Ways To Increase The Lifespan Of Your Trailer's Roll-up DoorRoll-up doors, especially those on commercial trailers, experience a lot of heavy wear and tear because they are continuously used throughout every workday. Trailer roll-up doors are opened and closed during each delivery. Constant use of these trailer doors exposes them to being opened aggressively and slammed shut on a regular basis.
To increase the lifespan of a trailer roll-up door, you need regular maintenance. Ideally, it would help if you were giving your trailer rear doors a basic inspection from time to time, then letting a professional trailer rear door repair company, like KDM Welding & Manufacturing Service and Repair at a minimum inspect it annually, and doing an inspection every six months is highly recommended.
Doing this will save you from costly repair or replacement bills, which directly impacts your bottom line. With that said, here is a list of things you can do to maintain your trailer’s roll-up doors:
1. Keep Roller Door Clean
The area around the rear door should be cleaned periodically of debris. Cleaning this area help ensure that the tracks and mechanical parts are working smoothly and consistently.
Sweep the door area regularly so you can keep dirt, and debris such as leaves, twigs, and other small objects from accumulating at the rear door threshold of the trailer. This would only take you a few minutes once a day.
2. Inspect Door Assembly
From the outside, check for damaged panels or any evidence of pull strap or tension cable problems. If you do spot one, fix them immediately. Do this every week, at the very least. The cables and pull strap are two parts that are vital to the operation and safety of your door assembly.
Also, check if the lock is holding the door tightly and securely closed. An indication of a worn lock cam or latch plate is when a locked door bounces up and down when the trailer is moving.
3. Don’t Use Force
This goes without saying that if your rear trailer door is well maintained, it doesn’t require excessive force to open or close it.
If the simple task of opening the roll-up door feels like a strength training session, then that’s a sign that you might need a trailer rear door repair. So you should get it checked right away and prevent further damage that is most likely to increase repair costs. Moreover, you would also avoid any risk of injury to yourself, or other employees.
4. Schedule A Check-up
Rear door trailer repair experts can perform the necessary check-ups to give your trailer doors the once-over. It is advised to schedule a service appointment at least every six months.
Conclusion
Regular maintenance of your trailer’s roll-up door ensures that you reduce your door’s mechanical parts’ wear and tear and the risk of rolling door-related accidents.
But if the problem is already present, replace or repair the problem item immediately. If you hold off any necessary repairs or parts replacement for too long, it might end up costing you more than it should. Prolonging the problem could wind up injuring an employee.
So, the best thing to do at the first sign of trouble is to contact a rear door trailer repair company (Like KDM Welding & Manufacturing!). You won’t only protect your pockets. You’d also be protecting the people who are involved in your business – your drivers, and other workers.