Scary Tires On A New SOB Toyhauler

[TouringDan]

I went to the local rv dealer yesterday and walked past a trailer that looked like it had very small tires on it. The tires were 14”, a brand I didn’t recognize, a speed rating of 75 mph?, made in China, load range D and a maximum load of 2040 lbs. The GVWR was over 7,900 lbs. The hardware attaching the leaf springs looked chintzy too. The numbers say all is well, but I sure wouldn’t want to be towing this trailer down the road.

When I think about towing my 5,000 lb Airstream down the road on my GYE, load range E, tires with a maximum load of about 2,750 lbs I feel pretty good.

Dan

[moosetags]

We see many rigs like this on the highway. Many times they are being towed by an under powered tow vehicle operated by a newbie RVer. You can often spot them as you pass by the death hold that the driver has on the steering wheel, along with the look of fear in hes eyes. I try not to linger in his wake.

Brian

[DKB_SATX]

They've got to maintain a profit at those rock-bottom prices somehow. One of the senior guys software architects at my bought a new large bunkhouse sort of square travel trailer and when the tire blew they realized that it had lower-rated tires on the street side than the curbside. (?!)

Now, obviously my colleague should've noticed that as well, but there's no way that should've left the factory in that configuration either. At least he got the damage paid for by the manufacturer, which likely wiped out their profit on 3 similar units.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by moosetags

We see many rigs like this on the highway. Many times they are being towed by an under powered tow vehicle operated by a newbie RVer. You can often spot them as you pass by the death hold that the driver has on the steering wheel, along with the look of fear in hes eyes. I try not to linger in his wake.

Brian

Tires don’t explode at 1 pound over the rating or at 1 mph over rated speed. I see plenty of these doing 75 mpg behind big pickups every summer. Doesn’t mean I’d do it but you don’t see 20 of them in the ditch every weekend either.

What does them in is sitting all winter in storage then not even having the pressure checked before the first trip.

[ShinyPete]

The other thing I often notice on these entry price trailers is how many of them have the axles soooo far apart. What is up with that? Is it cheaper? I can't imagine how long those $8 china tires will last with the scraping/bending/leaning they must do on every turn with them so far apart from one another.

I really think the last thing many mfgs think about (let alone buyers) is how will it tow...…….

[TouringDan]

Good point. It could be that the manufacturer was leaving room for a more appropriate 15” tire and wheel, but more than likely that is how the spacing worked out with the length leaf springs that the manufacturer wanted to use.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by ShinyPete

The other thing I often notice on these entry price trailers is how many of them have the axles soooo far apart. What is up with that? Is it cheaper? I can't imagine how long those $8 china tires will last with the scraping/bending/leaning they must do on every turn with them so far apart from one another.

I really think the last thing many mfgs think about (let alone buyers) is how will it tow...…….

Allegedly the space is left in order to help the wheels track in more of a straight line, reducing sway.

[GammaDog]

Originally Posted by overlander63

Allegedly the space is left in order to help the wheels track in more of a straight line, reducing sway.

When confronted by a weakness of their product, savvy sales people frequently reply "Why, that's not a flaw it's a feature!"