How to Maintain a Trailer

Operating and storing a trailer through various weather conditions will eventually lead to wear and tear that can make operating it dangerous.  Perform these routine maintenance steps to keep your trailer at its optimal performance level.

Do a walk around inspection of your trailer each time you hitch it to a vehicle.  Check for visible damage to the walls, floor, tail lights, tires, and to the wiring harness.  Look under the trailer to see if there is anything hanging down that may drag the ground.  If the walls or floor of the trailer are made of wood, keep the wood treated to avoid rotting.  If you find rotten boards, replace them immediately.  If the majority of the trailer is metal, apply a fresh coat of paint at least once a year and touch up scratches or exposed metal to help prevent rust.

Check the wiring harness for breaks or brittle wires.  Replace any corroded wires or connectors and try to run them through a piece of conduit if possible.  Ask someone to assist you with checking brake lights and turn signals.  Replace any burned-out bulbs.  Verify that the license tag has an up-to-date renewal sticker and that the registration for the trailer is in the glove box of the vehicle which will tow it.

Inspect the trailer hitch and be sure the ball is attached tightly.  With the trailer attached to the hitch, test the connection by pulling up on it aggressively, but be careful not to strain your back.  The safety chains should be clean and rust-free and they should be attached each time the trailer is used.

Use a tire pressure gauge to check the pressure in the trailer’s tires.  Do not load too much cargo onto the trailer as to exceed the recommended towing capacity.  If you are not sure about this limit, check the trailer manufacturer’s website for details or look in the owner’s manual if you have a copy.  Do these routine checks to ensure the safety of your cargo as well as everyone who will be traveling on the same road.

How to Make a Light Bulb Easier to Remove from the Socket

Do you have an old light fixture that grips the light bulb in a way that makes it difficult to remove? If too much stress is applied while trying to remove the bulb, it will often cause the bulb to shatter. This article teaches a simple way to make light bulbs easier to remove.

When installing or removing a light bulb into an overhead light fixture, it is wise to wear protection for your eyes. Position the light switch for the light fixture to the OFF position. Carefully remove the installed light bulb from the light socket. If the bulb shatters, you will need to remove the metal base from the socket before proceeding.

Find a new light bulb which has never been installed. Rub the threads of the metal base of the new light bulb with the bar of soap. Be careful not to cover the bottom tip of the metal base with soap because it needs to make solid contact with the metal piece inside the base of the light socket. Carefully install the new light bulb into the socket. The next time the bulb must be replaced, it should be noticeably easier to remove from the socket. Position the switch for the light fixture back into the ON position to test the new light bulb. If the room is illuminated, you have completed your task.

Tips & Warnings

• Collect extra bars of soap each time you stay in a hotel. Use this soap to coat the metal threads of the light bulb instead of the soap that you bathe with.
• Always use caution when handling electrical devices!
• Wear eye protection to change the bulbs in overhead light fixtures.

Choosing the Correct Engine Oil

It’s time to change the oil in your car, but when you go to the store, you find that many different types of engine oil are available.  Which one should you choose?

Go to your nearest automotive parts store or retail super center.  Locate the large selection of engine oil.  The viscosity of the engine oil should be clearly labeled on the bottle.  This will be a series of numbers and letters, like 10W-30.  Viscosity is the measure of resistance of the oil as it is being deformed by stress.  The first part of the number in the viscosity rating, (ex. 10W) refers to the weight (10) of the oil and whether it is rated (W) for winter use.  The second part of the number (ex. -30) refers to how thin the weight of the oil will be when it is warmed to operating temperature.  The oil actually changes viscosity when heated due to the addition of polymers by the manufacturer.

5W viscosity oil is thin oil and circulates quickly.  It is used for lower temperatures.

5W-20 viscosity oil is used for outside temperatures ranging from -20 °F to 0 °F.

5W-30 viscosity oil is used for outside temperatures ranging from -20 °F to 60 °F.

10W oil is thicker than 5W and is suitable for most temperatures.

10W viscosity oil is used for outside temperatures ranging from 0 °F to 60 °F.

10W-30 viscosity oil is used for outside temperatures ranging from 0 °F to 100 °F.

10W-40 viscosity oil is used for outside temperatures ranging from 0 °F to 100 °F.

20W-20 viscosity oil is used for outside temperatures ranging from 20 °F to 100 °F.

20W-40 viscosity oil is used for outside temperatures ranging from 20 °F to 100 °F.

20W-50 viscosity oil is used for outside temperatures ranging from 20 °F to 100 °F.

Always check the manufacturer’s specifications for your engine before adding or changing the oil and never mix oils of different viscosity together.  Remove one before adding the other and be sure to change the oil filter.

How to Make Christmas Lights Last Longer

Decorating for Christmas is always exciting, but who really enjoys stringing 3000 lights onto a Christmas tree only to have to remove them a month later? The next year you pull out the same strings of light bulbs and half of them don't work. There must be a better way!

Many Christmas trees are offered as "pre-lit" trees, but those weren't always available. For people with non-pre-lit trees who only enjoy stringing Christmas lights for the first ten minutes, this article should offer some encouraging suggestions. First buy one of the long green extension cords with outlets positioned every 12 inches or so. These should be available at your local home improvement store and are made specifically for plugging in Christmas lights. The very last plug should be positioned within about a foot from the top of the tree and the remainder of the cord should run down the center of the tree. You may want to wrap the cord around the center pole of the tree so that it will stay towards the center and not stand out.

If you will be using an angel that requires electricity on top of the tree, go ahead and situate her on top and plug her in. Now, begin at the top and work your way down wrapping each branch with several Christmas lights. Pull the lights out to the end of the branch and wrap towards the center. Leave several lights loose in the middle near the center. You will appreciate the effect once the entire tree is lit and you see that the lights appear to be scattered within the tree and not just on the outside portion of the branches. Use lots of lights! Don't worry about how long it may take to remove them later.

Now, here's the best part, when Christmas is over, leave all of the Christmas lights on the tree! Remove the delicate ornaments and the angel and wrap the tree carefully with a blanket. Pick up the tree, lights and all, and move it to your storage building. Stand the tree up for storage. The reason for leaving the lights on the tree is because removing them contributes to the reason why they don't work the very next year. Most strands of Christmas lights will work if several of the bulbs burn out, but the entire strand goes out if a single bulb is loosened or removed. By carefully wrapping the tree in a blanket and then storing it standing up, you are protecting the bulbs from unnecessary pressure and movement. They will last for years. If some of the bulbs burn out, they may be replaced or fixed.

Tips & Warnings

• Be very careful when moving the Christmas tree, not to bang it on the sides of a door or wall. That will completely defeat the purpose of leaving the lights on the tree and you will end up having to find which bulb is loose out of hundreds of them.