Pad for winter storage

[Tompan]

Does anyone have suggestions for building a pad to park a trailer for the winter? Does a gravel/stone pavement help eliminate moisture problems and tire rot? And is it best to block the tires off the ground?

[HABBERDABBER]

A concrete pad is likely best......less tranfser of ground moisture upwards. If you laid down several layers of plastic sheeting and covered it with gravel, with some slope for drainage of the gravel, that might be 2nd best. I've read that it doesn't matter a whole lot to jack the rig off the ground. I back onto & store my rig on top of 2"X 10" boards beneath the tires to keep them out of the mud. If you lifted it some, that would prevent flat spots on the tires with long winter storage, but I've not done that and not noticed a problem or issue. Getting the rig out of the weather and protected from the sun seems best....to me. Indoor storage is THE best, but in lieu of that, a sturdy, well cinched cover does a pretty good job of protection from the elements. Oddly, old Mr. Sun can do the majority of material degradation of your rig and not water, cold, dampness, etc. It's a good practice to brush the snow off, if heavy accumulations occur. A telescoping pole with a course bristled, adjustable angled brush works well for that.

Tire "rot" is the result of UV solar exposure, mostly, and ozone in the air which you can't control, and lack of use. There are compounds in the tire rubber that, when driven and heated during flexing migrate within the rubber material to provide UV surface protection. Or so I've read.

All this is not evidence nor belief, just one fellows opinion.

[gbaglo]

My trailer has sat outside, under a cedar, on asphalt driveway since 2008. Only cover is a coat of wax, which it needs right now. It's not jacked up. I replaced the tires after seven years, needed or not. I think my mechanic sold them or gave them away.

[cpaharley2008]

I installed a concrete pad and then put the tires up on 2x10 lumber while in storage. Something about the acid in the concrete shortening the tire life? Not sure why now?

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Tompan

Does anyone have suggestions for building a pad to park a trailer for the winter? Does a gravel/stone pavement help eliminate moisture problems and tire rot? And is it best to block the tires off the ground?

I use a couple layers of heavy duty poly tarp on top of gravel. I then put enough solid concrete blocks on the tarp to park the trailer tires on top of the concrete blocks. Not as good as a concrete pad, but, still helps block the moisture.

[rmitch]

Where the trailer resides ( beside the house ). I poured two concrete pads about 1 foot by 7 foot, for the trailer to sit on. They are sloped in front and back so the trailer rolls on easily. I also made sure they were level, so the trailer sits level. The rest of the area is covered in gravel.

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I installed a concrete pad and then put the tires up on 2x10 lumber while in storage. Something about the acid in the concrete shortening the tire life? Not sure why now?

Concrete is the opposite of acidic. It is very, very alkaline, chemically. If you've ever worked with it and gotten it on your hands, you'll feel and see the damage. Think Drano alkaline strong.

[cpaharley2008]

Acidic or alkaline, I knew something was bad.....

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Acidic or alkaline, I knew something was bad.....

Is that why I5 is made of concrete slabs?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Is that why I5 is made of concrete slabs?

Ideal highway construction includes a sound base, concrete slabs for structure, then an asphalt surface finish. Neither unsealed concrete nor asphalt is likely the ideal material to park a tire on, but parking (most the vehicle's life) and driving are different scenarios. Sealed concrete seems about ideal for parking, but you wouldn't want to drive on it in rain.

[gbaglo]

Wife and I rode in the back "seat" of a Jeep XJ, Vancouver to Seattle, years ago. There was no asphalt from the border on down. Worst road trip ever.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Wife and I rode in the back "seat" of a Jeep XJ, Vancouver to Seattle, years ago. There was no asphalt from the border on down. Worst road trip ever.

Yep, those slab joints and cracks can be really rough without a smoothing layer of asphalt.

[Iowa Dave]

Here’s a picture. Not pretty. We were pouring a concrete patio at our first house. We had to wheel the concrete in wheelbarrows. It was a hot summer morning and we knew we’d have to get after finishing it quickly. As I turned to lift the handles on my wheelbarrow, I had to bend down and with my low rider pants I was slightly exposed. A dollop of wet concrete fell off the end of the chute and slid down my back and inside of my jeans. I paid no attention and kept working for a couple more hours until we finished with the bull float and edgers. By then I had a nagging fire on my butt. Took a couple weeks to heal the burn the wet concrete left. I was more careful in the future. Wet concrete is caustic make no mistake. A safety tip memory from
Iowa Dave

[cpaharley2008]

Thanks for the laughs Dave, that picture will not leave my mind...........

[Tompan]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts on making a pad. Sounds like I might not need anything too fancy. I bought a cover that's arriving tomorrow. So I'll cover it and drive the wheels onto some wood, and see how it goes for the first winter.

You never know what kind of a concrete road these threads will lead to. While reading Dave's reply I really expected a more serious turn in his story where he had constipation for a month and they needed a jackhammer to clear things up.

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Tom
Nope nothing that dramatic however having managed 25 public park restrooms,
6 Municipal pools and several recreation centers I can regale you with stories about plumbing failures, demented users, explosion vandalism, freezing, unlocked doors over a whole winter etc. if you can dream it, I’ve seen it and either had to fix it or have one of my maintenance men fix it.

Two older fellas in Council Bluffs were my daily restroom servicing crew. They called themselves “The Turdelers”. There should be a special room for park restroom maintenance people, men and women, in the park worker hall of fame. If I win the lottery I’m gonna build the building.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever sawed out a new outhouse seat on a piece of plywood for a “log cabin” outhouse with a bow saw and a 5 pack of sandpaper to smooth the edges up because the porcupines chewed the old one up craving butt salt. I have.
Iowa Dave