Trailer parts are just like any other vehicle parts—they can and will wear down over time. Knowing whether they need to be repaired or replaced isn’t always easy, though. We recommend consulting with a trailer repair professional when assessing the state of your trailer’s parts. They’ll let you know if it’s time to replace them or not.

Bear in mind that it is always cheaper to repair, replace or service parts BEFORE it becomes unavoidable. Doing so saves damage to other components, the tow vehicle, the trailer itself and other vehicles and road users.

The following is a few areas and aspects to consider when deciding whether to repair or replace your trailer parts.

• Are the parts you are replacing readily available? If the parts are specialist parts or from an old make or model product, then sourcing them may be time consuming and expensive. Replacing uncommon parts with mainstream items may cost more initially, but future repairs or replacements will be cheaper. Replacing bearings is a good example of this. Say you have a trailer with non-standard bearings on it. Replacing your hubs and stubs with a more common, and easily sourced hub/stub set will mean servicing and replacing parts for your trailer will be cheaper and faster next time, because the parts are much more affordable and can be sent to you overnight.

• Have you checked all the components in a part before replacing one thing? Might there be other components that are becoming worn and will need to be replaced soon? By checking how much life the parts you weren’t initially going to replace have, and replacing or repairing all areas that may need attention at once, the labour cost is greatly reduced and means the trailer only has to be out of commission for one period of time, rather than multiple.

• Components and parts should always be replaced in pairs where possible as if one half is being replaced due to wear, the other half will have done just as much work. Also, only replacing one half of a pair will simply mean that in the near future, the other half will also need to be replaced – resulting in the trailer being off the road and more time and money spent replacing it. In areas such as braking and suspension, replacing only half of a pair of parts can also lead to inconsistency in performance, and compromise the overall functionality.

• If you are thinking of repairing a damaged axle, check that it’s straight and not bent at all. It may be worth looking at replacing the entire unit rather than doing expensive repairs to a bent or damaged axle. It is often cheaper than the cleaning and labour required to bring an old axle unit back up to spec.

         You can check out Trailequip’s custom axle quoting tool HERE.

In conclusion, there is no hard and fast rule as to whether you should repair parts or replace them. As with most things, the options should be looked at, and the best one for the situation should be used. As a general rule, it is recommended that you check the cost of a whole new unit vs replacement parts, factor in the cost of the labour required to carry out any repairs then analyse, research and determine which option will work best for you. Often buying new products and replacing oddball parts will save you time and money in the future – by spending a little more now, you can save a lot further down the track.