Truck camper question, rear tire blew?

I had one blow 8 or 9 yrs ago. The tire was ok, the valve was bad. I had gotten new tires put on and they didn't use the right valves. So if you get new tires makes sure the use the right ones.

jimh425 wrote:
I haven't in 7 years. Since you only have a Bigfoot 2500 based on your profile, you aren't even approaching a truly heavy camper. What tire pressure were you running and what brand tires? Is that a long bed?

You are correct I have a Bigfoot 2500 that weights 3700 lbs when wet and fully loaded. I have weighed the truck and camper and I am not over weight even for the tires that GM put on the truck. For extra safety, I added the 19.5's.

The 19.5's are Bridgestones and I run the fronts at 75 psi and the rears at 90 psi. I got them from Rickson.

I am hoping by posting this that a blow out is something that happens once in a while but not something we all should expect.

Paul

No experience with 19.5 tires however there are a multitude of questions that can arise from this incident. Tire pressure,Road conditions, Weather, Manufacturers defect, And so many more considerations to be taken into account that this thread could go exponential... Just happy that no serious accident was caused by this and you are all well and safe.

Not long ago we had a Nitto Dune Grappler, not one of our 19.5" tires, blow out on the right rear. It was inflated to 80 psi. Our tire guy, Dan at Rickson, after inspecting it, said it was a road hazard. A large chunk of something we ran over.

I had just seen a piece done by Michlien, I think. It was stated that if a tire blows, don't hit the brakes immediately, accelerate a bit, to reduce the oscilation, then slow down. It worked fine. The tire destroyed a brake line, no other damage.

Back when our rig was new, I aired down the 19.5" tires to drive on the beach a Assateague Island. One of the tires came off of the wheel. I was able to remount it on the beach with a hand pump and aired it up at the air station at the beach entrance. Evidently the wheel damaged the steel chords before we discovered the problem. It also blew out with no damage to the truck. It was determined that the 19.5" tires were not suitable for airing down due to not having a bead to hold them on the wheel when the pressure drops too low.

We now have 70,000+ miles on our 19.5" tires with no other problems. We will soon replace them due to age, not milage. They still have plenty of tread. We have a heavy SWR rig.

woodhog wrote:
Sorry to hear of your problem, we also have 19.5's and like yourself
would never expect a blowout, do you think your tire had previous damage or may have been under inflated for the load it was carrying??

Good questions, no previous damage prior to taking this trip. Was at 90 psi. Something happen? I guess what bothers me is I didn't expect it. Drove to Newfoundland and Alaska in the past with no problems.

The funny thing is after spending $500.00 to replace the tire I drove back to Ontario as if nothing happen. Felt safe again is what I am trying to tell you with the new 19.5 tire. That's why I asked the question about how often this happens to other folks, just to see if this was a one time event or something I need to think about.

PAUL

I haven't in 7 years. Since you only have a Bigfoot 2500 based on your profile, you aren't even approaching a truly heavy camper. What tire pressure were you running and what brand tires? Is that a long bed?

Sorry to hear of your problem, we also have 19.5's and like yourself
would never expect a blowout, do you think your tire had previous damage or may have been under inflated for the load it was carrying??