Sadder but no wiser

[B_and_D]

Kathy, I'm so glad you and your husband escaped from this incident unhurt. My husband doesn't read the forum much, but I will ask him to read about your experience so that if something of the sort ever happens to us, perhaps we will be reminded to reach for the trailer brake controller. I never would have thought to do that. I had forgotten that our controller has a manual switch that can be used. Unfortunately, it's mounted pretty low and it would be hard to reach without losing sight of what's going on over the dashboard...perhaps we should look into having it moved.

Even with our Chevy 1500, I'm still very much aware of the weight of the TM riding behind me when I'm towing, and it kind of scares me, knowing that under certain circumstances the TM will be pretty much impossible to control. It's hard enough to control your TV in an emergency situation, let alone one with 3 blown tires and a trailer.

When my kids were small, and I'd been at home with them for days on end without any relief, and had a very trying day, people used to tell me that I'd done a good job if we were all alive at the end of the day.

I think you did a good job that day.

Dee

Originally Posted by fcatwo

I never run a set of tires more than 30,000 miles before replacing them. This is partly because I have noticed that 75% or tire problems occur in the last 25% of tire life

I agree with that finding, Frank.

Originally Posted by fcatwo

I also pump my tires a few pounds higher than the vehicle manufacturers recommend as do many other people who tow.

I have noticed that when raising pressure a couple of pounds or so, often I soon have a tread separation. So I don't do that any more. This experiment ended about 20 years ago and I run the tires on my car and Envoy at their rated maximum pressure all of the time.

Originally Posted by fcatwo

I guess what I'm getting at is that IMO your tire guy did you no favor by telling you to run your old tires two more months.

I agree with that as well. In fact, I was steamed that it happened that way.

[fcatwo]

Bob

I should clarify my tire pressure statement. The sidewall of our Tundra tires says 51-PSI max while the sticker on the left front door and the owners manual say to run 29 front and 32 rear. I run 35 both front and rear while towing our 2619 and would step it up to 38 or more with more tongue load. I would never exceed the PSI max printed on the tire sidewall. YMMV

I suspect most vehicles today have tires with much higher PSI ratings than the vehicle manufacturers suggest we use. I've heard that the tire mfgs would like to see the car mfgs specify higher PSI's to keep sidewall flex and resulting heat down while the car mfgs like lower PSI's for a smoother ride and in some cases "claimed" better stability. I would think soft tires would hinder stability rather than promote it but I think that's what some car mfgs say. Anyone else want to add to that?

[Bill]

I tend to agree with Frank - and this is just opinion, not knowledge.

The thing that kills tires is flexing of the sidewalls as the tire rotates, which causes heat generation and buildup. If the door sticker on your car says (for example) 32 psi, and you add 500 pounds of load in the trunk/wayback, then the tires will squish down a bit, which means the sidewalls will flex more as they rotate. It seems to me that adding air to 35 psi will work to restore the original contour of the tire, reducing flex, and hence reducing heat. So I do it.

Notes: If you leave the tire overinflated when you remove the load, the contour will go the other way, rounding out in the center of the tread. The tire will then run on "tippytoes", which will wear out the center of the tread. Overinflation (treadwear mostly in the center of the tread) is generally not covered by the tire warranty.

Also, if you overinflate the tire so much that it runs on tippytoes, you leave less rubber in contact with the road, which can reduce traction/grip. Obviously not a good thing.

Finally, as Frank says, NEVER inflate a tire beyond the rating on the sidewall. If you do, you are stressing the basic strength of the tire carcass itself - much like blowing up a balloon more and more until it pops.

Again, just my opinion/observastion. No tires were hurt in the making of this opinion.

Bill

Thanks, everyone, for the observations. This is just what I wanted--to get the value of your experience and knowledge.

I didn't have anything loaded behind the axle other than the requisite tools/hoses in the rear storage compartment (our battery is in the front on the tongue) and bedding in the compartment under the bed. I loaded the cabinet, TV, etc, in between the two sofas in front as I read on here.

I wish I had used the trailer brakes. It did cross my mind to try that, I was just uncertain whether that would help or cause the trailer to stop suddenly and start skidding. I'm glad to know it and at least it reminded others what to do although I hope no one ever has to need it. Mine is right beside my left knee and I could have done that in the first moments when things weren't going from bad to worse.

Denny, I know how your wife feels. If I have to go back to camping in our 1991 van, I still want to go camping--I just love it so much. I just don't know if I will ever feel comfortable towing again. I was just starting to feel a little less like a beginner when this happened

I'll let ya'll know what happens with the insurance company. Can the bent tongue of the trailer actually be fixed? Is it one continuous piece with the frame, or welded on the front?

I worked in the trucking industry (Mechanic) for most of my adult life and I had several occasions to talk to the factory rep from Michelin. I asked him what they recommend on tire pressure. He told me to always run the tires at the side-wall pressure for longest wear and stability. I have done that ever since (about 1979) and have never had a blowout and have gotten phenomenal tire mileage. He also claimed you will get better gas mileage because of lower rolling resistance. The lower the tire pressure the more heat builds up in the tire sidewall and the heat can reach vulcanizing temperatures causing the tire to disintegrate. Granted, you do get a stiffer ride, but it's worth it to me. ymmv as someone said.

Katbird. Just my two cents...... There was a time when insurance adjusters looked at the TM as just another pop up. They would frequently relate the value of a totaled trailer with a tent trailer. There valuation was extremely low. as an example, they thought it was a minor expense to replace the tops. In Colorado, our dealer would go to bat for the owner by personally explaining the differences to the adjuster. I understand that someone from the factory also did the same. The settlement was much different, usually in the thosand(s) of dollars range. So this may be the time for you to see what your dealer is made of. If you feel you are being slighted, don't hesitate to contact one of these people.

Hal

[Denny_A]

My insurance is with USAA. They wrote the trailer off as totaled.

In Feb of 2002 I paid $18,000 for an '02 2720SL (good price, eh ). Totaled in Feb of '05. Insurance allowed $14,000 + 5% for state tax = $14,700!!!

They used their "secret" adjusters tables. I did NOT feign outrage. Just indicated that's why I've stuck with them since 1969.

Denny_A

Regarding tire pressure...

I have a post floating around TMO somewhere on the topic. In a nutshell, my mechanic recommended 70-75 psi when towing. He doesn't like hitting the tire rated max of 80 psi. Door sticker says somewhere around 55 as I recall. But he recommends 55-60 for driving the truck to work empty. More for comfort. I have been following his advice. I tried running higher pressure with no load. But I drive to wok 10 miles on a bumpy two lane farm road and I certainly can feel the difference. If it was all good roads to the office I might leave the preasure a little higher.

Regarding insurance claims...

I'll have to look, but I believe I have enough to pay off the the loan. I financed the whole thing with no money down for 15 years. I liked the interest rate. It was lower than some of my other loans. So I double up on the other loans and take my time with the TM loan. I'm probably upside down already, but don't really care too much about that.

However, if I really do have coverage to pay off the loan then there will be no financial pain in the event of a total insured loss for an upside down loan.

As many have said ---Very Very glad no-one was hurt. And glad you had good insurance. and more than a little upset that a cop would hassle you. It is not his job to hassle ordinary people and I would encourage you to complain. Frankly, I have has such wonderful cooperation and patience from the State Police (and other police) over the 60+ years I have been driving (often 50,000 miles a year) that I am truly surprised to hear about you being hassled under the circumstances you describe.

Sounds to me you did just about everything right for a person not trained to crash.
I have towed a bit. Mostly at far in excess of manufacturers rating ( like 8000lbs behind a long body Ford Aerostar all over the USA) I have a few things I do religiously when I tow. They include:
A: I stop every 50 miles the first half day and walk around and inspect everything. (sometimes sooner for the first stop). I feel every tire and wheel in 3 places. The tire, the wheel itself and the very center of the wheel. If anything is too hot to keep a hand on I stop and figure out why. If a tire is hot on one side only I suspect tire pressure. If both tires are hot on one axle I suspect I am overloaded a bit. Losing 3 tires may only be that a rear one went and of course that set up the sway and the others went when you hit the ruff or????. I also suspect the tires were overloaded. I don't know the load rating of these tires but most non- commercial vehicles have barely enough tires for 4 passengers. (in the interest of soft ride) I always watch my tire heat carefully. And I have had to get higher load rating tires more than once. I have even had to get bigger wheels so I could increase the load ratings of my tires enough to satisfy me. Often an equalizer hitch will cause the front tires to be overloaded more than the rear. On the old vehicles without power steering we knew something was wrong when it took a second helping of Weaties to steer the durn thing.
B: I manually operate the trailer brakes. I never rely on the controler to automatically stop the trailer. I do this so that I am trained to always go for the trailer brakes automatically even in a panic when I reach for the pedal with my foot. I often ride with a finger on the manual control.
C: I stop a blowout as if I were on ice. Very light braking. The trick is to get the vehicle under control before you brake.
finally it is a tribute to the vehicle builder and the highway engineers that you not only are alive, but you are well and walking. Now get back to TMing.
To long but I hope what I have said is of some help to someone.
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