Trailering: Safety Tip #3

This is part of an ongoing series of posts about trailering.  If you're an old hand at hauling horses, please chime in!  

Here is a safety feature that you might not have thought of to include when hauling your own horse.  

I carry a Trailer-Aid to help with flat tires.  An alternate brand is Jiffy Jack.  Unfortunately, I do know how to use this tool and have done so on a number of occasions.  Fortunately, I've never had to use it while on the road.  All of my flats have either been discovered during my "walk around," or once I've returned home.

Here's how it works: If you have a flat on the trailer, loosen, but don't remove, the lug nuts on the flat tire.  If the front tire is flat, place the Trailer-Aid behind the good tire.  If the rear tire is flat, place the Trailer-Aid in front of the good tire.  Carefully pull up, or back onto, the Trailer-Aid.  This will lift the trailer high enough off the ground to allow you to remove the flat tire and replace it with a spare.  Once the spare is on, hand tighten the lug nuts.  Pull forward, or back off the Trailer-Aid, and continue to tighten the spare tire's lug nuts.

Using a traditional jack to lift your trailer is dangerous, especially if you have horses still inside the trailer. The Trailer-Aid is made of an exceptionally strong resin and will support the weight of your trailer without risk of cracking or collapsing.  As an added benefit, the Trailer-Aid can also be used as a wheel chock. 

Trailering Safety Tip #3: Always carry a Trailer-Aid and a properly inflated spare tire.

---