Another (!) tire failure

Good thread - I didn't expect this much reponse. Let me make a couple points.

1. Jim (Freedom) asked about light truck tires. Jim, there was a thread about this. Rocky Mtn Ray did some invesitgation, and found that it is NOT a good idea. If I recall correctly, Light Truck (LT prefix) tires are built differently in the sidewall than Special Trailer (ST prefix) tires, and the difference may cause handling problems. Check about halfway down this thread

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2880

To others who are considering switching to 15" tires. My TM (with the lift kit) has plenty of clearance for the bigger tire at the top of the wheel well, and seems to have enough clearance at the forward and aft edges of the wheel well. But I'm not sure the wheel well is wide enough to accept a 15" tire, EDIT - PLEASE IGNORE THE FOLLOWING DUMB ERROR which is 1.5 inches wider than the 14" tire. In other words, the sidewall of the tire may scuff the white "fender skirt", or the frame member - especially if the tire flexes and bulges as you go over a bump. Again, we need first-hand experience from a guinea pig - er, volunteer.

Bill
 
Bill

Per Goodyear the 15" Marathon is 1.6" taller than the 14" (28.3 vs 26.7) but only .3" wider (8.8 vs 8.5) so fit with the lift kit may not be a problem.

Beyond that however, I found in my web search last night that upgrading to 15" is more complex than I thought it would be and involves a world of choices and decisions. For instance the 15" wheels that have the 5 hole on 4-1/2" circle that fit the TM 3500lb axle are generally rated to only 2150lbs (same as the Marathon 15" C rated tire) and you have to move to a bigger circle and more holes to get the 2540lb rating. One supplier (etrailer.com) does sell a combination of the smaller circle wheel and the stronger tire but they don't say who makes the tire and the wheel alone on their site isn't rated to support the same weight as 15"-D tire. That may not matter on a 3200lb trailer but a tire warranty isn't much good if you can't find a dealer within a thousand miles who handles that tire.

Beyond etrailer, most don't say who makes their tires and some don't even say what the bolt pattern is. I did find one supplier (Cabela's) who sells the C rated 15" (2150lb) Marathon on the small bolt circle and I may go with that-- parly because I'm not sure running a 65psi 15"-D tire at 50psi is safer than running a 50psi 15"C tire at 50psi since both are rated well above our TM's 3200lb load. I'm thinking the heavier tire may generate more heat at 50psi.

I think I mentioned that it's not as simple as I expected.
 
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Found Date Information

Thanks to postings by fcatwo and Texas Camper, I checked the INSIDE sidewall and was able to determine that my TM tires were manufactured in June of last year - about three months before our TM was built.

So, I'm OK with the tires I've got and, since I usually drive at 60 mph or less, these tires should last several seasons! :)

Happy Trails to all!
 
You can get 14 inch tires with higher load rating. I bought Cooper tires last time. The dealer said they were a commercial type. They were 195R14C, Load Range D 106/104Q with a load rating of 2095 lbs at 65 PSIG. They are not TT tires however. Ive had them for three years. They fit and worked very well on my 3023 while on three extended trips. One trip to Grand Teton NP from southern Indiana. One trip to Alaska from southern Indiana. One trip to Carlsbad Caverns from southern Indiana. I believe it is very important to have your TM tires balanced and to weigh your TM every time you take a long trip.
 
We replaced our tires last year with commercial grade ST205/75D14 Goodyears. They are rated at 2040 @ 65 PSI. These are the tires that U-Haul uses on their rental trailers. We have 6500 miles on them already and they look brand new. (They aren't radials, but I had some like this on a utility trailer and they lasted 20+ years)
 
Tread Failure

While traveling home from the Keys three weeks ago, passenger side tire lost the tread. Did $2000 in damage/replacement parts to TM (according to the dealer body shop estimate). Just mailed the estimate to GoodYear. I await their reply on payment.
Tire was manufactured in June of 05 when TM was built. Purchased 06 2720SL in Dec. 05.
DonnaP
 
Wow! It's hard to do that much damage on the passenger side! The big bux usually come into play when a tire fails on the driver's side and takes out the plumbing. What on earth happened? And by the way, who is your dealer that made this estimate?

Good luck getting damages out of Goodyear. Like most warranties, Goodyear's specifically excludes "consequential damages".

Bill
 
Damage

TM dealer here in Orlando gave me the estimate. Almost 700 in parts, rest labor and tax. Tread took out the cover, put two large holes in the bottom of the trailer, bent the support braces, dented the back shell behind the window and cut up the molding on the side of the TM. (When the wardrobe is in place it hides the dents on the inside wall.) I'm sure GoodYear won't give me anything for the tire or the repair work but it hasn't cost me anything yet to correspond with them.
Tire only had about 2000 miles on it. Checked air before leaving campground and it was at 50lbs. Only drove about 230 miles when it let go. Tire didn't go flat. I drove about 10 miles to a safe spot on the Fl. Turnpike in order to change the tire.
 
Based on personal experience and other threads (and I'm not being accusatory here - just curious whether this will trigger an AHA), just taking one trip with lower tire pressure will break down the sidewall integrity, and it's not necessarily going to blow on that trip. In my case it was both tires on the final leg of another trip later that year. My trailer doesn't roll without insuring that there is 50 to 55 pounds in them now.
 
Tires

I understand what you are saying but DH is fanatical about it. TM doesn't leave the house or the campground without having tires checked.
 
How fast were you going? It seems that you got a lot of damage from the blowout. We had one too on that side, but I only had to patch up a small hole behind the wheelwell. We keep our speed down and have made the wheelwell conversion, also travel dry (no water) and as light as possible. We bought our Marathons in '04, maybe they were the last of the good ones. Seems that many of the posts that are reporting tire failure are for tires manufactured after that date.
 
Damage

We were traveling at 62 mph according to DH. Ford F150 with a 5.4 has a race between the gas guage and speedo at higher speeds. We don't carry water in the tank. Everything was dumped and cleaned prior to leaving campground. Tread punched two holes in the bottom of trailer but dealer body shop wants to replace entire underbelly. Denting in the side wall of rear shell warrants replacing of entire wall according to them. Thus the high cost. These two things account for about 3/4 of the price.
Donna
06 F150
06 2720SL
 
Oucccch

We have a 2006 2720SD and it has about 4,000 miles on the tires and when I read articles like this it makes me wonder when are the tires on our TM going to let go and if the insurance on the coach will cover the damage.............
 
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Our insurance, Progressive, covered our blow out damage. All but the tire.
 
Ed and Joan -

My insurance carrier is not Progresive, but I have dealt with them as the owner of the "other vehicle" in a Progressive-insured accident. I was quite impressed with the way they handled my claim. If you don't mind my asking, do you have a zero-deductible policy on your TM? And if so, what does it cost per year? I think my TM policy has a $500 deductible, and I haven't encountered any damage that I would submit a claim for.

Bill
 
We're out on the road so I can't answer all. Found a campground with good WiFi. I know the price isn't but a couple hundred for the year. That is until my next bill, I'm suspecting a slight increase! We do have $500 deducable. When the tire went, left, did @ $1400 damage. Took out plumbing and grey tank. When the DD (me) hit the concrete pole it was more like 5K. It jumped right out at me! Dropping the TM off the end of July.
 
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