Things that go bump in the night

[SteSpot]

Hope you get it fixed quickly and are not on the side of the road for long.....wow......paula

[rebelstand]

Originally Posted by zlee

OMG, guys, that looks awful, so glad there wasn't any damage to the trailer and that you're all okay!

It looks bad and we were very lucky but honestly, the road was so bumpy and it was so dark we had no idea it had blown!

Originally Posted by Condoluminum

Good to see all is safe and sound... We had similar blowout on freeway at speed, and two useful lessons emerged...
1. Double axle better than single in event of massive tire failure.. We had thumping and vibration and smoke, but no loss of control, and were able to get onto shoulder safely.. < and then drive at 10 mph to RV park a mile or two away off freeway...>
2. Be sure to read emergency road service terms carefully, and consider carrying trailer spare if you don't have one.. Our blowout was Sunday late afternoon, and when we told AAA we didn't have spare, they wished us well and said they'd be out next morning when tire places opened.. No tow, no visit, no other ideas to help... NOW we carry an extra tire mounted and ready to install, and boards can be used if you don't have bottle jack to lift bad wheel off ground...

1. See above. I love me some double axles!
2. We have Good Sam. We had to buy the new tire but they told us they pay for everything else. They even offered to dispatch the poor tire guy at midnight (it took over an hour to find someone with the correct tire size) ... since we had limped to the local Walmart parking lot we asked for him to come in the morning instead! Their first question was to find out if we were on the side of the road.

Originally Posted by sharbours

Glad you're all okay! I hope you're back on the road quickly, and with no damage to the trailer.

We lost two tires about 3 weeks apart last year. The first time, we replaced two tires and had the 'good' extra one mounted on a plain rim as a spare. Three weeks later, we had just passed the spot where we blew the first tire, and guess what? I'll tell you, we were very glad to have that spare!

Good luck & safe travels!

Sharon

1. We were back on the road by 10am the next day since we declined the midnight tire change.
2. Please don't drive by that spot again!

Originally Posted by 62overlander

FWI, when road service comes next time, tell them to put the jack under the square behind the axle mounting bracket. It is right under the main frame rail. I think, on your trailer it actually says "jack here". Most tire services do not know or understand this. Jacking it up on the torsion arm is not the correct location since all 5000 pounds or so are being supported by just that spot.

1. Shawn did tell him that. He actually put two jacks. One for the actual support and one just in case the trailer came off the other. Though Shawn cna't say for certain he followed the instructions as he didn't crawl under the trailer with the guy.
2. I am so glad you know this since you will be doing our new axles.

Originally Posted by SteSpot

Hope you get it fixed quickly and are not on the side of the road for long.....wow......paula

Someone pointed it out to us at the gas station as I was going into the trailer to get something.... thankfully no side of the road drama for us!

[mojo]

Originally Posted by polarlyse

WoW. I have Maxxis tires on our AS and have been happy with them. They are several years old and have in the neighborhood of 20k+ miles on them. They are rated for 50lbs but I keep them at 40. ( no particular reason)

Why?

I check them by putting a hand on them regularly and have never found them more than just warm to the touch.

Checking tires with out a pressure gauge because they feel good?

I have read nothing but trouble with the Marathons and would stay away from them in favor of ANY other brand.

With underinflated tires, your day will come.

I have Maxxis tires and I keep them inflated to the max because that is what they say to do. Underinflation is the curse of death.

[TRfour]

Originally Posted by rebelstand

It looks bad and we were very lucky but honestly, the road was so bumpy and it was so dark we had no idea it had blown!



1. See above. I love me some double axles!
2. We have Good Sam. We had to buy the new tire but they told us they pay for everything else. They even offered to dispatch the poor tire guy at midnight (it took over an hour to find someone with the correct tire size) ... since we had limped to the local Walmart parking lot we asked for him to come in the morning instead! Their first question was to find out if we were on the side of the road.



1. We were back on the road by 10am the next day since we declined the midnight tire change.
2. Please don't drive by that spot again!



1. Shawn did tell him that. He actually put two jacks. One for the actual support and one just in case the trailer came off the other. Though Shawn cna't say for certain he followed the instructions as he didn't crawl under the trailer with the guy.
2. I am so glad you know this since you will be doing our new axles.



Someone pointed it out to us at the gas station as I was going into the trailer to get something.... thankfully no side of the road drama for us!

Initially, the photos of the tire that failed, look typically like an under inflation failure due to over heating and deterioration of the sidewall-to-tread area. And of course driving on a flat tire will show similar results.

Remember that the side of any highway is not the place to worry about warranties of any kind! If at all possible, drive slowly to the nearest exit and or parking area!!

Invest in a quality tire pressure gauge and check all of your tires ( cold, before you start out ) and keep them within 5 lbs of the maximum recommended inflation ( located on the sidewall of each and every tire )!!

Stay Safe Everyone, and Happy Trailering!!!!

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I started carrying a Trailer-Aide-Plus so I don't have to use a jack. Also since the tire wrapped around your axle, did you check to see if it didn't rip your brake wires out?

[TRfour]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I started carrying a Trailer-Aide-Plus so I don't have to use a jack.

We understand how jacked up you are!!
Must be something to do with the AirStream!

[polarlyse]

I check my tires by HAND just about every time we stop. Heat is the enemy here and when I walk by I just lay a hand on them. Warm to the touch is OK, hot is not. A hand on the wheel will also alert me to early bearing failure. Using only the air gauge will not. I also do check them with a gauge often but the hand check is only when I'm doing a walk by. I put a lot of miles on my tires in all seasons. From the summer heat of Kansas to the cool temps. of the Colorado Rockies. The Maxxis have served me well so I think I'll stick with them until such time as I feel inclined to go to the LT tires.

[Sodbust]

I was going to comment about the jack placement.,, Heads up people.

Sodbust