For those that have had a blowout when towing

[1L243]

I passed three travel trailers along the highway yesterday with blowouts on my way home from a weeks camping.
I'm pretty diligent about checking my air pressure but I was wondering what was your first sign that you knew you had a blowout on your trailer? Was it the sound a vibration or just the horrified look on the people passing you?

My rig is about a bumper pull Toy Hauler 36 feet long and weighs about 10,000 lbs. I can see the left front tire in my drivers side mirror but can't see the other tires at all.

[rwess]

I have had two blowouts on travel trailers. Been towing trailers since 1996. Both blowouts happened on the right rear tire. I never knew that I had a blowout, never heard it or felt it. Camper still towed normally. Both times someone came up beside me and yelled and pointed at trailer tires. Both times were Chinese maypops. Always checked my tires and kept them properly inflated. Just replaced my Chinese maypops with a new set of Goodyear Endurance. I hope they are better than the imported tires. Changing tires on the side of an interstate highway is no fun at all.

The best ST tires I ever had were Goodyear Marathons in the late 1990's and early 2000's. They lasted forever!

[the_bear_II]

I heard a bang and looked in the mirror just in time to see a large portion of tread flying up in the air. Luckily the tire still held air even though the entire length of tread came off exposing the steel belts. I was able to get off at the next exit to change the tire.

Second time, my wife was following in her car and saw blue smoke from one of the trailer tires every time I went over a bump. She called me, I saw the smoke, pulled off at the next exit and discovered the center of the front tire was bulged all the way around and was rubbing against the rear tire on each bump. The tread was beginning to separate.

[jkwilson]

Kind of the reason for a TPMS. Very seldom any warning. The TPMS might give you long enough to get to the shoulder. Last summer I got a warning just as I got back up to speed from a fuel stop. Immediately took the next exit. TPMS showed 19lbs when I pulled into a gas station. Got to change it at a gas station with a bathroom, cold drinks and no traffic rather than on the shoulder with cars screaming by at 75.

[ependydad]

TPMS went off for my flats.

https://learntorv.com/how-and-why-to-monitor-tire-pressure/

[pennysmom09]

I, the passenger, saw the flying debris but heard nothing from our fifth wheel. It was the fourth year. Fair amount of damage to the rig, although only cosmetic.

[fj12ryder]

We've had three tire failures. Two were sudden blowouts with the accompanying BOOM, loud enough to be heard in the cab of a noisy Dodge Cummins diesel. No difference in the steering or handling of the truck/trailer at all. These were all on 5th wheels.

The third one we didn't even know about until we were waved at by a passing car. No squirrely handling, no noise, just a destroyed tire. This one and one of the blow-outs were on a triple axle toyhauler.

Two of the tires were less than 2 years old, and one, on a different 5th wheel, was very close to it's past due date.

[DutchmenSport]

I had one this last Summer on my 5er. I had no indication anything happened. I noticed smoke coming from behind the trailer. I thought the vehicle behind us was overheating. We were on an interstate.

It then dawned on me that the smoke was coming from MY trailer (passenger side). It just didn't register yet, but got on the shoulder as quick as possible. Minimal damage, but the tire was shredded and wrapped around itself. Put a small dent in the aluminum and blew melted rubber spots over everything, which easily cleaned off later.

As far as any indication there was a problem... no, absolutely not. There was no difference in handling. No noise, no thunder claps, no pulling one direction or another. The trailer just tooled right along blowing smoke like a freight train.

Vision of smoke, that was my indicator something was wrong.

[Old-Biscuit]

Had 2 blowouts on 5th wheel

I am anal about checking tire pressure in the AM on travel day....truck/trailer

1st blowout....
Northbound I-15 90 miles south of St. George UT on a HOT day traveling at 65 mpu.
BOOM!! Heard it, like a shotgun blast. Rear tire/passengers side
Tore up slide out floor, electrical and skirting
Tire was a GY614. Goodyear reimbursed me for new tire and all of the damage repairs.....defective tire (had to ship carcus to them....they set up shipping/paid for it)
Tire was 3 1/2 yrs old


2nd blowout was roughly a year later
Northbound on I-35 somewhere south of Wichita, KS
In the middle of a construction zone, lane shifting, K-rails and Traffic cones
Going about 45 mph when WHAM/BOOM ....sounds reverberating off the K-Rails
ANd as I looked back in my drivers side rear mirror I saw a HUGE Brown Cloud/Mist-----see I had't dump waste tanks that AM as they were not full enough.
Front tire drivers side thread separated and ripped off the common 3" drain header and valves for grey & black tanks.
POOP mist everywhere.
As I got pulled over a KS DOT truck pulled up behind me.
Guy got out of the truck reached in back and then walked towards me with the intact drain header....."Looks like you might need this"
He then went and got his battery powered impact gun and proceeded to remove the lug nuts, help me swap spare on and partially tightened the lugs. We finishe up with torque wrench and he bid me adios.
Again....GY614----defective/GY paid for all new tires and I haen't had any issues since (2010/2011)

[Bert_Ackerman]

[Desert_Captain]

On our 22' TT: My firts clue was the car alongside honking and pointing at my trailers rear axle. :S

The left rear had grenaded but with the other 3 intact I could not feel a thing driving down Interstate 10... We were only about 40 miles out from our campsite headed home when it happend and I still don't know how far back up the road the blowout occurred. I had checked all 4 tires the morning we left, no signs of any issues and all were set to 50 psi.

Pulled over and changed the tire. Fortunately the only damage to the trailer was having the brake wires severed on that wheel {Our Fleetwood Pioneer Spirit had steel lined wheel wells}. Took it to Big Tex Trailers the next day and they reconnected the wiring for free {Thanks again Big Tex!}.

I immediately replaced the China Bombs with a set of Maxxis' 8008 and never had another tire issue. IMHO: China bombs are a matter of when, not if they will fail... Arrrrg!

:C

[camperdave]

My first clue was when I saw the shredded tire at our next gas stop lol. I had no idea, it still towed just fine. I was lucky it shredded but did not do any real damage to the trailer. This was on a smallish (24', 5k pound) travel trailer behind an E350 van.

[Dick_B]

I predict those three RVers will be purchasing a TPMS shortly. That's what we did!

[Terryallan]

Two of mine were bolw outs. One scattered rubber all over the road, and sounded like a shotgun went off. One was just a muffled bang, and one, I had to be told about well after it happened.

ALL 3 were in their 4th year. All were maintained, and aired up correctly. From then on. None of my TT tires will run into the 4th year of their life. They will be replaced at the end of their 3rd year. Age is what kills TT tires.

[Second_Chance]

Ours wasn't a "big bang" kind of blow-out. The tire disintegrated after taking a large bolt or short piece of rebar through the tread. The first clue was the TPMS alarm going off. I was able to get to the shoulder of the interstate in less than 15 seconds and there was no damage to the underside of the slide over the wheel nor to the trim, etc. The TPMS saved my a$$. (Fifth wheel, 14K on the scales.)

Rob