Can this be removed?

BulldawgFan wrote:
4 pages of the same answer to the same question. Fascinating.

:) At least there is a consensus. It is like when the teacher asks an easy question in class. Everyone's hand goes up.

4 pages of the same answer to the same question. Fascinating.

Its not normal for them to rub the ground. The point of having them is to prevent you from dragging pipes or tanks on the ground and breaking something important.

If you cut them off then you risk dragging something more important and breaking it. Do you have a weight distribution hitch on your truck? Is it hooked up when you go into and out of your driveway?

If the answer is yes I would suggest you don't hook up your WDH until you are out of your driveway. That will drop the front of your trailer and lift the rear. Once you get out on the road, stop on the side (if you safely can) and hook up the WDH and lift the front back up. This is the easiest, fastest and cheapest solution.

Another option is to put roller wheels back there. They will still hit the ground but they will roll on the driveway, not scrape or dig.

thehippie wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:
Yup, that is what it is for. It rubs the ground like sled runners so you don't damage the rear of the trailer when going up or down steep slopes.

It's normal then when it rubs the ground? I'm a newbie with travel trailers.

100% Normal

I had mine removed and replaced with swivel casters welded to the frame. Going in gas stations or certain driveways I would scrape with the skid bars-sounds terrible! Do not remove them! They are protecting your plumbing underneath the trailer. Flip the axle as others have stated or put casters on. Skid rollers would work okay too--just not very strong and only work if you are traveling straight and not in the middle of a turn.

Those casters are a neat idea if you do not over use them. After all the intent of the skid plate is to lift the back end slightly so you do not drag the stuff slung under the TT frame.

It looks like a pleasant solution to an occasional bump or chronic driveway/parking area issue. I hate that scrapping noise.

schlep1967 wrote:

thehippie wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
This is a good solution. It works and helps the dragging from tearing up your own driveway:

This looks nice. Where can I get it?

Those braces are there to stop you from doing damage. Not for continued dragging of the trailer. The problem with the wheels is it encourages you to continue moving. If you lift your trailer off the axles by one corner of your frame you will most likely do damage by twisting the frame.

Yep that is a REAL DANGER IMO with replacing these weaker and collapsable skid THINGEES with much studier casters and even the one above if installed on the existing skid THINGEE will even contact the pavement earlier since the bottom the of wheel is now lower than the bottom of the original "V". I use mine a a visual marker of when to put my 2x6 board under my tires on one side of my trailer when I'm backing it up my drive that has a "DIP" in it.

Larry

captnjack wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

thehippie wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:
Yup, that is what it is for. It rubs the ground like sled runners so you don't damage the rear of the trailer when going up or down steep slopes.

It's normal then when it rubs the ground? I'm a newbie with travel trailers.

It is not normal to hit the ground. Using these as sleds is not normal usage nor is the idea of castor wheels an improvement. They tend to just dig ruts. (I dont' doubt that many have been inadvertently used as sleds)

About the only way I can see them as useful for backing into things is if there was a 12-18" tall curb that you were trying to back over. They might hit first before something on the undercarriage hits. If you are going to hit the actual bumper, odds are good it will hit anyway.

I don't know about your particular trailer but on my Dad's there is absolutely nothing that they would protect. The first thing that an obstruction would hit would be the frame or the wheels. Wheels, I'm not too worried about. Frame...since these are attached to the frame, it's doesn't make a lot of difference.

Assuming you use a spotter, go slow and don't make a habbit of hitting things, removing them should be harmless.

Not really following you here. Look at the OP's pic. The skids are clearly touching ground while the frame is in the air. I can't imagine any manufacturer including skids that don't accomplish the same thing. Unless they were installed on the side of the trailer. Or the roof.

And if the supports weren't there, nothing would be hitting the ground.

Avoid having the frame hit the ground by watching where you are going not by putting "skids" that make it drastically more likely to hit the ground.

Again, the picture doesn't show the undercarriage so if there is something that is likely to get hit, that could be a different story but the examples I'm familiar with have nothing in the way but still have the "skids". Most newer trailers don't have them but all the older ones used to use them as stabilizer points.

thehippie wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:
Yup, that is what it is for. It rubs the ground like sled runners so you don't damage the rear of the trailer when going up or down steep slopes.

It's normal then when it rubs the ground? I'm a newbie with travel trailers.

Yes, otherwise the rear of the trailer on the bottom could be damaged. Of course dragging it on the skids a lot could wear them down. Like a previous post mentioned lower your tongue going up and down that slope. Some trailers have wheels mounted in the back in the same area. Wheels may be the better solution.