Ifor Williams trailer maintenance Qs!

[ElleandAdair]

Hi, I bought a second hand (only been used twice though) HB404, the most recent model and have 2 questions.

Firstly an electrics question - they seem to be intermittent which has unnerved me on my last outing as hate not knowing whether my indicators are working! They work before we set off after lots of wriggling around and fiddling on but don't seem stable (have tried taping them etc to keep secure). However every time on arrival when I have checked, they are not working. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what they have done about it? Is there a way of improving the connection? It doesn't physically move much at all (as in the clippy thing on the car part of the connection is still latched lightly on the trailer part) but must be enough to alter the connection somehow.

Secondly what should the tyre pressures be? It carries one 475kg horse (if that makes any difference)

Many thanks in advance

 

[Tiddlypom]

Try cleaning the metal contacts in the clippy thing (good description!) on both the tow vehicle where it slots in and on the one trailer side with emery paper, they should be shiny not dull. I had exactly your problem and this sorted mine out.

The required tyre pressures are on the inside of the jockey door on my 510, they are 60psi. Knackered myself topping them up with a foot pump so I have a 12v compressor now.

 

[ElleandAdair]

I will try that, thank you. Although there isn't any rust on the metal parts, I will try that anyway and make sure they are both shiny. Thanks again!

 

[rema]

Please check the tyres first before putting 60psi in them...My friend got a second hand trailer and went to put 60psi in it and it exploded..The previous owner had put normal car tyres on the trailer that held 35 psi.It will say on the tyre wall what the psi will be and it should say somewhere on the tyre wall LT which stands for Light Truck..

 

[Tiddlypom]

Rema that's very sound advice, I hadn't even considered that the OP's tyres may not be original. I've had my trailer from new, will be needing to get new tyres for it soon (they are 7 years old now, which is about the safe lifespan) and I will replace them with the same type.

60 psi does seem very high, it always worries me as I top them up, but it is correct for the tyres I have.

 

[ElleandAdair]

Thank you rema and Tiddlypom, I will double check what's written on the tyre walls before filling them up!

 

[mjcssjw2]

I only realised there were different types of tyres a couple of months ago whilst replacing my trailer tyres. the trailers have commercial ones on and mine need 60 psi as well.

If you cant get the light working I would get a mechanic/ auto electrician to sort it out, don't think it should be that expensive and you don't want some poor unsuspecting soul crashing into the back of your pride and joy.
My tyres had a date of manufacture stamped on them if that helps.

 

[Dry Rot]

Open the lights clusters by taking off the covers. You'll need a Phillips (cross pointed) screw driver for most though the covers just pull off on some.

Take out the bulbs and rub the ends (looks lead coloured) on a stone to clean off any corrosion. It's probably just a bad contact. Or just replace the bulbs, they are not expensive. Then give the multi pin socket (between trailer and towing vehicle) a squirt of WD40. If that doesn't work, there could be a fault in the wiring, but try that first.

If it seems like a wiring fault, take it to a mechanic.