Should a Trailer Breakaway Battery Be Brought inside When Trailer is Winterized

Published 12/17/2014

Products Featured in This Question

Hopkins Engager Trailer Breakaway Kit w/ Charger, LED Tester, and 5 Ah Battery - Side Load

(745)

$59.47

CTEK MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Universal Battery Charger w/ Pulse Maintenance and Backup Power

(93)

$199.99

Bolt-On Stainless Steel Spring Latch

(139)

$25.21

Question:

does the battery need to come in for the winter? I have the trailer up high enough to remove tires for winter after doing so should have just covered tires with large garbage bags. And in winterizing the trailer for winter forgot about brake away box battery. Does it need to be stored inside? and does it need to be trickle charged? And have 2 other questions I have a Homesteader Patriot model I picked it up for a hunt in Alberta Ca. It has freezers secured inside and room for a cot to sleep in. ! I Plan to insulate it so can put a small heater inside so when the weather dont co-operate can take the chill off and dry wet clothes and boots. Would it do nest to use a foam board of have it sprayed in which would mean if ever had to repair skin would be a mess. Or use fiber glass batting? I had some of the plywood panels off to stop the sides from drumminginch as traveled and would at sometime would start to crack around the rows of exterior screws. Maybe should have fiber glass all the bays between tubing in walls?roof insulation also? Also wish to put RV latch on man door along with the bar lockinch trying to keep door shut with para=cord tied to handle and pulling it shut dont work too good and youre inside.

asked by: Wayne H

Expert Reply:

It would be a good idea to bring your breakaway battery inside and put it on a trickle charger if it's going to be parked for a while in the bitter cold. An inactive battery will slowly lose it's charge over time, especially in the cold.

For a charger with pulse maintenance that would do an excellent job keeping your battery in good condition for the winter you would want the CTEK # CTEK56353.

For the man door you have you could use the # SL716SS installed on the inside of the door so that you could secure the door shut from inside since you said it uses a cam-bar latch system.

We don't carry insulation that would work for your trailer, but I checked around online and found that a lot of guys in your situation go with a blue board style of insulation. Using a spray insulation on a trailer can work, but since the trailer will flex as it goes down the road it can crack.

expert reply by: Jameson C