Dump Trailer Spring Battery Maintenance

Earlier this month, thousands of people gathered to watch whether the groundhog would see his shadow—and predict six more weeks of winter—or whether spring would come early this year. According to Punxsutawney Phil, a famous groundhog from Pennsylvania, spring is set to arrive early this year.

While most yard care doesn’t start picking up until March or April when spring is well and truly in place, there are still some things you can do now to make sure you’re ready for a season of landscaping—such as making sure your dump trailer batteries are ready after a cold winter.

As with any batteries, it is a good idea to run a yearly maintenance check on dump trailer batteries. Especially if they’ve been sitting unused all winter or have been exposed to the weather.

Yearly Maintenance Check

Your maintenance check should always include these three things:

#1: Clean the battery posts
Dump trailers aren’t intended to be clean spaces. You’re hauling dirt, branches, shingles, and a lot of other dirty objects; before you make any connections at the battery, make sure the posts are clean and corrosion-free. Even small amounts of corrosion or debris from your load can add resistance and ultimately lead to a bad electrical connection. Be particularly mindful of your ground connections.

#2 Check the cables
Look at where the cable is crimped to the lug. The crimp between the wires and the lug should be tight with no wire strands sticking out and there should be no strands missing or broken off. If the crimp is covered with heat shrink or something similar, it should not be torn or have any holes in it.

#3 Check the connections
Loose battery connections can have the same effect as a dirty or corroded battery post—they limit the current that can flow, which reduces the power the battery can deliver through that connection. All battery connections should be “bright and tight.”
In summary, whether the weather coincides with Phil’s prediction or not, spring is right around the corner and it’s time to make sure your equipment is ready for it!

Looking for a better way to keep your dump trailer batteries charged while on the job? Read on…

Keeping the Battery Charged on the Job

When it comes to powering a dump trailer, the theory is simple: if the battery doesn’t have power, the trailer doesn’t go up. Or down, as the case may be. So, it’s important to make sure the battery is getting the charging power it needs to finish the job without leaving you stuck having to track down jumper cables.

The most common charging methods are:

• A charge received from the truck, usually through a 7-way plug
• Solar
• A 110 charging station that must be plugged into an outlet

We offer a convenient solution for the first two options. The Purkeys BOSS™ Dump Trailer Charging System ensures batteries remain charged and increases the reliability of your trailer. You can get more information about the BOSS system here.

In the solar category, we offer the Solar Dash™ as a charge maintenance system for trailers that are only used a few times a week. You can get more information about the Solar Dash here.

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