Street side tire failure - Page 2

handjstar · 09-02-2017, 07:12 PM

KidKraz you are very lucky that it didn't blow in Yellowstone mountains. Had my TM 12 years and had three expensive blowouts. So every other spring I get new tires reguardless. New tires are so much cheaper than replacing plumbing and grey water tank, not to mention how the trailer is uncontrollable during bowout in mountainous area. New tires for me help assure a happy ending.

**Kidkraz** · 09-12-2017, 08:50 PM

BarbaraJ, sorry to have taken so long to respond to the cleaning question after repairs, but northern CA has been hotter than I like to work in.
I took my small 1 gallon shop vac with a very fine filter and vacuumed everything. I then went back over the same locations, but using a paint brush to sweep out any of the rubber dust that was still attached to the camper, inside and outside.
I then just wiped it down with soap and water. I figured if the dust just streaked while whipping it down I'd have to do several passes over the area. I again was lucky and it didn't take much wiping or washing. I do have some marks that scrapped off the top layer of paint, but it's not bad at all. I wiped the area again after all the washing with the Lysol wipes, just wanted to really clean the area. Since your sensitive to chemical fragrances, use what ever product doesn't irritate you.
I washed the bathroom curtains and they came out great. I installed them today and I couldn't be happier. I've replaced the missing heater lock, and the cover for the mover motor. I'll reinstall the wheel well cover, since it's still fully functional. I still need to order a replacement lift arm cover, but I can wait to do that. All in all this Yellowstone/Grand Teton trip has been awesome and quite the adventure, even with a tire failure.

BarbaraJ · 09-12-2017, 10:54 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Looks Ike your interior was mostly tire dust. Unfortunately, I have some heavy rubber marks laid down in a nice crescent on the wall above the tub. Have managed to reduce them, but not gone yet. Your trip sounds wonderful. That's my home country, grew up in Worland, WY, about 100 miles from east entrance to Yellowstone. Truly God's country! Maybe next summer!

tentcamper · 09-13-2017, 09:04 AM

If you had not said it was a blow out. I would have thought you pulled the trailer with a flat tire for a few to 10 miles.

It can be very hard to tell you have a flat on a trailer.

Tireman9 · 02-17-2018, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kidkraz

I've had my TM for just about 5 years now and have been wondering if I need to replace my tires. I just returned from an awesome trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons with those original tires. I wrestled with replacing them but didn't. I did inspect them and aired them up properly for the long trip.
I was about 26 miles north of Wells NV when it failed. I have to say as badly damaged as this tire was, I had very little; almost no damage to my rig.
I replaced my toilet with a cassette toilet and have no toilet drain line that could get damaged. I do have the Enduro Caravan mover motors installed, but only an end cap is missing. The tire as you can see in the pictures is pretty bad. There are some tire gratings I have to clean off the bathroom area wall, but that's it. I just did a good inspection and will ask a friend to do a double check just to make sure I didn't miss something.
When it failed I was a couple hundred feet from an empty lot off the side of Highway 93. The sun was still up, my friend and I had some minor struggle getting the trailer up high enough to pull of the damaged tire and get the new one on. We had to open the trailer, cause the socket to remove the lug nuts was in the tool kit sitting in the cabinet under the oven. We started just before 6PM and was done getting back on the road at 7:10. We stopped at the first gas station in Wells, checked and service the replacement tire since it has been sitting underneath to TM since it was built. Retorqued the lug nuts and drive the remaining miles home.
I do have some questions that are of concern to me. When we went to break the lug nuts free the wheel was in the air and was spinning. I thought to apply the truck brakes which I would think would stop that wheel from spinning, but it didn't. I tried to apply the brake using the test switches on my truck brake controller and the wheel still spun. This makes me question weather my left side trailer brake is operating properly or my brake controller is operating incorrectly.

Hi Kidkraz
Tireman9 here. Just learned about this forum. I am a retired tire design and quality engineer and write a blog on RV Tire Application.
I know this is not a current situation but thought I could offer some information.

The tire almost certainly failed from a belt separation and not a sidewall "blowout" from a slow leak. As such a TPMS would not have provided an advanced warning as there was probably no loss of air pressure over time just before the failure. I do cover as a post in my blog, how I would suggest trailer tires be inspected at least once a year for first two years followed by at least every 3 months of use starting at year 3.

RottieMom · 02-19-2018, 07:06 PM

What exactly do you look for when inspecting tires?

**Larryjb** · 02-19-2018, 08:18 PM

He seems to have a fairly comprehensive procedure here:

http://www.rvtiresafety.net/search/label/Inspection

Padgett · 02-20-2018, 09:26 AM

Just one more thought I cannot over emphasize: buy only ST trailer tires with a nylon cap or overlay.

Part of the problem is that when a tire starts to separate the first thing it does is vibrate (why it is important to have trailer tires balanced). On a car you would feel it but not on a trailer. It is too bad that TPMS devices do not also have vibration sensors.

Tireman9 · 02-20-2018, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Padgett

Just one more thought I cannot over emphasize: buy only ST trailer tires with a nylon cap or overlay.

Part of the problem is that when a tire starts to separate the first thing it does is vibrate (why it is important to have trailer tires balanced). On a car you would feel it but not on a trailer. It is too bad that TPMS devices do not also have vibration sensors.

While I agree that tires with a Nylon cap or overlay or strip is probably better for RV application not all tires with the strip have the material "Nylon" so noted on the tire sidewall material list.

tentcamper · 02-20-2018, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Padgett

Well sorta. The disconnect can lock a wheel if everything is adjusted properly just is not taking advantage of the servo-action to increase stopping power of a rotating wheel.

Have not tried but suspect it should brake beyond the capacity of a human to turn the wheel by hand and you should hear a sharp "click" when you apply the power.

I have used the breakaway brake to lock the wheel when I have forgotten to free the lug nuts while the tire is on the ground. It move maybe 5 degrees before the rotation locks it up.