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makavas's avatar
makavas
Explorer
Jul 20, 2015

Damage after a tire blow out

Hello,

Just wanted to start of by saying i'm brand new to travel trailers and have been learning lots in the past 2 weeks. Me and my girlfriend purchased 2013 Jayco Jay Flight SLX so we went out last week dry camping had a great time. Did the same thing this weekend and on the way home our tire literally blew and damaged the trailer. Tires looked new so have no idea what would be the cause (not weight) maybe we ran something over. Anyways, I'm hoping someone can lead me in the right direction fixing this.. what materials I would need etc. or I shouldn't even attempt this my self. Please advise and thank you for all the help!

Please see pictures,



  • Thank you for such a quick reply everyone. I was driving about 60mph give or take we were just about to pull up to dump station and it blew out. Glad i'm not the only one that has happened too ;) Just wish it wasn't so soon!

    The bear II - I will try your method of contacting the manufacturer first before i proceed repairing this my self.

    Here is a pic of the tire, sorry about the sun glare.

  • I had a blowout 2 weeks ago! 2013 Jayco Eagle 316... Towmax tires. I was driving 60mph on a hot June afternoon, rough section of interstate. I heard the blow out and immediately slowed to 40 mph and continued 1/2 mile to an exit. Initial blowout did similar damage to the fabric, destroyed the plastic fender skirt, slightly damaged the lower metal skirting... driving on the tire/rim mangled the rim to the point it must be replaced. Total estimate $2600. $500 deductible.

    Report your damage to your insurer... let the insurance fix it - thats what you pay it for.

    And, I'll be replacing the Towmax/Blowmax tires shortly!
  • so can we get a picture of the sidewall of one of the tires. I want to see what brand, size, type, and the DOT date code on the tire.
    Date code is on side of tire facing in.
  • Too narrow of leveling blocks or improper tire pressure kills tires.

    Take photos of the damage and the tire and send them to the tire manufacturer. They should take care of replacing the tire and damage to your trailer. Only send the tire for manufacturer inspection if you can get a written receipt when the tire arrives at their facility. Be sure to document the tire serial number from the sidewall if it's still readable. Otherwise take lots of photos of it.

    If the tire company won't fix it, here's how I would repair the damage for an inexpensive fix.

    I would use a membrane material available at the local building supply to fix the rip in the material. The membrane is used to line shower pans. I would glue it in place with silicone adhesive and then staple it like the TT manufacturer did.

    For the fender, if you can get to the fender from the inside of the trailer, it looks like you could use sheet metal and rivets to pull everything back together and then caulk the seam from the outside to help waterproof the repair.
  • As you have found out, the looks of a tire does not equate to the condition. They are not the same as automobile tires and due to sitting a lot, and maybe in the sun, deteriorate much faster. If they are the original on that unit, and most units are a year ahead, the tires could have been made back in 2011 or 2012, making them 4 to 3 years old. You should never drive over 55 with these (or is it 65?) and they should always be inflated to the sidewall PSI rating, no more, no less. As you drive on them, they will inflate but the compensation for this is built in. Have your comprehensive on your insurance pay for the damage and get all new tires, insuring that the code on the tire is indeed indicative that they are new. Lots to learn and as you can see, I've been there too.
  • To repair the belly: tape

    The sheet metal repair damage doesn't show well on the photo.
  • Heat and speed kill most ST trailer tires. How fast were you going?