objects across town. We don't know for sure, but by our best estimate, we say we've put well over 30,000 miles on it already. For this reason, we thought it was time for us to perform a little maintenance. We figured it was money well spent when you consider the liability of pulling large company-owned project trucks down the highway at 55 mph.
The connector plug for our...
The connector plug for our trailer had seen better days and needed to be replaced. Evidently, someone didn't realize the cable had been disconnected until the damage was already done.
While the wheels were removed,...
While the wheels were removed, we took the opportunity to inspect the trailer's leaf springs and brake wiring. Nothing is worse than having trailer issues while on the way to an event. A few extra minutes when everything's all apart can save you from hours alongside a busy roadway later.
The Atwood unit features two...
The Atwood unit features two electrical rocker switches, one to adjust the motorized up-and-down function of the jack, the other to switch on a courtesy light in the center for hitching up in dark conditions. The unit also comes with a manual override provision that allows use of a crank handle in case we should ever need to adjust the jack by hand.
We purchased four new brake...
We purchased four new brake assemblies from Johnson Associates in Salinas, California. We did this because the informative sales guy explained that replacing the whole electric-brake assemblies, complete with backing plates, would be much simpler than swapping out individual parts on each assembly. We agreed to the simpler method and shelled out $55 for each assembly. We also decided while we were at it we would replace the wheel bearings and have a new set of Interco Trailer Trac tires installed.
Every shop should have a bearing...
Every shop should have a bearing greaser like the one we used to pack our new bearings. This particular unit is nice because it allows the operator to simply pump a handle while securing the bearing on the applicator. In less than a minute, every roller was thoroughly greased and ready for use. We're not sure where you get these units, but we assure you, this was the easiest grease-pack job we ever did.
Next, we had Carson install...
Next, we had Carson install this awesome electric power jack by Atwood Mobile Products. This addition will allow us to easily raise or lower the trailer tongue in conjunction with the manual jack to achieve heights that were altogether impossible before. We also liked the fact that this jack could handle up to 2,500 pounds of tongue weight.
This pinched electrical cord...
This pinched electrical cord was causing all kinds of issues with our trailer's braking system. To combat the problem we took the trailer to the manufacturer, Carson Trailer in Compton, California, for service. Carson's technicians replaced the cord with a brand-new one, and then they tested it to prove it was wired correctly. They also discovered two of the running lamps were not working. In a little under a day, Carson had us fixed up and running again.
Due to the fact that we had...
Due to the fact that we had already installed a 12-volt automotive battery on the tongue of our trailer to power the Warn multimount winch, it made sense to ditch the smaller battery that came with the trailer and simply hook up the electric brakes to the bigger unit. So we asked the guys at Carson to perform the revision for us. Additionally, this will provide room later on down the road for an aluminum trailer storage box to be mounted on the tongue.