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September 16, 2024

Trailer Cleaning 2024

I have a reminder on my calendar to wash and wax my trailer once a year in September. September is always a beautiful month here, very little rain and decent temps (though this year - ugh - we haven't had a good rain since June and my pastures are literally dying, so I would take some less beautiful weather, please and thank you).

Hank showing off my hay field, which is naturally in better shape than the pastures since it's not fenced and doesn't get grazed.

Buuuuut in 2022 and 2023 I just...didn't. Depression, not showing much, blah blah blah. So anyway, there was 3 years' worth of...stuff...to chisel off this trailer.


I'm happy to report that Wash Wax All still did the trick even with it being extra dirty. I washed and waxed the whole thing with 2 gallons of water and six towels. I do also have wash mitts on extension poles, but I mostly only used those on the roof. I didn't find that it saved me much time, and I do like getting up close and personal with the trailer skin once a year, so that I can closely inspect any new rock chips, etc.

 

In some places, I started with the slightly stronger Wash All from the same company, which contains stronger degreasers and doesn't contain wax. Mostly, this was just because I was lazy and didn't want to have to scrub that hard. Then I followed it with Wash Wax All to give it that protective wax coating.

A fairly obvious before/after of the skin on the nose

 

Really, it felt good to take care of it. I still adore this trailer. I've had it 7 years next month, and it's been nothing but good to me. I also took the opportunity to spray UV protectant on the rubber seals, and silicone lube on the window tracks.

Before

 

After
 

It's also just one of those chores that makes my brain itch, seeing that dirty trailer sitting there every time I walk to the manure pile, feeling that little twinge "You should be doing this and you're not." A lot of things around the farm are like that for me, which is why I'm grateful that my boarders have agreed to a fall clean-up day later this month, when we're going to knock out the "need to get to that" chores all at once.

7 years old and you can still see your reflection in the paint. My work here is done.


14 comments:

  1. Looks beautiful! I imagine that is a very satisfying chore :-D

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  2. lol you'll appreciate this --- my trailer went from being parked under a tree, to be prominently parked at the bottom of the sloping main driveway at the new place --- suuuuper visible, in all is filthy glory lol... took approximately 4 days of being at the new place to drag that thing to the nearest wash and clean it up, bc dear lord haha...

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    1. Haha, way to bring down the new place (and then bring it up again)

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  3. That pic of the nose makes me remember that I need to wash the car...

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    1. Tell me about it, now I'm looking at my truck nose like "hmmm".

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  4. I washed mine this weekend too, after a similar time span and guilt feelings. Yours looks great! I'm identifying fully with the reluctance to sink the time into it, but the resulting satisfaction being well worth it :)

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    1. It is, and it's worth it to protect something I really don't want to buy again.

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  5. It looks great! Mine is overdue for a wash and my poor truck is filthy.

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    1. Ugh, same. I am living on a quarter mile long gravel driveway now. Just thankful I got rid of the black truck for a white one a year ago.

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  6. Ugh, I need to do this too. But last time it took me eight hours. I don't have eight hours of patience right now. I have to thank you for the product recommendation though, this stuff really works so well!

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    1. You have a big trailer, I'm sure it takes a long time! This one takes me about 2-3 hours depending on how thorough I am (and just for the outside).

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  7. I still have that stuff too (Thanks for the recommendation) and I need to do my trailer as I really would like to sell this slant and get a straightload instead. But it needs cleaning from the gross winter/spring stuff that gathers on it :) Thanks for the reminder!

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    1. Every once in a while I am tempted to offer to buy your slant now that I have two horses, and then I remember I'm buying a farm...lol.

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