Yes boys and girls, you REALLY need to carry a spare...

[Desert_Captain]

This pic does not show it but the the tire split right down to the rim and scattered tread for about 50 yards:





Left last Tuesday for a week on the Colorado River at Ehrenburg. On Monday {as is my habit before every trip} I took the Class C into Discount Tire to have the tires checked and aired up to my specs - 65 on the front and 75 on the rears}. "You are good to go, tires look fine and are aired up as per your request." We were towing our Polaris Rzr in the 10' cargo trailer and running pretty close to our GVWR of 11,500#.

We were 107 miles west of the River when my left rear {outside} Michelin grenades. Now the shoulder of Interstate 10 west of phoenix is no place e you want to spend any time but spend time we did. I got us completely off of the pavement and called Coach Net {for the first time in 10+ years}. They got a guy out to us in about an hour. In the mean time I placed three emergency triangles at 25, 50 and 75 yards behind our rig and my bride and I got as far away from the coach well back from the shoulder and waited.

The guy from the towing company was driving a half ton pick up but had all of the requisite tools. Said he would have us gone in ten minutes... 45 minutes later we were on our way. When the tread separated it ripped the mudflap nearly off and wedged it between the two tires and bent the mudflow steel support frame. I thanked him profusely and tipped him a twenty.

Yesterday I called the nearest Discount Tire store {In Yuma} and made an appointment for 1030 this morning. The tire that exploded had a DOT Code of 50/13 making it about 5.5 years old... yep, my bad, should have replaced it sooner even though it looked great. Found two others that also looked fine {same DOT Codes} and replaced all three and my spare returned to its mount under the rear of the coach {Thank you Nexus for the outstanding custom mount they installed 4.5 years ago.

Bottom line... without a spare ready to deploy we would have been up the proverbial creek and would have spent considerably more time in "The Dead Zone - aptly named, on the shoulder of one of the busiest interstates in the country.

Without a spare they would have had to dispatch a full on tow truck equipped to install a new tire on the old rim and I shudder to think what that tire would have cost {assuming they had one available}.

I carry all of the tools needed to change a tire but I will be 68 next month and really had no desire {and not much ability} to crawl under the rig and make it happen.

For the record 3 new tires, installed and I was out the door {in an hour} for a little over $700. Discount has the highest prices of any major chain but their customer service is excellent and they are almost everywhere. I was in no position to shop the tires so bottom line... problem solved and I drove home once again a happy camper.

Seriously folks... get yourself a spare!

:S

[Desert_Captain]

Stopped by Freedom RV to check on the additional damage they uncovered... yikes!

Here is a shot of the hydraulic ram they are using to straighten out part of the damaged frame. the twisted bar in this pic will be cut out and a new one welded in. The new top box for the wheel well is almost ready to install and the cabinets are ready for repair as well.



They are hoping to get the rest of the parts in and complete the repairs by the end of the month.

Check your DOT codes folks and if they are 5 years old or more replace them regardless of how good they might look. I didn't and this was the result.

:S

[toedtoes]

That's why I got a Garmin inReach. And for a few extra dollars per year, it includes emergency insurance for just type of thing.

[pnichols]

4x4van wrote:

Desert Captain wrote:
Good points Phil...

We all hope to never need help but all too often an injury, even a minor one can spell disaster. I carry a serious first aid kit and have been trained in its use {the same medical kit I carried when doing extended offshore boating trips modified slightly for the RV environment}. From a suture kit to serious pain meds, I am prepared to deal with burns, fractures and bleeding.

Often we are either beyond cell phone coverage or at its outer limits where help can be hours {or more} away. I also have the GS emergency travel assist but admit to some trepidation as to how effective it will ultimately be. Since we often are riding our motorcycle the possibility of even a minor accident could render us less than able to get ourselves and the rig home.


Yep, plan for the worst and hope for the best, once a Boy Scout always a Boy Scout...
Be Prepared!

:C

This is a good point (albeit a bit off the OP's subject). We camp in the desert, oftentimes a long ways from "help", and we engage in relatively dangerous pastimes (ATVs, motorcycles, PWC, etc.) I have always carried a small first aid kit, but the reality is that those are really of limited use; more for comforting kids than anything serious.

Then, a few years ago, my son's fiance broke her neck way out in the dunes. After a $100,000 helicopter ride, she thankfully has made a full recovery, but it made me realize that I needed something more serious than a few band-aids. I now carry a large trauma kit in the RV that can address things like heavy bleeding, broken bones, neck/spinal injuries, burns, etc. Although I hope to never need most of the items in it, I am comforted a bit knowing that it's there.

I'm curious ... was that $100,000 helicopter ride covered by air medivac insurance?

I guess a takeaway might be: If a remote area RV'er does have the insurance or personal money for air medivac, they probably should have a way of calling for air medivac when cell phones can't get out.

[4x4van]

Desert Captain wrote:
Good points Phil...

We all hope to never need help but all too often an injury, even a minor one can spell disaster. I carry a serious first aid kit and have been trained in its use {the same medical kit I carried when doing extended offshore boating trips modified slightly for the RV environment}. From a suture kit to serious pain meds, I am prepared to deal with burns, fractures and bleeding.

Often we are either beyond cell phone coverage or at its outer limits where help can be hours {or more} away. I also have the GS emergency travel assist but admit to some trepidation as to how effective it will ultimately be. Since we often are riding our motorcycle the possibility of even a minor accident could render us less than able to get ourselves and the rig home.


Yep, plan for the worst and hope for the best, once a Boy Scout always a Boy Scout...
Be Prepared!

:C

This is a good point (albeit a bit off the OP's subject). We camp in the desert, oftentimes a long ways from "help", and we engage in relatively dangerous pastimes (ATVs, motorcycles, PWC, etc.) I have always carried a small first aid kit, but the reality is that those are really of limited use; more for comforting kids than anything serious.

Then, a few years ago, my son's fiance broke her neck way out in the dunes. After a $100,000 helicopter ride, she thankfully has made a full recovery, but it made me realize that I needed something more serious than a few band-aids. I now carry a large trauma kit in the RV that can address things like heavy bleeding, broken bones, neck/spinal injuries, burns, etc. Although I hope to never need most of the items in it, I am comforted a bit knowing that it's there.

[Desert_Captain]

OP here:

Just got off of the phone with my GEICO claims adjuster...

Freedom RV where the repairs are being done, had him come out and they showed him the extensive additional damage that I was afraid my be lurking just beneath the surface.

When that tire "grenaded" the force must have been huge as in addition to the obvious damage {bent/twisted frame member} the wheel well needs to be replaced - it was forced up and into the interior flooring by the blast. They found damaged cabinetry inside the coach and are currently checking all of the drainage and electrical systems in that area for any possible additional hidden damage.

Bottom line, their estimate is now sitting at $4,131. It will probably be another week before everything that they have found is repaired {assuming they find no additional problems}. My $500 deductible doesn't sound too bad to me at this point.

As to a couple of recent comments above...

Yep, you not only need to carry a spare but be sure you or the ERS guys can access it and that it is properly inflated and ready to go. The custom mount I had Nexus install beneath the rear of the coach worked perfectly.

Prior to every trip I always have the tires inspected and aired up for the load they will be carrying {as it varies by as much as a thousand pounds depending on how we load and what, if anything I am towing}. About every third or fourth trip I ask them to check the spare for proper psi and yes I always tip the guy a few bucks for the extra effort/service.

:C

[Dusty_R]

Or carry a small air compressor.

[pnichols]

klutchdust wrote:
This post is almost carbon copy of what I recently experienced. Now I would add that you should check or have checked,

the mounting of your spare tire. On mine, the turnbuckle was rusted and we had to unmount the spare tire carrier to be

able to drop the tire. I was pulling my side by side on a 12 foot trailer so we threw the damaged tire on there. Once home I

updated the mounting hardware and lubed all necessary parts.

The spare tire carrier got whacked a few times by who knows what and was slightly bent as well.

Just as a reminder regarding the obvious: For those of you who do carry a spare for your RV, make sure you check and maintain proper pressure in it!

[klutchdust]

This post is almost carbon copy of what I recently experienced. Now I would add that you should check or have checked,

the mounting of your spare tire. On mine, the turnbuckle was rusted and we had to unmount the spare tire carrier to be

able to drop the tire. I was pulling my side by side on a 12 foot trailer so we threw the damaged tire on there. Once home I

updated the mounting hardware and lubed all necessary parts.

The spare tire carrier got whacked a few times by who knows what and was slightly bent as well.

[Elk_traveler]

Lwiddis wrote:
I never go without a spare for the TV and TT.

Agree 100%. I would never leave the house without a spare. Been RVing for several decades and had a flat on an earlier unit without a spare. The charge to replace it on the road by the emergency guy was 3X what it should have been. No choice had to pay it. If you have no spare and a tire needs replacing you are a sitting duck for a rip-off. There may be a few honest people left but in a situation on the road it is too easy to just over charge you and you basically have no choice but to pay up.

[Desert_Captain]

Good points Phil...

We all hope to never need help but all too often an injury, even a minor one can spell disaster. I carry a serious first aid kit and have been trained in its use {the same medical kit I carried when doing extended offshore boating trips modified slightly for the RV environment}. From a suture kit to serious pain meds, I am prepared to deal with burns, fractures and bleeding.

Often we are either beyond cell phone coverage or at its outer limits where help can be hours {or more} away. I also have the GS emergency travel assist but admit to some trepidation as to how effective it will ultimately be. Since we often are riding our motorcycle the possibility of even a minor accident could render us less than able to get ourselves and the rig home.


Yep, plan for the worst and hope for the best, once a Boy Scout always a Boy Scout...
Be Prepared!

:C

[pnichols]

Desert Captain wrote:
This pic does not show it but the the tire split right down to the rim and scattered tread for about 50 yards:





Left last Tuesday for a week on the Colorado River at Ehrenburg. On Monday {as is my habit before every trip} I took the Class C into Discount Tire to have the tires checked and aired up to my specs - 65 on the front and 75 on the rears}. "You are good to go, tires look fine and are aired up as per your request." We were towing our Polaris Rzr in the 10' cargo trailer and running pretty close to our GVWR of 11,500#.

We were 107 miles west of the River when my left rear {outside} Michelin grenades. Now the shoulder of Interstate 10 west of phoenix is no place e you want to spend any time but spend time we did. I got us completely off of the pavement and called Coach Net {for the first time in 10+ years}. They got a guy out to us in about an hour. In the mean time I placed three emergency triangles at 25, 50 and 75 yards behind our rig and my bride and I got as far away from the coach well back from the shoulder and waited.

The guy from the towing company was driving a half ton pick up but had all of the requisite tools. Said he would have us gone in ten minutes... 45 minutes later we were on our way. When the tread separated it ripped the mudflap nearly off and wedged it between the two tires and bent the mudflow steel support frame. I thanked him profusely and tipped him a twenty.

Yesterday I called the nearest Discount Tire store {In Yuma} and made an appointment for 1030 this morning. The tire that exploded had a DOT Code of 50/13 making it about 5.5 years old... yep, my bad, should have replaced it sooner even though it looked great. Found two others that also looked fine {same DOT Codes} and replaced all three and my spare returned to its mount under the rear of the coach {Thank you Nexus for the outstanding custom mount they installed 4.5 years ago.

Bottom line... without a spare ready to deploy we would have been up the proverbial creek and would have spent considerably more time in "The Dead Zone - aptly named, on the shoulder of one of the busiest interstates in the country.

Without a spare they would have had to dispatch a full on tow truck equipped to install a new tire on the old rim and I shudder to think what that tire would have cost {assuming they had one available}.

I carry all of the tools needed to change a tire but I will be 68 next month and really had no desire {and not much ability} to crawl under the rig and make it happen.

For the record 3 new tires, installed and I was out the door {in an hour} for a little over $700. Discount has the highest prices of any major chain but their customer service is excellent and they are almost everywhere. I was in no position to shop the tires so bottom line... problem solved and I drove home once again a happy camper.

Seriously folks... get yourself a spare!
:S

This is off topic, but slightly related ... how about ERS for our bodies? This is probably higher priority than help if our RVs ever are "in trouble".

We carry a satellite device along with us in the RV and the necessary insurance for it - such that by pushing an SOS button on it - you can get medivac service from your GPS location in case your body or someone elses along with you is ever in dire need. In addition to the device's medivac insurance policy - for additional insurance just in case - I've also added Good Sam's Premier TravelAssist insurance program:
https://www.goodsamtravelassist.com/findaplan/

We hope we never need any of the above - but you know how it goes ... "Plan for the worst, and hope for the best."

[jjrbus]

4x4van wrote:
Personally, I'll never be dependent on ERS, when I can change a tire myself IF necessary. Spotty cell coverage, long wait times, high replacement tire prices... Sorry, not for me.

As an example of just the "time" issue; a few years ago, had an electrical issue with a Chevy Suburban, about 2pm. Called AAA for a tow. While we had good cell coverage, we were in Blythe, CA, and there was only limited tow companies available; and AAA wouldn't go off the pavement. Had a local "non-AAA" towtruck get us from where we were located (on the beach along the Colorado River about 150' from the pavement) to a parking lot in town (about 5 miles). Then we waited for AAA. And waited. And waited some more (Keep in mind that it was Sunday afternoon, after a day on the river, tired, ready to head home, AND it was still 115 degrees in the shade!!). AAA's only contracted truck in the area was coming back from a run into Encino (near Los Angeles). After more than 6 hours, he finally showed up, and then his winch caught fire while trying to pull the Suburban onto the flatbed. Waited some more for his shop to come out and fix the winch. Finally got it loaded and hit the road at 10pm, to begin a the trip home to SoCal, arriving home at 2:30am.

No, this has nothing to do with a flat tire. But it DOES have everything to do with time. There is nothing in ANY ERS documentation that guarantees a "timely" response. Did AAA respond? Yes. Did they get my vehicle home? Yes. Would I consider it a successful "transaction"? No, and I'll never rely on them again unless there is NO OTHER CHOICE, PERIOD.

Of course, YMMV.

While your experience was pretty bad, it is far from the worse I have heard. Add, and then the tow company totaled our RV to get up into the top 10 worst stories.

[4x4van]

Personally, I'll never be dependent on ERS, when I can change a tire myself IF necessary. Spotty cell coverage, long wait times, high replacement tire prices... Sorry, not for me.

As an example of just the "time" issue; a few years ago, had an electrical issue with a Chevy Suburban, about 2pm. Called AAA for a tow. While we had good cell coverage, we were in Blythe, CA, and there was only limited tow companies available; and AAA wouldn't go off the pavement. Had a local "non-AAA" towtruck get us from where we were located (on the beach along the Colorado River about 150' from the pavement) to a parking lot in town (about 5 miles). Then we waited for AAA. And waited. And waited some more (Keep in mind that it was Sunday afternoon, after a day on the river, tired, ready to head home, AND it was still 115 degrees in the shade!!). AAA's only contracted truck in the area was coming back from a run into Encino (near Los Angeles). After more than 6 hours, he finally showed up, and then his winch caught fire while trying to pull the Suburban onto the flatbed. Waited some more for his shop to come out and fix the winch. Finally got it loaded and hit the road at 10pm, to begin a the trip home to SoCal, arriving home at 2:30am.

No, this has nothing to do with a flat tire. But it DOES have everything to do with time. There is nothing in ANY ERS documentation that guarantees a "timely" response. Did AAA respond? Yes. Did they get my vehicle home? Yes. Would I consider it a successful "transaction"? No, and I'll never rely on them again unless there is NO OTHER CHOICE, PERIOD.

Of course, YMMV.

[greyhook]

pnichols wrote:

greyhook wrote:
When taking a long trip in any vehicle, it's a good idea to be prepared. The old saying, "Ya never know", comes to mind.
This past summer, we embarked on a 5000+ mile trip that took us to Texas to Key West. On the way home, our Greyhawk developed a shimmy after a short patch of rough road. Shortly thereafter, I discovered a flat left-side inner drive tire, not a blowout, just flat. From what I could tell, I was a valve-stem. At least the tire would still be salvageable. Fortunately, I had brought everything I needed to change it myself. We do have AAA but I didn't see the point in waiting when I could do it myself. Less than an hour later, we were back on the road.
The next day, over more rough road, I felt the RV shimmy again. Pulled into a rest area and found that the spare, which I had mounted on the outside, had spun a belt. A quick consultation with google told me there was a tire shop 8 miles up the road. I parked in the lot of the tire shop plaza and took the tire with the bad valve stem in to be repaired. The shop had it done in short order and we were once again on our way.
It could have been a lot worse. Our good luck had us in nice dry weather on flat ground. The inconvenience to our trip was negligible. The peace of mind that comes from being prepared, though, is priceless.

If I understand your second situation ... you drove about 8 miles with only one tire supporting all of the weight on the one rear corner of the one dually set with the bad tire in it?

If so, that in itself is a tricky/dangerous situation and at the very least seriously over-stresses the one good tire and could permanently compromise it internally. We did that for 5 miles once due to a flat tire in one of the rear dual sets and it was "scary". Driving that way made the rear of our small Class C feel very unstable and "squishy".

The tire with the spun belt was still inflated. I felt 8 miles wasn't a big stretch and, although I agree it was a little stressful, thankfully, it turned out fine.

[pnichols]

greyhook wrote:
When taking a long trip in any vehicle, it's a good idea to be prepared. The old saying, "Ya never know", comes to mind.
This past summer, we embarked on a 5000+ mile trip that took us to Texas to Key West. On the way home, our Greyhawk developed a shimmy after a short patch of rough road. Shortly thereafter, I discovered a flat left-side inner drive tire, not a blowout, just flat. From what I could tell, I was a valve-stem. At least the tire would still be salvageable. Fortunately, I had brought everything I needed to change it myself. We do have AAA but I didn't see the point in waiting when I could do it myself. Less than an hour later, we were back on the road.
The next day, over more rough road, I felt the RV shimmy again. Pulled into a rest area and found that the spare, which I had mounted on the outside, had spun a belt. A quick consultation with google told me there was a tire shop 8 miles up the road. I parked in the lot of the tire shop plaza and took the tire with the bad valve stem in to be repaired. The shop had it done in short order and we were once again on our way.
It could have been a lot worse. Our good luck had us in nice dry weather on flat ground. The inconvenience to our trip was negligible. The peace of mind that comes from being prepared, though, is priceless.

If I understand your second situation ... you drove about 8 miles with only one tire supporting all of the weight on the one rear corner of the one dually set with the bad tire in it?

If so, that in itself is a tricky/dangerous situation and at the very least seriously over-stresses the one good tire and could permanently compromise it internally. We did that for 5 miles once due to a flat tire in one of the rear dual sets and it was "scary". Driving that way made the rear of our small Class C feel very unstable and "squishy".