Bought a fifth wheel that has sat most of its life

Lots of opinions on tires, especially on these forums. Towmax is a name you often hear, some like them, some call them blowmax. I have no experience with them. If you want my opinion, I'd run them for the couple short trips, look them over closely, before the May trip. If piece of mind is more important than $$$, I'd just replace asap with Provider STs, or GoodYear Endurance, which are designed to run cooler, stay together at higher speeds, like when towing 70 mph, with a nice new Ram.

Hope you enjoy your new to you rig!

Jerry

MetalGrand wrote:

MFL wrote:
The outer face of the tread is not as important as the condition of the tire between the tread. However, a tire sitting on the ground for 2-3 years, without moving, can be an issue. Tire quality can also make a difference, as there are many cheap trailer tires, that don't last long, even when they are used on a regular basis. I'd watch them closely, if just using for shorter trips. If heading out on a cross country trip, I would consider replacement.

Jerry

I plan on doing two very short trips (around 60 miles round trip) in the next 1-2 months and then a 260 mile (round trip) in May. Would you trust these tires to do the job? They are ST235/85R16 Towmax STR's.

You could install a TPMS.

MFL wrote:
The outer face of the tread is not as important as the condition of the tire between the tread. However, a tire sitting on the ground for 2-3 years, without moving, can be an issue. Tire quality can also make a difference, as there are many cheap trailer tires, that don't last long, even when they are used on a regular basis. I'd watch them closely, if just using for shorter trips. If heading out on a cross country trip, I would consider replacement.

Jerry

I plan on doing two very short trips (around 60 miles round trip) in the next 1-2 months and then a 260 mile (round trip) in May. Would you trust these tires to do the job? They are ST235/85R16 Towmax STR's.

kinda of late but look for water damage in the front cap...make sure caulking is good.
other than that, tires, bearings and axle.

check hitch to see that it is welded together.

The outer face of the tread is not as important as the condition of the tire between the tread. However, a tire sitting on the ground for 2-3 years, without moving, can be an issue. Tire quality can also make a difference, as there are many cheap trailer tires, that don't last long, even when they are used on a regular basis. I'd watch them closely, if just using for shorter trips. If heading out on a cross country trip, I would consider replacement.

Jerry

Thanks for the responses.

He redid the roof in 2016 and it looks in great shape for being in the AZ sun.

I plan on repacking the bearings this weekend, any tips for that?

Also, I did notice that he had the tires sitting on gravel, and now the side that was on the ground look like this, is that okay?

Check the roof and caulking.

The dreaded mound in the holding tank from lack of movement. Well...the right kind of movement after the movement.

Since he just put new tires on it, I would repack the bearings making sure to watch for any rust or pitting and make sure the brakes move easily. Other than that, you're good to go.

I'd look at the suspension too, see if it has wet bolts or shocks.