oatsmoeller wrote:
My thought with the tires is that I'll sign up for Good Sam or AAA (I'll be browsing these forums for a comparison next...), so having a flat for the first ~2 months of the trip (while in the US, hopping from place to place, driving during the daytime through relatively good weather, etc) would be an inconvenience but not too bothersome.
My brother bought a used Coachman Class B from a seller in Tampa Florida, and I went with him to pick it up. The tires looked good (the seller had cleaned and shined them), so we figured we'd be fine driving the 60 miles back home on them.
But luck wasn't with us.
As we crossed a bridge going into Venice Florida, the right rear tire exploded. When it did, it took out the right rear fender flare and the water line to the bathroom.
After the tire blew, my brother wrestled the van over to the side of the road just beyond the bridge, and we spent an hour trying to get the van jacked up to get the old tire off, while fighting fire ants, and trying not to slide down the embankment we were parked on.
When we finally got home and checked the dates on the tires, we saw they were six years old and over inflated by twenty pounds.
My brother bought a new set of tires the next days, and then had to spend almost $600 to buy, paint and mount a new fender flare and fix the plumbing lines.
We learned an important lesson that day.
Always, always check the tires before driving. If they look or are old, replace them sooner rather than later.
A blowout can do a lot of expensive damage to an RV.
We were lucky. We had driven across the Sun Shine Skyway bridge in Tampa earlier and had the tire blown there, it could have been disastrous.
Don't tempt fate. Replace the tires before you go on a trip - especially with your loved ones aboard.
Bill
Coachhouse Platinum 232 XL
