Blowout - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-23-2011, 06:09 AM   #1
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Blowout

Had a blow yesterday and thought I would share the experience. The cruise was set at 63 and the TV is a 07 Town and Country. The tire was a Goodyear ST20575R14. The speed dropped to about 50 and there was a vibration like when you run over the rumble strips on the edges of the interstates. The air pressure was checked when we broke camp earlier. Thank goodness for AAA. I could not get the camper jacked. It was on a right slope and the right tire went out. The frame was about 6" from the ground. There was hardly any tire left on the rim. I have a bottle jack, could not get it under the frame and I could not turn the scissor jack to raise the camper. May need to get a better crank. AAA used a floor jack and had no problem. I really would not like to drag mine around because of the weight. I you have not had a flat you should see whar needs to be done to raise the camper in all situations.
Also thanks to the FL Highway Patrol. An officer with his lights on stayed until we were on the road again. Going to Wally World to get at least 2 or maybe 3 new tires this AM.
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Old 01-23-2011, 06:54 AM   #2
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Ed,
Just a suggestion, if you have the room look into an aluminum floor jack.

Bill K
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Old 01-23-2011, 07:28 AM   #3
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Ed,
Just a suggestion, if you have the room look into an aluminum floor jack.

Bill K
Yeah, they've really come down in price. Less than $100 instore sale prices from Harbor Freight: Search results for: 'racing jack'
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Old 01-23-2011, 11:22 AM   #4
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Ed,
Any idea what caused the blowout? Tire age, over/under inflated, road conditions, etc.
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Old 01-23-2011, 11:37 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed in Pensacola View Post
Thank goodness for AAA. I could not get the camper jacked. It was on a right slope and the right tire went out. The frame was about 6" from the ground. There was hardly any tire left on the rim. I have a bottle jack, could not get it under the frame and I could not turn the scissor jack to raise the camper. May need to get a better crank. AAA used a floor jack and had no problem.
Thank you for sharing this Ed. It does point out the benefit of having access to emergency road service. Would a flat tire occur often enough to justify the opportunity cost (space and weight) of carrying a floor jack around with you?
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Old 01-23-2011, 02:43 PM   #6
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Don't leave home without it.If you think it will effect the weight take your other jack out of your tug and leave it at home. You never know when a tire will fail, you can run over something unexpectedly and cut a tire,sometimes there is a unseen defect, sometimes when you buy tires there is a blemish and those tires are sold somewhere other than the tire dealer, like buying a Goodyear at walmart instead of a Goodyear dealer. Anyway I would carry the jack.
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Old 01-23-2011, 03:31 PM   #7
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Ed,
Any idea what caused the blowout? Tire age, over/under inflated, road conditions, etc.
Not really, checked the pressure when left camp. The Casita is an 07 so I have tires on a car that are double the age. We were on I-10 in FL and the road is in great shape. I guess it is one of those things. Bought a replacement today and will get another to replace the tire on the other side. I just don't feel comfortable about it. I rather spend another $130 and have new rubbber on the ground. I hope the spare is OK

Walmart will not jack up a camper to replace a tire, they would not even put the spare on the back of the camper. Maybe it was the W-M in Tallahasee. The advantage, they are everywhere. I
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Old 01-27-2011, 09:55 AM   #8
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We had a situation similar to yours along the N. Calif coast highway several years ago. Unfortunately the tire also ripped quite a large section out of the side of the trailer and left a hole about a foot long behind the right wheel well!

Fortunately, the repairs were quite simple, the Scamp being made of fiberglass and the wheel wells/floor of plywood.
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Old 01-27-2011, 05:20 PM   #9
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We had tread peel off a tire on the way home from Quartzsite a couple weeks ago. We were lucky the carcass held the air. Never believe the previous owner of a trailer about anything, the tires were not just a couple of years old like he said. I don't know why we took his word on that since he proved to be less than truthful about other things. Lesson...if you buy an older trailer check the tire manufacture date.

We did happen to have a jack that would work with our lifted trailer thank goodness!
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Old 01-27-2011, 06:20 PM   #10
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Lesson...if you buy an older trailer check the tire manufacture date.
The corollary is that even a newer trailer might have old tires on it, so check 'em all.

Regards,

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Old 01-27-2011, 07:16 PM   #11
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"don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see".
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Old 02-21-2011, 06:35 AM   #12
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Yeah, they've really come down in price. Less than $100 instore sale prices from Harbor Freight: Search results for: 'racing jack'
In my latest issue of "American Rifleman" Harbor Freight has a coupon for a "3000 Lb. Capacity Lightweight Aluminum Racing Jack" for $59.99. Item 91039 and regular price of $99.99.
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Old 02-21-2011, 07:00 AM   #13
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Ray, it would be worth buying the magazine just for the coupon! What page does it appear on and what's the date of the issue. Please and thank you.
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Old 02-21-2011, 09:00 AM   #14
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Harbor Freight has an on-line store, e-mail fliers, all kinds of goodies.
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Old 02-21-2011, 12:03 PM   #15
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Ray, it would be worth buying the magazine just for the coupon! What page does it appear on and what's the date of the issue. Please and thank you.
It's in the March, 2011 issue, but you can't just buy one. They are only sent to members of the NRA. However, if you send me your address, I'll mail you mine, I don't need the jack.
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Old 02-21-2011, 12:05 PM   #16
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Walmart will not jack up a camper to replace a tire, they would not even put the spare on the back of the camper. Maybe it was the W-M in Tallahasee. The advantage, they are everywhere. I


Not sure if you ever found the cause of your blowout, but wonder if the valve stem was checked? That was the cause of our blowout.

As for Walmart, to my knowledge they will not touch trailer tires (no Walmarts!) They wouldn't even touch my valve stems! I hate valve stems! Had two issues with them, one blow out, one leaking (went directly to the first tire store I could find. Made it!) New valves put on. I have replaced them 3 times since buying our trailer in 08.
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Old 02-21-2011, 02:33 PM   #17
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It's in the March, 2011 issue, but you can't just buy one. They are only sent to members of the NRA. However, if you send me your address, I'll mail you mine, I don't need the jack.
Well that's something I can pass up, thanks for the offer... PM sent
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Old 02-21-2011, 03:34 PM   #18
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Harbor Freight has an on-line store, e-mail fliers, all kinds of goodies.
I bought one of the Al jacks after our flat. It is still heavy but has the lifting power. There is a 2 piece handle so you can crank it up pretty easy. I hope I never have to use it.
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Old 02-21-2011, 05:16 PM   #19
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Robin,
Did you get metal valve stems that are put in with a threaded nut ?

Bill K

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Originally Posted by Robin G View Post
Not sure if you ever found the cause of your blowout, but wonder if the valve stem was checked? That was the cause of our blowout.

As for Walmart, to my knowledge they will not touch trailer tires (no Walmarts!) They wouldn't even touch my valve stems! I hate valve stems! Had two issues with them, one blow out, one leaking (went directly to the first tire store I could find. Made it!) New valves put on. I have replaced them 3 times since buying our trailer in 08.
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Old 02-21-2011, 05:19 PM   #20
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Not sure if you ever found the cause of your blowout, but wonder if the valve stem was checked? That was the cause of our blowout.

As for Walmart, to my knowledge they will not touch trailer tires (no Walmarts!) They wouldn't even touch my valve stems! I hate valve stems! Had two issues with them, one blow out, one leaking (went directly to the first tire store I could find. Made it!) New valves put on. I have replaced them 3 times since buying our trailer in 08.
How can a valve stem cause a blowout?

From the dictionary... Blowout - a sudden bursting or rupture of an automobile tire.

The valve stem is not even connected to the tire, it is attached to the rim. Maybe if there is a tube in the tire the valve stem could be involved? If the valve stem leaks, that would be a flat.
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