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Weeluvdis's avatar
Weeluvdis
Explorer
Jul 16, 2014

Felt so bad for older couple traveling today

While traveling on the turnpike today in Ohio we spotted a travel trailer with white smoke and nasty smell coming from the tire area. My husband assumed wheel bearing. We were really concerned for them so we pulled up next to them motioning to pullover. My husband went up to the truck to tell them what was going on, they were probably in their late 60's or early 70's traveling across the country. Long story short early in their trip their truck died and they had to stop and buy a new truck, then 2 tires blew and now this. We bought a travel trailer last year and I'm starting to wish we had bought a pop up, class C or motorhome. I'm starting to think these pull behinds really take a beating while traveling and just aren't as safe as the other options. Can't stop thinking about this couple and what they have been through just trying to take a summer RV trip. What are your thoughts?
Seeking Advice

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  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    Jul 16, 2014
    Weeluvdis,

    We had our first TT for 16 years and our current 5th wheel for 20 years.

    I discovered early on that maintenance and preventative maintenance will help make the trips much more enjoyable.

    Some things will pop up no matter how good of care you take but the problems you described that this couple went through sure points to poor care of their vehicles.

    Life is an adventure....enjoy the trip. Just think how boring it would be if everything was always perfect.
  • naturist's avatar
    naturist
    Nomad II
    Jul 16, 2014
    I'm 66, my bride (of 45 years) turned 64 yesterday. I guess that qualifies us as "an older couple." But that wasn't us in Ohio . . . .

    I've been there, however. And the others are right, whatever you buy, you have to maintain. Tires need replacement from time to time, wheel bearings need repacking, brakes checked, engine oil replaced, the list is lengthy and depends on the equipment. But all of it has requirements that you ignore at your peril.

    It's kind of a "pay us now or pay us later, either way, you are gonna pay us" situation. So, not knowing any of the details, it sounds like they found the limits of the equipment they had, and i do hope they got their money's worth out of it before it had to be replaced/repaired. May we all!
  • valhalla360's avatar
    valhalla360
    Navigator
    Jul 16, 2014
    Nothing special about a TT sitting for months at a time between uses vs a MH with the exception that the tow vehilce likely gets some exercise with the TT on a more regular basis vs the entire MH drivetrain sitting and rotting.
  • robsouth's avatar
    robsouth
    Explorer II
    Jul 16, 2014
    suprz wrote:
    BUT.. I do like not having to worry about another set of tires, etc.. So that is one of the many reasons we are going to a class c


    I will stay with the TT and the "tire worries" vs a class C with tire worries, engine worries, drivetrain worries, rear end worries, etc.
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    Jul 16, 2014
    Hopefully they got back on the road OK. If caught in time, fried bearings are not too hard to fix. Problems arise when they are not noticed and weld themselves to the spindle

    Regular maintenance is the key as it is with any vehicle. I'm sure some folks don't even know you have to periodically check and re-pack your bearings.

    All RV's are a compromise and have positive and negative. With the class C, you now have an engine, transmission, etc to maintain.
  • suprz's avatar
    suprz
    Explorer
    Jul 16, 2014
    True, there isnt anything inherently problematic with TT's. like anything else, it requires maintenance. BUT.. I do like not having to worry about another set of tires, etc.. So that is one of the many reasons we are going to a class c
  • mockturtle's avatar
    mockturtle
    Explorer II
    Jul 16, 2014
    Nothing wrong with a TT. Just remember to pack your wheel bearings regularly.
  • easycamper's avatar
    easycamper
    Explorer
    Jul 16, 2014
    Nice of you to stop and offer to help. I imagine lots of other people were just driving on by.

    A lot of towable RVs suffer from poor maintenance. Bearings need to be periodically re-packed and often that isn't done. Trailers sit for long periods of time outdoors with the sun beating down on the tires.

    I don't think there's any difference in safety. I'd rather have a tire blow on the trailer than on the front axle of a motorhome.
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Jul 16, 2014
    Weeluvdis wrote:
    early in their trip their truck died and they had to stop and buy a new truck, then 2 tires blew and now this. ... I'm starting to think these pull behinds really take a beating while traveling and just aren't as safe as the other options.What are your thoughts?
    They hit the road with old and worn out gear.

    There's nothing inherently unsafe about trailers compared to other RVs. You just have to pay attention to your running gear. I doubt this couple had a clue.

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