Blowout damage

[Pastorwes]

I'm new here, so If I've missed an introduction page, apologies. My wife and I have been camping for twenty plus years. We started in a tent, moved up to a popup and about four years ago, bought a 29 foot surveyor travel trailer by Forest River. We have loved the trailer, no issues other than my own lack of knowledge. Last week, on the way to Tampa from Atlanta, I had a blowout. The wheel well was destroyed, parts of the underside insulation were knocked out, the water heater compartment was bent to the point that I cannot use the gas option and lots of other breakage type damage. My question, what about things I cannot see? Are the insurance companies/adjusters good at finding the warped crossmember as an example, or do I need to be aggressively involved in the assessment/repair?


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[LVJJJ]

myredracer wrote:

Pastorwes wrote:
I'm doing my research for replacements now, and I'm reading the forum posts about the ST versus LT tires.
Also radial or bias ply.

Sorry to hear about your damage.

If you are running ST type tires, there are 3 golden rules - never tow under-inflated, overloaded and/or over the speed rating. Internal heat buildup kills ST tires and damage is cumulative. Pressure should be checked regularly. Going to a scale is a good idea. TTs can sometimes be heavier on one side due to a slide and what's in it. Until more recently, just about all ST tires have been rated 65 mph. If you want to reduce the risk of a blowout, follow these rules. Also when at speed, avoid sharp/sudden potholes, big drops in joints in adjoining concrete slabs & speed bumps and stay off road shoulders. Blowouts have much less to do with country of origin than how they were treated.

Check the tire's load capacity rating and compare to the TT's weight. You want in the order of 10-15% min. reserve load capacity rating and more is better. We upgraded from LRC to LRD and have about 30% reserve capacity. More reserve load capacity reduces internal heat buildup and risk of a blowout. Some TT manufacturer's install tires that have little reserve load capacity.

Replacing tires at 5 years of age is a good number to go by but could depend on how they were treated. Age would be from the date code on the tires not from date of installation. Sometimes installed tires can be already 1-2 years old before they get used. Even if ST tires look like new they need to be replaced, including the spare.

The new Goodyear Endurance tires are a good bet and supercede their Marathons. The Endurance tires are one load range higher compared to the tire size you will now have. Max speed rating is higher at 87 mph so no more having to keep one eye on your speedo or GPS all the time.

Using a TPMS is always recommended.

The RVtiresafety.net blog run by a retired tire engineer has tons of great info. on ST tires and other info. for RV-ers.

right on myredracer, I totally agree, its how the tires are used and maintained rather than where they from. Don't agree that 5 years is all you can get out of them. I use 'em till the tread is too thin. I can't figure out who got to the RV'ing community and convinced us that tires must be replaced every 3 to five years, total bunk. Been towing for 30 years never a blowout with all kinds of tire brands and lengths of service. Have no use for these TMPS or whatever, they register all over the place on my '08 HHR, don't trust em, just watch the tire edges each time you stop to see if they are running over or under the edge. Use a good tire gauge once in a while. The tire shops laugh at the people who rely on these things. Les Schwab stores laugh at the well meaning folks who believe you have to replace tires after just 3 or 4 years. Of course they'll take the money

[myredracer]

Pastorwes wrote:
I'm doing my research for replacements now, and I'm reading the forum posts about the ST versus LT tires.
Also radial or bias ply.

Sorry to hear about your damage.

If you are running ST type tires, there are 3 golden rules - never tow under-inflated, overloaded and/or over the speed rating. Internal heat buildup kills ST tires and damage is cumulative. Pressure should be checked regularly. Going to a scale is a good idea. TTs can sometimes be heavier on one side due to a slide and what's in it. Until more recently, just about all ST tires have been rated 65 mph. If you want to reduce the risk of a blowout, follow these rules. Also when at speed, avoid sharp/sudden potholes, big drops in joints in adjoining concrete slabs & speed bumps and stay off road shoulders. Blowouts have much less to do with country of origin than how they were treated.

Check the tire's load capacity rating and compare to the TT's weight. You want in the order of 10-15% min. reserve load capacity rating and more is better. We upgraded from LRC to LRD and have about 30% reserve capacity. More reserve load capacity reduces internal heat buildup and risk of a blowout. Some TT manufacturer's install tires that have little reserve load capacity.

Replacing tires at 5 years of age is a good number to go by but could depend on how they were treated. Age would be from the date code on the tires not from date of installation. Sometimes installed tires can be already 1-2 years old before they get used. Even if ST tires look like new they need to be replaced, including the spare.

The new Goodyear Endurance tires are a good bet and supercede their Marathons. The Endurance tires are one load range higher compared to the tire size you will now have. Max speed rating is higher at 87 mph so no more having to keep one eye on your speedo or GPS all the time.

Using a TPMS is always recommended.

The RVtiresafety.net blog run by a retired tire engineer has tons of great info. on ST tires and other info. for RV-ers.

[rbpru]

It is almost impossible to tell why a tire shredded. When they go flat they shred pretty quickly and are often unnoticed until they are smoking.

It is an excellent reason for TPMs that monitor and alarm a low tire pressure.

[LVJJJ]

I think you need to be aggressive. Keep close tabs on extent of damage, be pushy.

Gotta ask what pressure were you carrying in the tires? Most likely it should have been at least 50 lbs. The reason I ask is that we recently bought an '05 Trail Cruiser that had serious blow out damage to one wheel well and minor damage to the other (I saw the damage before we bought it, I like to fix things). I asked the seller how much air he pumped his tires to and he said 35 lbs. That's the reason they blew. Probably was driving too fast too. I don't buy into the idea you have to replace tires every 3 or 4 years. Keep them inflated properly, don't overload the TT and don't drive over 65, will last for years. Been towing for 30 years, never a blow out. Tire companies trying to make money by scaring us with false info.

[rbpru]

I had a road hazard take out my tire, rim, and axels. I had it towed to the nearest Camping World because they were the only close TT repair facility.

I contacted the Progressive agent and told them I needed the trailer ASAP.

Everyone had their part CW estimated the cost of repair, and notified me and the insurance agent. The Agent reviewed the repair and negotiated the price. I agreed to the repairs and price and authorized the repair. This process took about a week or 10 days. A new undercarriage was ordered which took 2 1/2 weeks, the new undercarriage was installed in about 10 days.

In 5 to 6 weeks total, the unit was back in my yard. My job was to ask each person at each step of the way; how long would that step take and who was the person making sure it was done. Then advise he other people. If there was a delay (It took an extra 3 days to get the undercarriage) everybody as in the loop.

It was about as smooth as one can ask and I new where we were at each step of the process.

Remember you cannot push a chain or a person who does not work for you. but you can keep in touch.

Good Luck

[Pastorwes]

Looking at the DOT number these tires are 6 years old. DOT 4512

[bobndot]

A good dealer will know what damage has been done by inspecting it. The dealer will meet with the adjuster to agree to a general ballpark price of repair. The deal should still remain open at that time.
As the dealer gets into the job, if anything unseen is discovered an adjustment should be made . Most reputable insurance are going to work with you and your dealer for a satisfactory solution.

tires:
ST tires like Maxxix or the Goodyear Endurance are good choices that I would be comfortable with.
LT tires might not be available in the correct wheel diameter size as your OEM wheel.
If you decide to go that route, then you have to consider the room you will have under your TT to accommodate a larger wheel plus the added expense.
The other thing to consider is possibly a harder ride from an LT tire. You might then have to add shocks if you don't already have them otherwise you might feel that difference thru your hitch to the seat of your TV. (tow veh.) as well as shake things up inside your TT.
LT tires tend to work best of heavier TT's and fivers.

At the end of the day, weigh your rig to make sure you do not overload the TT axles and tires. Heat can be your enemy and overloading things can cause more friction and heat on tires. Keep them properly inflated, continually inspected and not overloaded , your tires should perform well for you whether ST or LT.

[Pastorwes]

I'm doing my research for replacements now, and I'm reading the forum posts about the ST versus LT tires.
Also radial or bias ply.

[2edgesword]

My six year old TT has 7,000 running miles on it and other then while we are camping (about 30 days a year) don't see the sun. After six years they look like new tires (very little wear and no sidewall cracking).

Unless there are alignment issues that will show up via an unusual wear pattern, a lot of miles, long exposure to sunlight or running without proper inflation I don't think a fixed time period can be set for when tires should be replace. Tread wear, side wall condition and years of service are connect but the critical factors for me are wear and side wall condition rather than age alone as the prime indicators of when tires need to be replaced.

[Pastorwes]

Lwiddis,
Are you saying you replace your tires every three years, regardless? If so, are you replacing with radials or bias ply? I've heard from some old-timers that they never put radials on their trailers specifically because the steel belts tend to cause more damage. Thanks for your wisdom.

[Lwiddis]

Four years on a set of TT tires is over my limit by a year. Did you check the air pressure that morning before departure? Refilling if necessary?

[William_Willard]

If you have a high deductable insurance policy -- You may be better off paying out of pocket -- Most times the damage is not as serious as it looks when you remove the damaged parts -- The wheel well & such is not a big repair -- Bill Willard

[IBcarguy]

If you're with a major insurance company I wouldn't be too concerned. Simply tell the adjuster (and your RV dealer that's going to do the work) that you are worried about concealed damage and would like a very thorough inspection. Most of the adjusters aren't RV experts so they rely heavily on the dealer that recommends the needed repairs.

[downtheroad]

Pastorwes wrote:
snip...do I need to be aggressively involved in the assessment/repair?

Very aggressively involved in all phases...
Welcome to the Forum. Sorry to hear about all this. Good luck with it.