Yes boys and girls, you REALLY need to carry a spare...
This pic does not show it but the the tire split right down to the rim and scattered tread for about 50 yards:
Left last Tuesday for a week on the Colorado River at Ehrenburg. On Monday {as is my habit before every trip} I took the Class C into Discount Tire to have the tires checked and aired up to my specs - 65 on the front and 75 on the rears}. "You are good to go, tires look fine and are aired up as per your request." We were towing our Polaris Rzr in the 10' cargo trailer and running pretty close to our GVWR of 11,500#.
We were 107 miles west of the River when my left rear {outside} Michelin grenades. Now the shoulder of Interstate 10 west of phoenix is no place e you want to spend any time but spend time we did. I got us completely off of the pavement and called Coach Net {for the first time in 10+ years}. They got a guy out to us in about an hour. In the mean time I placed three emergency triangles at 25, 50 and 75 yards behind our rig and my bride and I got as far away from the coach well back from the shoulder and waited.
The guy from the towing company was driving a half ton pick up but had all of the requisite tools. Said he would have us gone in ten minutes... 45 minutes later we were on our way. When the tread separated it ripped the mudflap nearly off and wedged it between the two tires and bent the mudflow steel support frame. I thanked him profusely and tipped him a twenty.
Yesterday I called the nearest Discount Tire store {In Yuma} and made an appointment for 1030 this morning. The tire that exploded had a DOT Code of 50/13 making it about 5.5 years old... yep, my bad, should have replaced it sooner even though it looked great. Found two others that also looked fine {same DOT Codes} and replaced all three and my spare returned to its mount under the rear of the coach {Thank you Nexus for the outstanding custom mount they installed 4.5 years ago.
Bottom line... without a spare ready to deploy we would have been up the proverbial creek and would have spent considerably more time in "The Dead Zone - aptly named, on the shoulder of one of the busiest interstates in the country.
Without a spare they would have had to dispatch a full on tow truck equipped to install a new tire on the old rim and I shudder to think what that tire would have cost {assuming they had one available}.
I carry all of the tools needed to change a tire but I will be 68 next month and really had no desire {and not much ability} to crawl under the rig and make it happen.
For the record 3 new tires, installed and I was out the door {in an hour} for a little over $700. Discount has the highest prices of any major chain but their customer service is excellent and they are almost everywhere. I was in no position to shop the tires so bottom line... problem solved and I drove home once again a happy camper.
Seriously folks... get yourself a spare!
:S
Left last Tuesday for a week on the Colorado River at Ehrenburg. On Monday {as is my habit before every trip} I took the Class C into Discount Tire to have the tires checked and aired up to my specs - 65 on the front and 75 on the rears}. "You are good to go, tires look fine and are aired up as per your request." We were towing our Polaris Rzr in the 10' cargo trailer and running pretty close to our GVWR of 11,500#.
We were 107 miles west of the River when my left rear {outside} Michelin grenades. Now the shoulder of Interstate 10 west of phoenix is no place e you want to spend any time but spend time we did. I got us completely off of the pavement and called Coach Net {for the first time in 10+ years}. They got a guy out to us in about an hour. In the mean time I placed three emergency triangles at 25, 50 and 75 yards behind our rig and my bride and I got as far away from the coach well back from the shoulder and waited.
The guy from the towing company was driving a half ton pick up but had all of the requisite tools. Said he would have us gone in ten minutes... 45 minutes later we were on our way. When the tread separated it ripped the mudflap nearly off and wedged it between the two tires and bent the mudflow steel support frame. I thanked him profusely and tipped him a twenty.
Yesterday I called the nearest Discount Tire store {In Yuma} and made an appointment for 1030 this morning. The tire that exploded had a DOT Code of 50/13 making it about 5.5 years old... yep, my bad, should have replaced it sooner even though it looked great. Found two others that also looked fine {same DOT Codes} and replaced all three and my spare returned to its mount under the rear of the coach {Thank you Nexus for the outstanding custom mount they installed 4.5 years ago.
Bottom line... without a spare ready to deploy we would have been up the proverbial creek and would have spent considerably more time in "The Dead Zone - aptly named, on the shoulder of one of the busiest interstates in the country.
Without a spare they would have had to dispatch a full on tow truck equipped to install a new tire on the old rim and I shudder to think what that tire would have cost {assuming they had one available}.
I carry all of the tools needed to change a tire but I will be 68 next month and really had no desire {and not much ability} to crawl under the rig and make it happen.
For the record 3 new tires, installed and I was out the door {in an hour} for a little over $700. Discount has the highest prices of any major chain but their customer service is excellent and they are almost everywhere. I was in no position to shop the tires so bottom line... problem solved and I drove home once again a happy camper.
Seriously folks... get yourself a spare!
:S
