Nearly Lost His Life over $300

[TinCrumpet]

Originally Posted by Secguru

An update.
My brother had back surgery yesterday. They fused several vertebrae together. He will have a recovery (rest) period of about 6 to 8 weeks. They can't travel for at least 2 to 3 weeks, then airplane home, with the dog down below.
He'll be in a lot of pain, but he'll be able to walk again, so very good news there.
The moho has been towed to a storage yard. It's going to a repair shop in New Mexico that specializes in that brand. It might be totaled.
This is his second broken back from an accident, the first when he was in college. He's not likely to drive an RV again, but he'll be alive and that's all we care about.

Hans and I are sorry to read about the accident .. ghastly to suffer such a tumble . Were relieved he will be on a slow albeit uncomfortable mend .. Whilst driving across the USA couple months ago we were surprised at the quantity of burst tyre by the roadside .. one does not see this in England .. Government Legislation dictates Vehicles owners are forced to have vehicles checked every year in every County .. we don't suffer extreme weather and our safety barriers guard railings are fairly frequent .... corregated beam on our Motorways is quickly being replaced with continuous concrete as Lorries were going over the top into opposing carriageway .. however .. with all the care in the world unexpected blowouts will still occur .. happened to me only once driving a larger vehicle than Airstream .. unlucky to be on unguarded road and lucky enough to halt before
careering down the embankment .. most unnerving .. we can imagine the fright your family suffered .. best wishes to all .. LLL & HRRL x

[Msmoto]

It is always sad when one of us is injured, suffers from an illness, or passes. This case is apparently related to the failure of a front tire on a moho, and the result was quite severe.

As I drove a 41,000 lb moho for about four years, 51,000 miles, used TPMS for about two and a half years, I have a comment.

I learned the front tires which were 112/114 psi, cold (Driver/Pass side), rose to about 120-125 psi as they warmed up. Front axle was carrying about 14,000 lbs, as I remember. Rear duals and TAG were set 100/102 psi, and carried about 27,000 lbs. Far less pressure build up and heat in the six at the rear.

However, the TPMS I used began to leak, the gaskets on the valve cap failed on at least two, allowing pressure loss, albeit seen on the monitor, but an extreme inconvenience, especially on the rear outer dual, which because of the valve stem configuration was a nightmare to add air.

Eventually I removed all the caps, checked pressures daily, and had only one problem on an inner dual with the valve stem actually becoming loose, allowing a small air loss over several days.

However, if anything is critical, it is observing the actual condition of the tires, inspecting for any signs of failure, and of course, monitoring the actual age of the tires, all of the above to reduce the risk of failure.

Because of the way I drive, my tires had over 40% tread at 51,000 miles. However, for the steer axle, this is about the maximum I allow, and had I not sold the moho (to return to the "trailer trash" folks...LOL) I would have purchased new fronts, potentially moving the old fronts to a rear position.

I have seen front blowouts on moho's, the results at best have been to rip out several thousands of dollars of body work, fender well, electronics, steps, and others. If one chooses to not use TPMS, then extra care is required to keep the safety factor where desired, including tire replacement long before it may be required by tread wear.

Hope the original OP's brother comes through is injury with the best prognosis.