Emergency & Roadside Procedures

Section 1 — Pre-Emergency: The Kit

• TPMS installedyour best early warning system for tire problems; gives you 2–10 minutes of pressure-drop warning before a catastrophic blowout; trailer TPMS sensor set
• Roadside reflective triangles and high-vis vestXOOL reflective kit; required by law in several states; triangles go out immediately, before anything else happens
• Flashlight or headlampone per adult; stow in the tow vehicle cabin, not in the trailer bay you can't access roadside
• Wheel chocksin a location accessible without opening locked bays; you need these before changing a tireBuy ↗
• Trailer-specific lug wrenchthe tow vehicle's wrench will not fit trailer lug nuts; verify your trailer's lug nut size before your first trip and mark the correct wrench with tape
• Torque wrench (1/2-drive)required for re-torquing after any tire change; lug nuts tightened by feel are not reliableBuy ↗
• Bottle jack rated at or above trailer GVWRthe tow vehicle's scissor jack is not rated for the trailer and should not be used under it
• Emergency tire repair kitplug kit, sealant, and 12V inflator — [item:NEEDS-LINK]; handles a sidewall-intact puncture at the roadside without removing the wheel
• Breakaway battery (if equippedverify in your owner's manual) — fully charged and tested before every trip; see the Hitch & Go Safety checklist for test procedure
• Charged phone with roadside assistance contact savedconfirm before each trip whether your policy covers the trailer separately from the tow vehicle

Section 2 — Trailer Tire Blowout at Speed

• Triangles out and vest on before doing anything else100 feet or more behind the trailer
• Assess the tiredistinguish between a blowout (catastrophic sidewall failure), a fast flat (puncture), and a sidewall bulge that let go; the type of failure determines your next step
• Check the rim for damagea bent, cracked, or separated rim cannot be safely driven; if the rim is damaged, call roadside assistance and do not attempt a repair
• If the rim is intact and you have a sparesee the Roadside Tire Change procedure in Section 6

Section 3 — Trailer Sway Event

• Check tongue weightinsufficient tongue weight is the most common cause of sway events; if you sway once, move cargo forward before continuing; the sway will return or worsen if the underlying cause isn't corrected
• Check trailer tire pressurelow pressure is the second most common cause; a tire running 15% below spec behaves differently at speed than a properly inflated tire
• Check weight distribution bar tensionloose WD bars mean insufficient tongue weight correction; re-engage and re-tension before continuing

Section 4 — Breakaway Switch Deployment

• If the trailer fully separates while movingpull the tow vehicle over immediately; the trailer is braking on its own; approach only when it has fully stopped and is in a safe location
• Do not attempt to re-tow the trailer until the cause of separation is identified and correctedsomething in the hitch connection failed; safety chains did not hold the coupler; the problem must be understood before driving again
• If the switch deployed accidentally while parked (pin pulled without a separation event): reinsert the pin immediately to stop the drain; the breakaway battery cannot run the trailer brakes on the next trip if it's been depleted; charge it fully before traveling

Section 5 — Hub Overheating

• If one hub is significantly hotter than the othersdo not continue driving; bearing failure at highway speed causes wheel separation; the wheel does not come off slowly
• Call roadside assistancebearing inspection and repacking requires removing the wheel, pulling the hub, and cleaning the races; this is not a roadside repair unless you carry the parts and tools for it
• If you must move the vehiclekeep speed under 5 mph; go to the nearest pullout or parking area only; do not attempt to drive to a shop

Section 6 — Roadside Tire Change (Single-Axle)

• Triangles out and vest on before startingtraffic does not slow for people crouched beside a trailer; be visible first
• Confirm the tire is repairableif the rim is bent or cracked, or if the tire failed at the sidewall with significant structural damage, the wheel must be towed rather than changed; plug kits and sealant cannot fix a sidewall blowout
• Position the trailer on the most level surface availableif you're on a slope, chock the wheels at the opposite end of the trailer before jacking
• Loosen the lug nuts before raising the jackbreak them loose with the wheel on the ground; attempting to loosen them once the wheel is suspended will spin it
• Place the bottle jack under the axle tube near the flat tirenot under the frame rail, not under a weld point; the axle is the correct jack point for a trailer
• Raise the jack until the flat tire clears the grounddo not raise further than necessary
• Remove lug nuts fully and remove the wheel
• Mount the spare and hand-tighten the lug nuts
• Torque lug nuts to spec in a star patternthe spec is on the trailer door sticker; do not guess; torque wrench — LEXIVON LX-183 1/2-driveBuy ↗
• Lower the jack and remove it; remove chocks
• Re-torque lug nuts at the 50-mile markwheel fasteners seat under load and will loosen slightly after the first 50 miles; this re-torque is not optional

Section 7 — Smell of Burning