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Old 02-18-2009, 11:33 PM   #35
B_and_D
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Santa Cruz County, CA
Posts: 2,405
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We've had two on that retrofitted wheelwell, and it helped a lot. On the first blowout, the inside of the sheetmetal on the new rounded wheelwell got banged up quite a bit, but there was so much foam and sheetmetal around the wheelwell that there was no damage at all to the interior. There was a bit of damage to the immediate area behind the wheelwell, underneath the trailer. To imagine what I'm talking about, think about your square wheelwell, with no protection around, and then having them banged up by a tire losing it's tread, constantly banging up against the wheelwell. There is virtually nothing between the wheelwells and the cabinetry on either side or on top (on the passenger side). When you do the retrofit, you add another layer of sheetmetal and a lot of foam. It takes the "hit" when you have a blowout. If it happens on the driver's side, damage to the plumbing is another possibility that we, luckily, haven't had to deal with. I've added a sheetmetal cage around the plumbing, in the hope that it would deflect the shredding tire from hitting the pipes and outlet. I've posted pictures in my photo album: http://trailmanorowners.com/forum/album.php?albumid=42

I sincerely hope that we never have to test this, but it would be interesting.

Life is an adventure. Towing the TM is always an adventure.
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