I've only had two trips on my trailer and I was just starting to think that I should be tracking the mileage on the trailer itself so I know when the tires may be wearing out, etc.That leads to a bigger question too, how do people track how often they need various service done (wheel bearings, cleaning tanks, monitoring battery water levels, checking lug nuts, etc)?I bet somebody out there has a calendar/schedule that they have put together listing all of the items that should be done over time and that person has come up with a way to track if they have been done.What do you guys and gals do to track things?

kohai wrote: I was just starting to think that I should be tracking the mileage on the trailer itself so I know when the tires may be wearing out, etc.You can pretty much knock that off your list. Trailer tires wear out from age, not mileage. Start worrying at about 4 years.And those other things are age-related also, not mileage.. unless of course you tow thousands of miles a year.

For just a total of miles towed my truck tracks that every time I hook up the camper. I can program up to five trailer names and the computer will keep track of the mileage for each one when it is connected.

kohai wrote:I've only had two trips on my trailer and I was just starting to think that I should be tracking the mileage on the trailer itself so I know when the tires may be wearing out, etc.That leads to a bigger question too, how do people track how often they need various service done (wheel bearings, cleaning tanks, monitoring battery water levels, checking lug nuts, etc)?I bet somebody out there has a calendar/schedule that they have put together listing all of the items that should be done over time and that person has come up with a way to track if they have been done.What do you guys and gals do to track things?Simple log book for mileage, and use the odometer in the TV. Wheel bearings, once a year or 5000 miles whichever comes first. Battery water level, once a month and before every trip. lug nuts and tire pressure, before each trip and before starting home. Tanks are dumped at camp ground, and flushed after we get home from every trip.Sanitize freshwater tank at least once a year or more often if letting it set more than a month.

Teamfour wrote:For just a total of miles towed my truck tracks that every time I hook up the camper. I can program up to five trailer names and the computer will keep track of the mileage for each one when it is connected.That's really cool. My truck is pretty much only used to pull the camper, so there's not much difference between the two.

I have an excel spreadsheet set up. Each line item list the date, destination(s), # of nights spent, and miles traveled. I don't worry about exact mileage. I use google maps by entering the start point, intermediate point(s), and end point to get a resonable mileage number to plug in. When I do things like buy new tires or pack bearings, I enter a new line item at that point in time.Then at the bottom I have summation cells to keep a running total of miles traveled, total nights spent, miles since last bearing pack, miles on current tires, etc.Simple and easy to do. I update it when I return home. And I do not have to worry about remembering to read the odometer each time.

How do you track your mileage on your 5th wheel/trailer?

31 Replies

ependydad
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
valhalla360 wrote:
BB_TX wrote:
I have an excel spreadsheet set up. Each line item list the date, destination(s), # of nights spent, and miles traveled. I don't worry about exact mileage. I use google maps by entering the start point, intermediate point(s), and end point to get a resonable mileage number to plug in. When I do things like buy new tires or pack bearings, I enter a new line item at that point in time.

Then at the bottom I have summation cells to keep a running total of miles traveled, total nights spent, miles since last bearing pack, miles on current tires, etc.

Simple and easy to do. I update it when I return home. And I do not have to worry about remembering to read the odometer each time.

Pretty much the same thing. Easy to set up and easy to do calculations.

We actually set it up with 1 day per row. It currently goes back to 2007 and covers RV, Boat, vacation and other misc stuff.

Unless there is something wrong, you will be hard pressed to wear out a set of tires (even putting 4000miles per year the tread hasn't worn down significantly).

Another vote for spreadsheet. I use Google Drive and it's spreadsheet program so that I can access the spreadsheet from everywhere. I do like BB and have 1-line per trip. I have what campground, what site, etc. It's nice to go back and look through the list for tips of what we liked/didn't like about places.
AH64ID
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
I have an extensive excel sheet for my TV that I keep track of my towing miles, and the trailer, in.

For maintenance on the TT I just keep a small log, as there isn't too much worth recording. Brakes, bearings, and tires are the big ones. The rest of it is routine and not worth tracking.

I am pretty sure my tires will wear out before they age out, they where fairly low at the start of this year with about 7000 miles on them. I do a 6 tire rotation, rotate the spares in, and they still are wearing but I do a lot of dirt road towing/braking.
TakingThe5th
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
pando2 wrote:
I have a log which I fill in for every trip, sometimes a detailed account of each day, sometimes just a note like "went to xxx for the weekend". I always note the total mileage. In the back I also keep a record of important events, such as getting new tires,greasing wheel-bearings etc.

X2. DW keeps a travel log describing the trip, which site we stayed at, the mileage and time traveled, etc etc. I keep a maintenance log on my smartphone for each of my vehicles as well as the 5er and track new tires, maintenance, etc. I have found, like others, that mileage is a fun thing to know but most maintenance items are more time-dependant then mileage-dependant.
drfife
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
I use http://www.milestraconline.com. I can input and access the data from my Android phone or computer. I log the mileage for each trip when I hitch and unhitch.

Very handy program.
valhalla360
Navigator
Jul 17, 2014
BillB3857 wrote:
I may be dense, but WHY?

Lots of reasons:
- We know when we did the last "(pick a maintenance project)"
- When it comes time to sell it provides supporting documentation regarding use and maintenance.
- We can track our MPG, so if it starts dropping off, we know to check for problems.
- We can see how prices are changing so we can adjust our budget to accomodate them or make changes in how we travel.
- Sometimes we simply forget what we were doing 4-5yrs ago and it's easy to take a look and see exactly what we were doing.
Allworth
Explorer II
Jul 17, 2014
I use an Excel spreadsheet to track fuel, costs, miles, services, etc for both the truck and the trailer.
MTPockets1
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
I keep a log with date, where we stayed, number of trailer miles from start to end point. (My Ford tracks the mileage when attached to 5vr) Also notes about the facility; hook ups, etc. I also keep any service notes and reminders at the back of the book. I transferred all the service suggestions from the manuals that came with our Big Horn.
ReneeG
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
2oldman wrote:
kohai wrote:
I was just starting to think that I should be tracking the mileage on the trailer itself so I know when the tires may be wearing out, etc.
You can pretty much knock that off your list. Trailer tires wear out from age, not mileage. Start worrying at about 4 years.

And those other things are age-related also, not mileage.. unless of course you tow thousands of miles a year.

Right out of my mouth.
bpounds
Nomad
Jul 16, 2014
I would suggest everyone keep a log. I use Excel, but you can buy log books or just a pencil and paper if you prefer.

In it you can keep a log of mileage, but much more than that. Including maintenance, repairs, improvements you've made. Also very important is part numbers for any parts you've bought. Sometimes a part that is easy to identify today, may be very difficult to figure out later.

Once you get started keeping a log you will find plenty of things to keep a record.

I even keep a record of the site numbers we've used, and notes about whether we would want that site, or a different one, next time.
shadows4
Nomad
Jul 16, 2014
kohai wrote:
Shadow_Grey wrote:
You have a 2015 GMC Denali and it doesn't have a trailer tracking display on it? I have a basic Ford XLT and the display/computer can keep track of multiple trailers on the truck.

This was one of my choices for my next truck.

I haven't checked yet -- I didn't know trucks had such a thing. I'm going to check it out.

Now I see why you need a checklist! LOL