Need spare tire and wheel

[Dan33764]

I just bought a 2004 Classic 30SO and noticed it did not have a spare tire under it. Where can I buy a spare tire from (other than the dealer) ? Does anyone know of any places that sell used parts?

Dan

[nickcrowhurst]

Bobs RV just North of High Springs, North West of Gainsville is a good salvage yard for Airstreams. He is at 386 454 577, and this link gives details:
http://www.airforums.com/forum...t=bobs+salvage
Walts RV at Ocala is great for all things Airstream, though he repairs and sells whole trailers, rather than salvage. He is on 352 237 6813.
There are many other new wheels of the correct load rating and offset, available from automotive suppliers. If you try out the search facility you will find a vast amount of useful information.
Nick

[Action]

Go with the suggestion above.

Used RV wheel from an RV wrecking yard works well. (As long as the wheel is in good shape)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[Dan33764]

Thanks Guys

Dan

[scf31]

I am not trying to sound like Inland Andy,,,,,, But I would like to know what the junkyard wheel has been thru, roll over , heat from fire, God only know what else,

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by scf31

I am not trying to sound like Inland Andy,,,,,, But I would like to know what the junkyard wheel has been thru, roll over , heat from fire, God only know what else,

To some, the price they paid for the trailer and tow vehicle, because they wanted the best, is usually very signficant.

But, also to some people, safety isn't worth the price.

Interesting enough, many many things can and do go wrong with an Airstream trailer, even wrecking it (short of a rollover), but you still can get it back home.

Having a running gear problem, can stop that return trip.

An unknown history of a tire and especially a wheel, plus the wheels rating, is an inviation for disaster.

A rollover wheel is usually bent, but doesn't show it. Let a wheel come apart while traveling, usually costs many thousands of dollars to repair.

Maximum safety, should be the only words, used to describe their units running gear, AND, especially if they take their family.

Taking chances is a part of life, but I wonder how many Airstream owners would put a used tire and wheel, on a small airplane, and dare fly the plane??

I would like to think, ZERO, since it's not worth the risks involved.

There are many ways to save money when Airstreaming, but kicking maximum safety to the curb, is not sensibly, one of them.

Andy

[thecatsandi]

Andy,
Uhhhh I hate to brake the news to you, but a lot of airplanes are flying around with "used" tires. The manfacturer and the FAA approve them. You can recap a tire many times as long as the "Carcass" in serviceable.
Most Airliners have recaps on them since they are cheaper. Sometimes they come apart. At least you have the one next to it to support the weight.

[bhayden]

And that's what they attributed the Concord crash in Paris to; sucked tire debris into the jet intake. That was the last nail in the coffin for the era of supersonic passenger service. Airplanes are (supposed to be) designed to accomodate tire failure. It's almost inevitable given the type of stress they undergo. I wonder though what the ruling is for private aviation. It seems losing the nose gear on a tricycle gear Cesna would make for a rough landing? Does the FAA mandate tire replacement every five years? They certainly go to great lengths to enforce service intervals on the engine.

[JohnBouyea]

I'm a new member and pleased I can actually provide some input!

I'm a 1200 hour private pilot and an aircraft owner since 1987. My aircraft tires have ranged from 0 - 120 months old. There is no "service life" other than what the airframe mechanic/ aircraft inspector approves during the 100 hour or annual condition inspection.

Regardless, wrecking an Airstream would seem a pity if the accident was attributed to a failed wheel. I suspect the same problem exists in all alloy wheels; the cost of performing a conclusive, non-destructive test (something like a Zyglo or X-Ray test) to certify the structural integretity probably exceeds the new replacement cost.

If wheels are available on the used market, is there any way to determine if they are safe to use?

[scottanlily]

I have to agree there thecatsandi ,Sometimes they come apart?? On an airplane when landing ,enough said ,Andy is correct .


Scott

[norsim]

There are very few absolutely certain or totaly risk free things in life but if I visualy inspected and spun a used wheel to check for wobble and it looked OK I would put in as near as you usually get to being 100% ok. Unless you pick your trailer up at factory you are buying trailer with used wheels that might very well have had a few hard bumps. There was an item in Trailer Life recently that said Airstream was having problems with cracked aluminum wheels on some late model trailers and was replacing them under warrany the article also stated that Airstream has changed suppliers for their tires and wheels.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by thecatsandi

Andy,
Uhhhh I hate to brake the news to you, but a lot of airplanes are flying around with "used" tires. The manfacturer and the FAA approve them. You can recap a tire many times as long as the "Carcass" in serviceable.
Most Airliners have recaps on them since they are cheaper. Sometimes they come apart. At least you have the one next to it to support the weight.

The point is "unless you know the history of the tire and wheel, DON'T GO THERE".

FAA certified guarantees that knowledge.

JUNK YARDS don't have a clue.

And most importantly, a junk yard could have taken a tire and wheel off of a rollover.

Convince me that it is safe !! You can't and no one else can, simply because you have no idea what impact that tire and wheel took when it rolled.

I too am a 1200 hour pilot, but you won't catch me flying or riding in a plane where "safety" was discarded because of price.

That tells me a lot about the owner of that aircraft.

I agree, some societies, life has "ZERO" value. I like to think mine is worth a least a few bucks, even on a bad day.

Safety is a state of being safe. Safe is secure from harm, danger, free from injury or danger, not risky.

I especially like the last one, "NOT RISKY".

Not risky, is my motto, when I fly, drive, tow, walk, or drink.

Then I have done my best.

Andy

[Action]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Not risky, is my motto, when I fly, drive, tow, walk, or drink. Andy

All of the above is risky to some extent. Certainly being a pilot of a small plane takes on way more risk than flying in a commercial aircraft. And it is definately riskier that walking. So how can one get to zero risk. Well that, my friend, is not possible. Life is a risk no matter what anyone does.

In the area of wheels. Used or wrecking yard RV wheels seems to be an acceptable risk for me. After all, my friend, the wheels I have on my RV were used when I bought it in 2001. In fact the whole trailer was used to the extend of being 35 years old. A set of used anything does not automatically make them inferior. And being brand new does not take out the risk of failure.

So may be it is only my opinion, however I will take on that risk of used parts from a wrecking yard. With some restrictions. Wheels would be an acceptable risk for me.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by bhayden

It seems losing the nose gear on a tricycle gear Cesna would make for a rough landing?

oooh! oooh!! I know this one!!!


I've actually DONE it!!


the answer is: not that bad, really. Kinda scared the crap out of me, but that don't take much. There was some vibration...the noise gave me a start, and the aircraft decelerated quicker than normal. then it was hard to steer. Once I figured out what the heck had happened, I was more afraid of dinging the prop while taxiing off the runway, than anything. (now THAT, my friend, is one expen$ive repair, let me tell you!). The aircraft I was most used to flying did not have much prop clearance, so this was a real hazzard. But not a problem in the Cessna. (I think, too, that not having a ton of time in the airplane made unexpected noises more scarey!).

airplane tires/wheels are so different than trailers, or any other ground based vehicle. We don't put alot of mileage on them; otoh...we do make them go from 0 to 60mph in an instant. 100+ with an airliner...500,000lbs + ....they leave half their tires on the runway after each landing. (well...some on the runway, a big chuck just goes up in a cloud of vaporized rubber). Its a different animal altogether.

[azflycaster]

When I was in the Air Force, we changed the tires when they wore down to the third layer of cord. That layer was red to make it easy to spot. I don't think I'll use that same standard on my trailer.

[thecatsandi]

Andy,
I agree a tire on unknown origin should be looked at with suspicion. Tires used on Airplanes have been inspected and certifed airworthy.
I have removed a few tires that were about to let go. I have seen two let go. Damage was substantial. As one who works on an flies airplanes for a living, I have seen both sides of this.

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by thecatsandi

At least you have the one next to it to support the weight.

I'm going to take this in a different direction. Dan -- at least with my Safari -- a spare came only with the LS package. Why would they sell an Airstream without one? Because it is not needed in an absolute sense, though one's opinion may be that it'd be more convenient.

Your owner's manual may have a suggestion to remove a flat tire and limp into town at 45mph or less if you have a single wheel on one side (with a 30' SO? Check the fine print carefully.). Of course this doesn't work if you've encountered a road hazard that flattened two wheels on the same side. Another trick is using a wheel ramp rather than a jack. See the attached photo -- it's easy if you loosen the involved nuts first. I'd certainly leave the trailer attached to the tow vehicle.

Me? I have the spare and LS package. These ideas might give you some time to figure out what you really want to do. Get out there and enjoy that Classic!

[scottanlily]

Hello all ,

Yes I am bothered by the concord tire deal in the engine ,many lives lost .Seems lives are always expendible to save that stinking dollar .I never liked the airline hassle and Now after this tire discussion and the fact that aircraft tires are reused ,cord showing ,recaps ,holy moly.How many people here have recaps on there airstreams??, I like it less than ever. Andy has that junkyard wheel at the shop with the center ripped out from a customers trailer ,so I can understand his hard line stance on the used wheel ,that being said that wheel as shown on the website is an old 6 bolt chevy pickup wheel from a fifty or so 1/2 ton pickup ,yes I know because I had one from an old
wheel pile at a tire shop ,the clips around the center give it away as they retain the hubcap as do the original split rims airstream wheels .I am a enthusiest of the 1950's chevy advanced design trucks .Anyway ,all used wheels are not junk or unusable ,but the history is unknown ,new wheels are not expensive ,so why bother with them ? At least you know what you have
and the 2600# rated wheel for trailers is readily available from many sources including Inland RV or many other RV sources .

Scott