[provofishen]

I'm looking for some advice on blowouts. Over the weekend we had a bad one that ripped a hole in the floor. Then proceeded to tear out a some wiring which really looks worse then it is. When we bought it we we're told this had happened before. So apon further inspection I realized they had just pop riveted a weak piece of plastic in to replace the old wheel well. This is probably why it did as much damage as it did.
I have done a little research, and aparently blowouts that take out the floor and whatever is above it are pretty common.
So my questions are.
First the repair done on it before was done by camping world. Which was pretty shotty in my opinion. I'm a pretty handy guy and feel like I could do a much better job. So should I do the repair myself or should I claim it on insurance? I have both good Sam and state farm.
Second question.
If I do the repair myself can I still get paid from the insurance for my time and parts?
Last.
Besides the obvious making sure the tiers are good which they are, and the pressure is good which it was. Is there any other things I can do to prevent this happening again?
Sorry for my horrible grammar and punctuation.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[provofishen]

I guess what I mean is they have good tread, not alot of miles, no visible separation, Or wear on them. They don't leak ether. I think what I'm finding out is what you said. Even though all looks good they can still be aged from sitting like they do. Thanks that's something I will be checking is the date they were bought.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[Leedek]

Check your date code on your tires. This quote from the link gives you the information :

"DOT Tire Date Codes are critical on any RV tire. These will be a 4 digit number stamped on your tire.

As illustrated,(Click here http://www.rv-insight.com/RV-Tires.html ) it will be the last "stamp" in the picture (2310). The first 2 numbers will be the week of manufacturer (23)and the last 2 numbers will be the year (2010).

Each Brand will have their own maximum years of service for an RV Tire - the average maximum seems to be in the 7 year range."

Be safe and good luck.

Leigh

 

[Todd&Regan]

In addition to improper tire pressure and age, overloading and/or traveling at speeds over 65mph can lead to tire failure. Hitting bad pot holes or running into curbs can also cause tire damage. Also get those tires balanced if they're not already. I put new tires on my camper every four years which adds up to 8000-9000 total miles, and I've not had an issue. And I do use the Chinese ST's.

Todd

 

[ronaldos]

Check your tires. Just look for the manufacture date or date code, which usually begins with “DOT”, followed by a set of numbers. To find out the week and year your RV tires were manufactured, check the last four digits of the code.
You should check your tires carefully. Check for any signs of damage, such as cracks in the sidewalls of the RV tires.

 

[Floridabaked57]

I purchased a 28KRS yesterday, spent several hours going over it but made a dumb assumption that the tires/tread looked good. Thankfully we were able to get to a tire kingdom before damaging the rim. I think that will become the spare and will put 4 new ones on the ground. Never assume I said to myself!

 

[KTMHauler]

I agree with everything above:
1. Check your pressure every morning you are traveling.
2. Replace tires every 4 years regardless of how much they have, or have not, been used.

I had an ST failure total one of my travel trailers.

I no longer run ST tires when I can find an LT replacement:

ST tires are tested at full pressure and weight for a defined time (24 hours?). They are speed rated for a max of 87 mph (Goodyear Endurance), most are rated for 65 mph max. They have no mileage warranty. The benefit of the ST tires are the low rolling resistance, stiff sidewalls (reducing lateral sway), and are cheap for the smaller sizes.

LT tires are tested at full pressure and weight for a defined time. THEN they are tested at half the pressure, under the same full load for another cycle. They usually have a mileage warranty of at least 50k miles. They are usually speed rated for over 100 mph. All terrains have better traction in wet and light snow conditions. They (usually) do not have a "China bomb" reputation (some of you may remember the Firestone problems on Ford Explorers). Overall, I think LTs are much better tires. After 5 years (yes, I use them 1 year longer than the ST), I can usually sell them for a few hundred dollars. The biggest drawback for me is a slight drop in MPG towing and they pick up a lot of winter sand/ road debris, making mud flaps a necessity.

It can be difficult to get a high enough weight rating in LT tires, you may need to buy larger rims.

Many tire shops know absolutely nothing about this and will just want to sell you ST tires.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[tomhank]

As a general rule of thumb, you can use the penny test to check if your RV’s tires are worn. If the tread depth does not reach Lincoln’s head on the penny while you are holding the coin upside down, it is time to replace your RV tires.

 

[benrobert]

This can result in early tire wear because it causes the air inside the tire to expand and contract in response to temperature variations. Due to their higher tire pressures, motorhome tires are especially susceptible to internal pressure building, which can result in the sidewall bursting.

 

[TTBadDog]

RE: LT tires, there are a million threads out there about this. Generally if you have no sway problems and can get an LT tire with correct weight rating (stay within say 50 to 70 percent max load rating) it likely could be a better option. I have 15" rims 6 hole and managed to find some 6 hole 16" rims that allow me to run a much higher load rated tire. No problem finding an LT tire that will support the weights I have.

At the same time I looked at my axles, a pair of odd azz 4K Dexter axles. My Toy Hauler fully loaded weights in at 7800. By the book I am OK when you take out the tongue weight etc. but pushing the limits. Bearings were easy to find for that axle but hubs were very difficult to source. I made the choice to simply upgrade the axle. Put a pair of 6K rated axles on. Now my setup axle rating is 12K and total tire rating is 13680 so I a in the 55 percent range of load rating. Feeling pretty safe with the over rated setup. Things should last a lot longer and not be nearly stressed as much.