Re: [A/S] trailer plates

["Harvey Barlow" <harveybarlow@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob,

I think a signed and dated bill of sale clearly matched to the newly
purchased trailer will keep you out of trouble with an explanation that you
are headed home and will register the trailer upon arrival.

As another listee suggested, I'd be more concerned with old dry rotted tires
and wheel bearings that have not been serviced.  Two weeks ago I was towing
my '84 A/S approximately two miles from home to my local SAM'S Club at 40
mph to have a new set of tires installed.  The existing tires were installed
by the previous owner about 5 years ago and still had good tread depth and
were properly inflated.

As I slowed for a traffic signal one half block from SAM's, I was almost to
a complete stop and felt a rhythmic bumping sensation from the trailer.
After the light changed to green, I towed the trailer the remaining half
block at about 10 mph.  When the tire installers jacked it up, I had lost
about 1/3 of the tread from one of the old tires and had damaged the inner
fender well above the bad tire.  The plastic inner fender was cracked!  If I
had been pulling at 60 mph or better the entire inner fender, and possibly
the side of the trailer and even the sink counter above would have been
destroyed as well.  Ask Hunter, our list mom.  She has photos of her blown
tire experience.   It is impossible to get a trailer stopped before
extensive damage occurs if a tire blows or sheds its tread at highway towing
speeds, even if you are looking in your mirrors as it blows.  And an
unserviced set of wheel bearings can contain dried grease, contamination,
moisture, or rust.  A failed wheel bearing twist off a spindle shaft and
loose a wheel and tire into oncoming traffic or against a parked and
immovable object or even a pedestrian.  And as with a blowout, the tire and
wheel will tear out the side of the trailer before it proceeds on its
destructive path.

I think all of us would recommend taking a newly purchased trailer straight
to a good service facility where the bearings can be cleaned, inspected, and
packed, and the brakes inspected and adjusted.  Also, carefully inspect the
tires paying most attention to the DOT code molded into the sidewall.  The
DOT code is a three digit, now four digit number which identifies the week
and year the tire was molded.  520 or 5200 would indicate a tire molded in
December of 2000.  If the tires are over about four years old, regardless of
how new they look, consider replacing them before you tow the trailer.

You didn't say where you are, where you will be traveling to, or the year
and size range you are looking for.  Someone on the list may be able to
suggest trailers that you could include in your travel route.

Good luck,
Harvey Barlow