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Old 02-08-2014, 12:53 PM   #1
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Road salt on AS

I've searched the forums for this issue but couldn't find anything. I'm a new AS owner and I was wondering if others pull their trailer when the roads have been salted. I had to pull a boat trailer once through road salt and every piece of bare metal is now pitted.

Do AS folk pull through salted roads or wait for sunshine?

Thanks

Rich
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Old 02-08-2014, 01:02 PM   #2
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They do pull them through salted roads and it does do a lot of damage. The other stuff they put in with the salt makes it hard to get off the surface. I would wash and scrub any residue thoroughly. A light coat of oil like WD40 won't hurt either. I would avoid salted roads if you can but you don't always have control over it. The guy that owns your trailer 10 yrs from now will have to deal with how your trailer is treated now.

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Old 02-08-2014, 02:10 PM   #3
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Corrosion from road salts!
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Old 02-08-2014, 02:36 PM   #4
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Thanks, Perry and SilverGate. I just bought an AS in another state and need to bring it home. All we've had so far this year is snow and freezing rain. The roads are lousy with salt and just as we finally got a good rain, more ice and snow.

I guess if you're out on the road and snow happens you park somewhere until it washes off or give the AS a good washing when you get home. That would be difficult to do here because of the cold temps but I guess I could take it to a truck wash or local DIY carwash.

Rich
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Old 02-08-2014, 02:41 PM   #5
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Me . . . never. It's a metal trailer and it doesn't like salt exposure of any kind.
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Old 02-08-2014, 02:57 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by perryg114 View Post
The guy that owns your trailer 10 yrs from now will have to deal with how your trailer is treated now.

Perry
I hope I'm still the owner in 10 years and I don't have to deal with the road salt. My boat trailer went from showing a little wear to showing a lot of wear after traveling only 80 miles in it. That salt spray gets into everything! Painted parts are OK but exposed metal is pitted.
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Old 02-17-2014, 02:28 PM   #7
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I've been waiting to go south from here in northern Michigan since fall of 2013. Now is the time, salt or no salt. Purchased the AS to travel with. The mid states are perdicted to have seveer thunderstorms. I'm counting on those to clean off the salt until I find a car wash in northern Florida.
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Old 02-17-2014, 04:50 PM   #8
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I drove down on Saturday to pick it up. It snowed the night before and there was a ton of salt on the wet roads. My silver 4Runner is nearly white. The sun came out, we had some lunch with the PO then hooked up and returned. The AS was as shiny as when we started out. I've very happy for that, being the new owner and all.

I think if you can wash it off the skin when you get there you'll be fine. My concern is that it was still below freezing here and I didn't know when I could wash it. In any event, it's here, no salt and we're very happy. Now for some warm weather. (Next year, Florida for sure :-) )
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Old 02-17-2014, 05:00 PM   #9
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Perryg114: WD40 is not a oil or lubricant. It is a solvent with a little silicone.
It will clean out all lubricant and leave behind a small amount of silicone which will not last long. There are many fine lubricants on the market in spray cans.
I met the inventer of WD40 in the late 60's and he was amazed that everyone loved (and bought) his product. It was the first in a spray can - convenience!
But he kept saying it was a solvent, not a lubricant - all the way to the bank!
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Old 02-17-2014, 05:22 PM   #10
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I use it for the solvent properties all the time. It is great for getting paint off your hands or even grease in a pinch. According to the MSDS sheet there is not Silicone in it. It is solvent mixed with a light oil. It will leave a fine coating of oil and displace water. The oil won't last long but it is better than nothing. Just about any liquid is a lubricant. Even water is a lubricant but not a very good one.

http://www.wd40company.com/files/pdf...d494716385.pdf

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Old 02-17-2014, 05:25 PM   #11
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Following this thread intently. How do u clean the belly pan? I am thinking that really has to get dirty, as inside all the wheels, etc. i would think panels easiest to keep clean. Tongue jack, not so much.
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Old 02-17-2014, 05:43 PM   #12
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A brush and dish soap would be the most safe. A pressure washer might work but sometimes those do more damage than good. Pressurized water can blast right through seals and caulks. I am seriously thinking of putting POR 15 or Aluthane on my belly skins when they get a little rougher. The Aluthane seems to stick well on aluminum and if it is corroded a little it will stick even better. Aluthane is aluminum powder mixed with moisture cured polyurethane. It is similar to POR 15. Aluminum and Steel mixed with water and salt are not a good combination.

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Old 02-17-2014, 09:28 PM   #13
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One would wish its just 'road salt' sodium chloride anymore, Lord help you if you get near fresh liquid sugar-based ice melt, sprayed HOURS or even DAYS in advance of a storm event (Bridges triple dosed) as it can catch even wise and prudent AS owners retreating from weather.

Sodium chloride... then there is Calcium chloride, Potassium chloride, Magnesium chloride, Ammonium nitrate, Ammonium sulfate, Potassium acetate, Urea, Calcium magnesium acetate... All of them attract moisture out of the air and while degrading make exotic daughter elements that affect metals in perpetuity, pH swings etc. changes which metals get eaten faster and on and on.

Anyhow - what could possibly be worse? Fertilizer run off and over spray, that lush green grass on your or the campground campus is not your friend!
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Old 02-18-2014, 12:54 AM   #14
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We picked up our new AS in 2008 in LA and headed to NM on the way home. Before we got there we hit a storm in AZ and had plently of salt conditions to deal with. As soon as I got back to Louisiana I washed the underside as well as the topside. I still get underneath every year and do a good spray down with WD-40. We have electric level jacks on ours and if you don't keep them oiled it doesn't take long for them to show rust. Out trailer is still in good condition and it sits under an awning.
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Old 02-18-2014, 06:11 AM   #15
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[QUOTE=Steve & Mary;1416939]We picked up our new AS in 2008 in LA and headed to NM on the way home. Before we got there we hit a storm in AZ and had plently of salt conditions to deal with. As soon as I got back to Louisiana I washed the underside as well as the topside. I still get underneath every year and do a good spray down with WD-40. QUOTE]

Do you use a pressure washer or go to a self-serve car wash?
How do you get under it? With a creeper or just crawl?

What bothered me was I knew it would still be below freezing when I arrived home, no chance to wash. I was lucky that the sun came out and dried up the roads so it looked as shiny as when we started out. I have to store mine off-site because of deed restrictions but as soon as possible I'll bring it back here and give it a good washing and apply WD-40

Since you've had yours since 2008 it appears a good washing will prevent any problems. You must buy WD-40 in the industrial sized 30 gallon drum.

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Old 02-18-2014, 06:13 AM   #16
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The undercarriage may clean itself if you drive through heavy rain for a few hours in an area farther south, as if you are traveling north to south in winter into states with no salt. Jim
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Old 02-18-2014, 07:43 AM   #17
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We are saltwater fishing people, so there is no way to launch the boat without dunking the majority of the trailer in salt water. The best way to rinse the trailer that I have found is that when you are back at the house, condo, camp, etc. just put a lawn sprinkler on a hose and stick it under the middle of the boat on the trailer and let it run full tilt for about 30-45 minutes. If you can do this on grass, so much the better. I don't see why this would not work for the underside of an Airstream.
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Old 02-18-2014, 08:05 AM   #18
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I would think a sprinkler spraying full tilt up under an Airstream for 45 minutes would soak the insulation and plywood subfloor, and may lead to electrical problems. But then I don't trust the water resistance underneath enough to tow in heavy rain either.
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Old 02-18-2014, 12:05 PM   #19
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There is salt everywhere this winter, even in Georgia and Alabama.

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Old 02-18-2014, 12:09 PM   #20
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But not all the time and not in Fl. Jim
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