A practical guide for Sydney trailer owners. Service intervals by trailer type, what each service covers, what it costs, and when to escalate from routine maintenance to bigger work. Then we come to you and do it.
Last updated April 2026.
Most trailers in Sydney are under-serviced. They sit between uses, they look fine from the outside, and the parts that wear (bearings, brakes, magnets, lights) wear quietly until they fail loudly. The cost of preventative maintenance is small. The cost of a roadside breakdown, a failed pink slip, or a wheel parting company with the axle is enormous.
This page is the schedule we would follow if it were our trailer. Use it as a starting point. Different trailer types and use patterns shift the intervals.
Typical annual maintenance cost: $220-$400.
Typical annual maintenance cost: $500-$800.
Typical annual maintenance cost: $595-$895 for the Annual Service.
Typical annual maintenance cost: $320-$600.
Typical annual maintenance cost: $295-$500.
Typical annual maintenance cost: $500-$900.
Typical annual maintenance cost: $395-$595, plus any pre-event checks.
Pull each wheel, strip the hub, inspect the bearings, repack with the right grease for the application, fit new seals, reassemble, torque hubs to spec, brief road test.
Pull wheels, inspect brake shoes for thickness and wear pattern, inspect drums for scoring, test electric brake magnets (if fitted), test brake controller signal, replace shoes and magnets as needed, adjust to spec, road test.
Test every required light (tail, stop, indicator, side marker, clearance, number plate). Inspect 7-pin or 12-pin plug for damage or corrosion. Trace and repair any failures. Test trailer ground continuity.
Inspect coupling for cracks or wear, test latch and lock, inspect safety chains and D-shackles for damage or wear, verify rated capacity matches trailer ATM.
Tyre tread depth, sidewall age, damage check, pressure adjustment to spec, wheel nut torque to spec.
Leaf springs for cracks or sag, shackles and bushes for play, U-bolts for tightness, shock absorbers (where fitted), axle alignment.
Visual inspection for cracks, structural rust, signs of past collision damage, weld integrity at key load-bearing points.
Yes, just less often. Trailers that sit between uses develop their own problems: bearings can pit from condensation, brake drums can rust, tyres can age out (sidewall cracking from UV), seals can perish. Use the 24-month minimum even for light-use trailers.
For one year, probably. The seller almost certainly did the minimum service to pass the rego inspection. After 12 months, follow the schedule above based on your use pattern.
Most reputable trailer services produce documentation: itemised invoice, list of parts replaced, any flagged issues. If you have nothing in writing, treat the trailer as if no service has been done. We document everything we do.
A service is mechanical maintenance work. A pink slip (eSafety Check) is a regulatory roadworthy certification issued by an AIS-authorised inspection station. The two are complementary: the service prevents failures, the pink slip certifies the trailer is roadworthy for the next 12 months of registration. We do the service. Pink slips require an AIS station, which we are not.
No. There is no warranty consequence on a trailer service the way there is on a car under manufacturer warranty. Use whoever does good work and writes things down. We try to be that operator.
The 7-pin or 12-pin trailer plug. The cable from the tow vehicle to the trailer gets dragged through dirt and water, gets stepped on at jockey wheel height, and corrodes. By the time a light fails, the plug is often the cause. A plug replacement is a $40 part and 30 minutes of labour.