Ifor Williams TA510 livestock trailer service schedule
Trailers · TA510G (current range 10–16 ft)
Every maker's service job for the Ifor Williams TA510 livestock trailer, counted in hours, with the oils, filters and parts each one needs. Add your implement to Farmyard Workshop and it works out what's due from your hours and dates, and keeps the service history.
Track your TA510 livestock trailer for freeService intervals
| Job | When |
|---|---|
| Grease the coupling and overrun damper | every 6 months |
| Trailer service: brakes, bearings and running gear | every year |
| Before each tow: coupling, breakaway, lights and tyres | when needed |
| Wash the trailer after use | when needed |
Service jobs and parts
Grease the coupling and overrun damper
Coupling · every 6 months
Farmers Weekly's guide to keeping an Ifor Williams road legal says to grease the nipples on the overrun gas ram (damper) about twice a year, and to check the hitch for play.
| Part | Qty | Notes | Part number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grease | 1 | check your handbook |
Step-by-step
- Uncouple the trailer, apply the handbrake and chock the wheels.
- Grease the overrun damper nipples and the coupling head ball cup.
- Check the four bolts holding the hitch to the A-frame are tight and there is no play between them.
- Check the coupling head turns smoothly and the handle locks.
- Test the damper: with the handbrake on, reverse a few inches. A soft, jerky or leaking damper needs replacing.
Tools: Grease gun, Spanners
Trailer service: brakes, bearings and running gear
Brakes · every year
Ifor Williams recommends a service once a year, or about every 6 months for heavy daily use (pick hard use for 6 months). Its brakes do not adjust themselves, so the shoes, cables, balance bar and hubs need checking at each service.
| Part | Qty | Notes | Part number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake cable, front axle (TA510G all sizes) | 2 | Genuine Ifor Williams, type 3 cables from Sept 1992; one per wheel | P0142 |
| Brake cable, rear axle (TA510G 10 and 12 ft) | 2 | Genuine Ifor Williams | P0146 |
| Brake cable, rear axle (TA510G 14 ft twin axle) | 2 | Genuine Ifor Williams | P0145 |
| Brake shoes | 1 | Set per axle; check your handbook or dealer by serial number | check your handbook |
| Hub bearings and seals | 1 | Check your handbook or dealer by serial number | check your handbook |
Step-by-step
- Uncouple on level ground, apply the handbrake and chock the wheels. Jack one axle at a time and support it on axle stands; never work under a trailer on the jack alone.
- Remove the wheels and drums. Wear a dust mask: do not blow brake dust about.
- Check the shoes for wear and contamination. Twin-axle TA trailers usually run 10 in shoes; small shoes wear faster.
- Check the hub bearings for play and roughness, and the seals for grease leaks.
- Check the Bowden cables for fraying, rust and water inside, and that the balance bar and rockers sit square to the cables.
- Reassemble and adjust each brake at the wheel until the drum just drags, then back off until it turns freely. Then set the linkage so all wheels brake evenly.
- Check the spring bushes: the bolt should run through the centre of the bush.
- Refit the wheels and tighten the nuts to the torque in your handbook. Recheck the nuts after the first short run.
- Test the handbrake: the arm should sit at about 45 degrees when on.
Tools: Trolley jack, Axle stands, Wheel chocks, Wheel brace and torque wrench, Brake adjusting spanner, Grease gun, Dust mask
Before each tow: coupling, breakaway, lights and tyres
Road use · when needed
Ifor Williams' coupling procedure: check the tow ball and greased cup, that the head locks, the jockey wheel is up and clear, the breakaway cable is fitted, and all lights work. Faulty lights, tyres or breakaway cables are common roadside fines.
| Part | Qty | Notes | Part number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakaway cable | 1 | Replace at once if frayed or missing; number: check your handbook | check your handbook |
| Rear lamp | 1 | Genuine Ifor Williams, TA5G/TA510G. The IWT guide prints P06691/L in its right-hand-side column and P06691/R in its left; match the marking on your old lamp | P06691/L |
| Rear lamp (other side) | 1 | Genuine Ifor Williams, TA5G/TA510G; see note above | P06691/R |
| Front marker lamp, right | 1 | Genuine Ifor Williams, TA5G/TA510G | P06785 |
| Front marker lamp, left | 1 | Genuine Ifor Williams, TA5G/TA510G | P06786 |
| Number plate lamp | 1 | Genuine Ifor Williams, TA5G/TA510G | P0667 |
| Fog lamp | 1 | Genuine Ifor Williams, TA5G/TA510G | P06781 |
Step-by-step
- Check the tow bar is sound and the coupling cup is greased. Lower the coupling onto the ball with the jockey wheel until the handle locks closed; twist the head to make sure it has engaged.
- Wind the jockey wheel fully up, raise it high in its clamp and re-clamp it clear of the brake mechanism.
- Check the breakaway cable is present and not frayed. Clip it to the towing bracket or loop it through a chassis eye, never round the ball.
- Plug in the lights and check every lamp, indicator, brake light and the number plate light. Corroded plugs cause most lighting faults.
- Check tyres: at least 1 mm tread with no cuts or bulges. Pressures: 175/75R16C 4.8 bar (69 psi); 6.50R16C 10PR 5.0 bar (73 psi).
- Check the wheel nuts are tight and the handbrake is fully off before moving.
Tools: Tyre pressure gauge, Tread depth gauge
Wash the trailer after use
Body · when needed
Ifor Williams says clean the trailer ideally after each use to remove muck, road dirt and salt. Do not use chemical or abrasive cleaners: they damage the galvanising and coatings.
Step-by-step
- Uncouple or stop the towing vehicle and take the key out.
- Muck out and wash down the floor, ramp, gates and underside with water only.
- Rinse salt and dirt off the chassis, springs and brake cables.
- Let it dry with the ramp down or the doors open.
Tools: Pressure washer, Brush
Specifications
| Gross weight | 3,500 kg (all sizes) |
| Unladen weight | 970–1,430 kg depending on size and decks |
| Lengths | 10, 12 and 14 ft twin axle; 14 ft tri-axle option; 16 ft tri-axle |
| Suspension | Twin axle beam, leaf springs |
| Tyres | 175/75R16C or 6.50R16C, depending on model |
| Tyre pressures (Ifor Williams chart) | 175/75R16C 101R: 4.8 bar (69 psi); 6.50R16C 10PR 108/107P: 5.0 bar (73 psi) |
| Brake cables (type 3, from Sept 1992) | TA510G 10 and 12 ft: front P0142, rear P0146; TA510G 14 ft: front P0142, rear P0145; 14 ft tri-axle: P0142, P0145, P0146 |
| Wheel nut torque | Not found from Ifor Williams: check your handbook or the Safety and Maintenance sticker |
| Service interval (Ifor Williams) | Every year; about every 6 months for heavy daily use |
Known problems
Brakes are not self-adjusting
Shoes wear and the cables stretch, so braking fades unless they are adjusted. Uneven braking pulls the trailer.
Seized brakes after standing
Cables and shoes rust when the trailer sits; water inside the cable outer is a common cause.
Wheel bearing and hub recall
Ifor Williams runs a hub recall page on its customer care site. Check your serial number there or with a dealer.
Uneven tyre wear
Wear on only one half of the tread can mean a bent axle.
Repair guides
- Brakes weak, pulling, coming on when reversing, or seized after standing (Moderate, 2–3 hours): Trailer pushes the vehicle when braking, banging at the hitch, brakes snatch or pull to one side, brakes come on when reversing, wheels locked after the trailer has stood for weeks, handbrake arm points straight up when on.
- Wheel bearing rumble or play: sealed hub bearing and the 2022 hub recall (Moderate, 1–2 hours per hub): Rumbling or grinding from a wheel, hub hot after a run, wheel rocks when gripped top and bottom, grease or rust weeping from behind the hub cap.
- Uneven tyre wear, bent axle and worn leaf spring bushes (Moderate, 1–3 hours): Only one half of a tyre's tread worn, trailer crabbing or pulling, knocking from a spring hanger, bright rub marks on the chassis by a spring eye.
- Coupling won't lock, hitch slop, worn damper and breakaway cable (Moderate, 30 minutes to check; 2–3 hours to replace hitch parts): Coupling head won't close or lifts off the ball, knocking from the A-frame, loud bang at the hitch when braking, jockey wheel fouling the brake rod, breakaway cable frayed or missing.
- Trailer lights not working: plug, wiring and lamp units (Easy, 30–90 minutes): One or more lights dead, indicators flashing fast, lights working on one vehicle but not another, lights flickering over bumps, cracked LED lens.
- Floor, ramp and gate repairs (livestock trailer) (Moderate, 1 hour for adjustments; a day for a floor): Floor soft, holed or corroded at the fixings, ramp heavy to lift or drops fast, ramp handles won't lock, gates or partitions sticking or rattling, galvanising flaking.
The full step-by-step guides are in Farmyard Workshop once you add your implement.
Parts list with genuine part numbers
Western Towing TA510G 14 ft service kit listing quoting IWT part numbers; no Ifor Williams catalogue read
Brakes
| Part | Part number | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake shoe kit (Knott, 250 x 40 mm, one axle) | P000330 | 1 kit per axle | Wear part. Part number as quoted by Western Towing for the TA510G 14 ft service kit (via search result); confirm drum size first, a 200 x 50 mm kit is listed as P00032/P00034 by Sparex |
Sources
- Ifor Williams TA510 specification: weights, sizes and tyres
- Ifor Williams tyre pressure chart
- Ifor Williams Parts brakes quick reference: Bowden cables
- Ifor Williams Parts lighting quick reference
- Ifor Williams FAQ: how often to service
- Ifor Williams FAQ: how to couple the trailer
- Ifor Williams FAQ: cleaning
- Farmers Weekly: 10 tips to keep an Ifor Williams trailer road legal
- Western Towing TA510G service kit (via web search)
More from Ifor Williams.