Blow-out damage prevention

I have been reading about the damage that can be cause by a tire blowout. What have you done to prevent damage if you have a blow-out.? I could use some suggestion as I don't want to replace the waste systems.

[B_and_D]

I built a sheet metal cage around our plumbing...just took a picture of it and will post it to my photo albums. That was one of my projects last year.

[ShrimpBurrito]

B_and_D - Thanks for posting the photo. I actually have been planning to do the exact same thing. I thought I'd add a piece of sheet metal to the back behind the valves, however, and screwing it to that part of the frame, to add strength. The back sheet can span only about 2/3 of the back of the cage, however, because of the gray water pipe.

Jacob - In addition to the abovementioned plumbing cage, you can also add mudflaps.

Dave

is worth a pound of cure . . . or something like that....

Some of us use a tire pressure monitoring system to warn us if there are any problems with the TM's tires. While it is not a cure all it does add another layer of protection. Since I cannot see the TM tires all that well, and from what I have read concerning blowouts on the TM I doubt I would know it if a tire did go low and pop, I purchased the TPMS to give me an early warning. I would imagine that the TPMS is cheaper than redoing the plumbing. Good luck to you and happy camping!

What is the price of a TPMS? I heard from one source about $400. That is a little high for what you get.

My TV came with a TPMS, so I only have two tires to monitor, both on the TM.

[rtcassel]

See http://www.tirepressuremonitor.com/
$190 for the monitor, $50 per tire.

The Pressure Pro system works great with our setup. I have the unit sitting on my dash, and I don't need the repeater to pick up the signal. $290 equipped both tires on my TM.

Chap

I see they have a 6 wheel monitor for 15 bucks less. Not much of s discount. Might as well get the 16 wheel version for the extra 15 bucks.

Since I have 2 trucks and 2 trailers can I use a single monitor and just measure the pressure of the other trailer assuming I am alongside?

[B_and_D]

Dave aka ShrimpBurrito, I'd like to see a diagram of your plans.

I beefed my cage up by using some very stiff wire along each edge and folded the sheet metal edges over it. You can also see the shelf brackets I used as additional bracing for the inside. If I had better tools and more time, it would be nice to put some 1" x 1/4" metal strips around each edge, bolt them to the frame, and attach the sheet metal to those. I probably should have painted it, too, and in retrospect, it would have been better if I had folded the sheet metal over so that it was folded over facing the bottom instead of the top. It catches moisture from the rain and the drain plugs.

Having a tire pressure monitor would help too, but it takes a while to slow down and get out of traffic, and sometimes tires can blow out in an instant. Ideally, having both a pressure monitor and a sturdy cage around the plumbing would be great. The cage cost me less than $15 and a couple hours of labor. I keep hoping I'll hit the lottery so I can afford more gadgets. I do like gadgets...

[ShrimpBurrito]

I'm thinking about something like this:



B_and_D - I also don't like the idea that dirt, rain, and drips from the waste tank would land on this cage. What do you mean, "it would have been better if I had folded the sheet metal over so that it was folded over facing the bottom instead of the top."

This design could probably be simplified a bit to minimize cutting, but I'm thinking of making this out of something like 14 gauge galvanized steel, and all joints welded. (I've actually been thinking of taking a welding class, but it's hard to find a class that is just designed to teach you how to prevent hurting yourself and doing a decent job vs. becoming a welder by trade.) I'm guessing the cost will be around $100, including welding labor and the added frame member. Definitely more of a premium vs. your $15.

I'm also concerned that this design may also "catch air" as I'm driving down the road.

Both of these problems would be ameliorated with a true cage-like design, perhaps made from 1" tube steel. It would be stronger than sheet metal, would allow water and dirt to flow through it, and wouldn't catch air. But there are alot more weld joints, so I'm guessing cost would be much higher. I thought about trying to modify one of those hitch-carriers to function in this manner, like this:



...but none that I could find were deep enough to span the width of the tire and thus provide adequate protection.

Sigh...sometimes I feel we are doing jobs the factory should be doing....

Dave