Went looking...getting a little closer
Well, this weekend we went and looked at/walk thru a bunch of campers. Taking in all the advice from this forum. Looked at some BFs, Wolf Creeks, Arctic Foxes, Northern Lite, Eagle Cap, and Adventur...
Forum Discussion
I used the Hummer H2 chromed aluminum rims and those are strong. No doubt in my mind. It was the tires I was most concerned about, Nitto's rated at 3700 pounds each. I'm sure they would hold the 3700 and probably more, but how much more? And what is the effect of, say, hitting a curb for example, or any sharp edge like a 2x4? I was afraid that, at speed, the tire belts would be affected. Hopefully an unbalance would occur and give you warning, but running at 'RATED' max, hitting somethings over the course of the tire's life, would seem to add up and risk failure.
I have no way of knowing of course. There are no ways to test for that sort of damage I know of other than perhaps a balance that is hard to achieve.
Still, I think that at some point, the straw that breaks the camel's back is going to happen sooner on an E 3700 pound rated Nitto sooner than it will on a H rated 5500 pound Toyo. And since the load is already right at the rated on the Nitto's, I went and upgraded my Hummer H2 rims and Nitto tires to Rickson steel wheels and Toyo tires. I got a good price on my old set of tire/wheels and bought the Ricksons used and the Toyo's from Les Schwab with a heck of a guarantee.
Remember;
In the end, you get to make the decision. It's what you are comfortable with. I was very careful with speed; never went over 60 and set cruise at 55. I felt I could probably handle a blow-out at 55 and under.
Oh, hey! I just remembered; I bought one of those infrared thermometers and measured my E rated Nittos after running on the freeway. Those things got HOT! My 19.5's run much cooler. Another point that will affect tire failure is heat due to flex.
I recommend checking tire temps regularly and see how hot yours get. When outdoor air temps are in the 90's, my tires got well over 120. pressures also rose from 80psi to 100+. That scared me too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006V4WNYU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
I have no way of knowing of course. There are no ways to test for that sort of damage I know of other than perhaps a balance that is hard to achieve.
Still, I think that at some point, the straw that breaks the camel's back is going to happen sooner on an E 3700 pound rated Nitto sooner than it will on a H rated 5500 pound Toyo. And since the load is already right at the rated on the Nitto's, I went and upgraded my Hummer H2 rims and Nitto tires to Rickson steel wheels and Toyo tires. I got a good price on my old set of tire/wheels and bought the Ricksons used and the Toyo's from Les Schwab with a heck of a guarantee.
Remember;
In the end, you get to make the decision. It's what you are comfortable with. I was very careful with speed; never went over 60 and set cruise at 55. I felt I could probably handle a blow-out at 55 and under.
Oh, hey! I just remembered; I bought one of those infrared thermometers and measured my E rated Nittos after running on the freeway. Those things got HOT! My 19.5's run much cooler. Another point that will affect tire failure is heat due to flex.
I recommend checking tire temps regularly and see how hot yours get. When outdoor air temps are in the 90's, my tires got well over 120. pressures also rose from 80psi to 100+. That scared me too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006V4WNYU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
