Raceline Helps Keep The Fleet Tuned
Story By: Staff of UTV Sports
Photos by: Brandon Bunch
I think it’s safe to say that most of us take our trailers for granted. Whether you realize it or not, it is a tool. A tool to get to the trail head, then get everything back home. It is occasionally drug through muck for a car rescue, and that’s when you really start to grasp the importance of a well maintained trailer. After all, the car is already broken on the trail, you don’t want the trailer to do the same thing. Trailers get neglected so much that when we wash ours, people want to know why we are washing the trailer, it’s just a trailer. As you go around scrubbing the side rails, it gives you a good chance to check over the welds, the structure itself, and where improvements or repairs are needed. Our Ramptek trailer has been a great tool. We have towed it all over the country at a high rate of speed with zero failures.
Once a year, the bearings get checked and serviced, then it’s right back on the road. During a recent wash, which only happens once a quarter at best, we noticed the steel wheels that came on the trailer were starting to look a bit weathered and beaten. Normally, I would think nothing of it, they are still round and have lots of good miles left in them. Sure, they may be a bit heavier than an aluminum wheel, but they get the job done. Once I noticed the wheels being tattered, it was the first thing my eyes were drawn to everytime I hooked up to the trailer. It began to eat away at me. I would never let a tool in my toolbox go like this. I could pull them, go have them re-powder coated and remount the old tires. Inspecting the tires a little closer, the date codes were 3 years old and the tread showed the 14,000+ miles they’ve traveled. Learning the hard way in my youth, being proactive on any vehicle’s tires saves time and headaches, and the frustration that comes with being stranded when you least desire.
The decision was made for some new rubber, and instead of powder coating the old steel wheels and making them look new again I did a little research which led me to RacelineWheels.com. Raceline makes trailer specific wheels that look good and at the end of the day, aren’t much more than restoring the old steelies. Powder is $50-75 a wheel in our area, and the price of a new Raceline in the size we need is just over $100. This also allows us to run the old combo until we get the new wheel and tire combo mounted up. This means one of the most important tools in the fleet isn’t unavailable for 7-10 days waiting on powder. It’s only down for 20 minutes while we make the swap.
To be a little vain, it is nice to roll into a show or trail head with a good looking truck and trailer. Although trailers are just tools, and often neglected, we still take great pride in our equipment and knock on wood, our equipment has yet to let us down. The Raceline 944B Outlander adds that little extra bit of wow factor to our little flatbed trailer for little to no real cost after you sell the old weathered steelies.
Check out RacelineWheels.com to see their array of wheels for everything you’ve got – trucks, UTVs, AND that crucial tool in tow.
Getting a bolt snug is often revered as good enough. Just a couple “ugga duggas” will do ya, right? Not quite. Good enough is not good enough when it comes to a vehicle carrying humans barrelling down the road or trail.
Boxo USA just released their speed wrench style torque wrench called the X-Torq. The strong and durable design will withstand any abuse you can throw at it without losing calibration, making it ideal for your trail bag or under the seat of your daily driver. It has 4 different torque settings, 60lb, 75lb, 80lb and 100lbs. The X-Torq is a great replacement for the calibrated elbow and you will have confidence that your lug nuts or bolts are torqued and tight after any roadside or trail repair.
Available at: boxousa.com
