Tire fires
What's with all the tire fires I've been reading about. Is it due to lack of maintanice or something else. Thanks for your input.
Forum Discussion
We went full time in may of 14. We decided to pull a 20 ft enclosed car trailer. Before we left I bought all new tires for the trailer, had the wheels sand blasted and powder coated. Replaced all bearings and races on each axel all fully packed. Went with new bearing buddies and covers for all axels. After 6 Mos of 0 troubles we were 60 miles out of yuma and the coach made a weird move. Stopped got out looked around, nothing. proceeded about 5 miles and got the wave over from a passing car. Stopped again,got out and the trailer was indeed on fire. Grabbed the extinguisher from the coach, ran back, and blasted the rear wheel area pass side of the trailer.
Luckily the tire was not on fire it was the grease. Had we run a little longer the tire would have fired up and our trailer maybe the whole thing would have burned
We dodged a big bullet. It takes a great deal of heat to get a tire to burn. Once started they are very hard to put out without the folks in the big rigs with the sirens and the big hats.
After we "got the trailer to yuma" take the car out jack the trailer up pull the tire off all while the traffic blows by at 70+, limp on three wheels.....I we discovered something interesting,
The bearing buddy was in place, the cotter pin that holds the axel nut was not to be found.
The trailer wheel with nothing to hold it in place had wobbled enough to create the friction that caused the fire.
Had a small run in a few months prior in a cg over a dog. Can't imagine someone pulling of a bearing buddy, pulling the cotter pin then replacing the bearing buddy. However it's the only thing I can come up with.
my point ....don't have one.
jw
Luckily the tire was not on fire it was the grease. Had we run a little longer the tire would have fired up and our trailer maybe the whole thing would have burned
We dodged a big bullet. It takes a great deal of heat to get a tire to burn. Once started they are very hard to put out without the folks in the big rigs with the sirens and the big hats.
After we "got the trailer to yuma" take the car out jack the trailer up pull the tire off all while the traffic blows by at 70+, limp on three wheels.....I we discovered something interesting,
The bearing buddy was in place, the cotter pin that holds the axel nut was not to be found.
The trailer wheel with nothing to hold it in place had wobbled enough to create the friction that caused the fire.
Had a small run in a few months prior in a cg over a dog. Can't imagine someone pulling of a bearing buddy, pulling the cotter pin then replacing the bearing buddy. However it's the only thing I can come up with.
my point ....don't have one.
jw
