Ten-Item Pre-Tow List We Run Ourselves

A walkaround is the cheapest preventive maintenance there is. Five minutes before you pull out of the driveway catches loose lug nuts, low tires, broken springs, dry hubs, dead lights, and the kind of small problems that become enormous on a highway shoulder.

This guide reflects what we see in our shop in Elkhart, Indiana, working on light-duty trailer axles up to 10,000 lb. We don't service over-10k commercial axles — that's a different specification regime — but everything below that ceiling lives in our daily wheelhouse: utility, boat, snowmobile, cargo, motorcycle, ATV, and small enclosed trailers.

Lug nuts first

Always check lug nuts on the first leg of any trip after wheels were off. They settle. Re-torque after 25 miles, then again after 100. We have seen brand-new wheels come loose because someone forgot this step.

Tires, lights, latches

Walk every tire — sidewall condition, tread, pressure. Hit the lights with a helper or a brake-on indicator. Check the coupler latch by lifting on the trailer with the latch closed. If the trailer wants to come up off the ball, the latch failed.

Bearings (if you can)

Place a hand on each hub center after a 10-mile shakedown. Warm is fine. Hot enough to make you flinch is not. A hub that bakes the grease will fail before lunch.

Load and tongue

Confirm the load is centered fore-to-aft and tied down. A light tongue makes the trailer fishtail; a heavy tongue overloads the tow vehicle's rear suspension. Aim for 10–15% of total trailer weight on the tongue.

Spring 2026 note

Spring is when neglect from a winter sit shows itself — frozen-stuck brakes, leaked seals, and tires that flat-spotted in storage. If your trailer hasn't been through a real inspection this season, now is the right time to bring it in. We schedule preventative service ahead of the busy travel windows precisely so customers don't get stuck waiting two weeks during peak season.

When to call us

Most of what we cover above is owner-level work. The line we draw at the shop: anything that involves the spindle, brake hydraulics, axle replacement, or a suspension change that touches the frame, we'd rather do ourselves. Bearings, brake shoes, lights, jacks, couplers — those you can do at home or bring to us, your call.

Axle Inc. is the area's authorized Dexter Group distributor and we stock parts for trailer axles up to 10,000 lb. If you have a trailer in that range and you're in northern Indiana or southern Michigan, call (574) 264-9434 or schedule online at axle.setmore.com.