Getting a trailer or caravan ready to be collected

Published 10 October 2026. Every figure was checked at its source that day.

The short version

Tyres need at least 1.6mm of tread and no cuts or bulges.
Every light must work. Say whether the plug has 7 pins or 13.
Have the keys for any hitch lock or wheel lock at the collection address.
Empty or secure what is inside, and say what the access is like at each end.

Work through this list a few days before the trailer is collected, so there is time to fix what you find. It applies whoever tows it. The figures are the legal limits GOV.UK publishes, and the rest is what a driver will want to know before setting off. Trailer Delivery is not open yet and collects nothing today.

Tyres

Inflate them to the manufacturer's figure for the load.
Look for cuts and bulges, and for cracks in the side walls.
Tread must be at least 1.6mm deep across the central three-quarters of the tyre's width, all the way round.
Find the age of each tyre. The last four digits of the code that starts DOT on the side wall are the week and the year it was made. Tell whoever is collecting if the tyres are old, even with good tread.
Check the wheel nuts are tightened to the manufacturer's figure, and check the spare the same way if there is one.

Lights and the plug

Connect the trailer to a car and check that every light and indicator works.
Check the cable and its plug are not damaged.
Count the pins in the plug: 7 or 13. Tell whoever is collecting which it is, so the towing vehicle has the right socket.

Number plate

The trailer must show the same number plate as the car towing it. So the plate on the back will be the driver's, not yours. Check there is somewhere to fix it.

Breakaway cable, hitch and jockey wheel

A breakaway cable or secondary coupling must be used. Check the cable is fitted and is not worn or damaged.
Check the hitch opens and closes.
Take off any hitch lock or wheel lock, or leave its keys with whoever hands the trailer over.
Wind the jockey wheel up and down, and check its clamp holds.
A trailer that weighs over 750kg when loaded must have a working brake system. Check the handbrake goes on and comes off.

The load

Take off anything that does not need to travel.
What stays on must be secure and evenly spread, and the trailer must not be overloaded. How to load a trailer.
Say what is on it. The most the trailer may weigh when loaded is on its plate. Where to find it.

Inside a caravan

Empty the lockers and cupboards, or pack them so nothing can move and shut every catch.
Empty the water and the waste.
Shut every window and rooflight.
Wind the steadies up.
Turn the gas off.

Access at each end

Tell whoever is collecting what the way in is like at the collection address and at the delivery address.

How wide the way in is at its narrowest. A trailer can be up to 2.55 metres wide.
Any height limit, such as a barrier, an arch or low branches.
Whether the ground is soft.
Who will be there at each end, and how to reach them on the day.

Proof it is yours to move

Have something that shows the trailer is yours to move, such as the receipt from the seller. If you have bought it and the seller is handing it over, tell the seller who is collecting it and when.

Before you book anyone, read the questions to ask before you pay.