AB_Spotman
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Re: Tires for Fiver
My Goodyear 614 had complete failure this weekend...BOOM, back left tire. Pressure good when I started out, but maybe a little old, or ran over something. For the record, the age was 7 years according to DOT date. Fortunate, damage was minimal. Over the past six years and 3 different trailers, I have blown out a exactly 3 tires(one on each trailer), all rear tires. One was China made LT, a brand I had never heard of, one was a Goodyear Marathon(ST) and now the Goodyear 614.....only common point was that they were all over 5 years old at the time of the blow out. I am replacing all 4 with Sailun 637...almost 1/2 the money of the Goodyear 614 and while not a long track record, they are getting an okay reviews. Rated for 3750 lbs at 110 PSI. I considered the Carlisle 235-85-16 load F-ST(95psi, 3900 lbs), dealer strongly recommended this(contrary to the negative posts, the dealer says that they hear no more negative than other tires). One reason I chose S637's was that on the Carlisle website they say..."..the combined capacity of all of the tires should exceed the loaded trailer weight by 20 percent"...so in effect, not much more load capability that a Load E (3042lbs at 80psi)...the added bonus is higher speed rating...not like I haul over 60-65, but does happen from time to time. I figure I have a little more load capacity at speed. Last thought on a long post....have any of you guys ever checked the loaded weight, wheel by wheel....most people I talk to blow the rear tires...I am curious to see if the rear tires are carrying more than 1/2 the combined weight on one side...446Views0likes0CommentsRe: Thought about switching to a motorhome
Seems like a timely topic. My folks have a 2007 Kountry Aire 5er. Was the top of the line in its day - 38 feet, 5 slides--huge. They were really close to trading for a Diesel MH this fall. Money, while important, wasn't the only deciding factor. They based on "driving time comfort" versus "living comfort" when parked. They travel and spend 2-3 months in one location, mostly Arizona in the winter months, so would have a few long days getting down to Arizona from Alberta, then mostly staying put. They run around in their 1-ton dually...which they use at home normally, so no big deal. When towing, if he is tired, they stop for a rest, go make lunch etc. When it came right down to it, they never found a MH floor plan that they preferred over their 5er. Most of plans all were similar, like a big hallway(albeit a nicely appointed hallway). From their opinion, the big increase in price, fuel, maintenance, and insurance was more for having a wonderful drive "on the road" vehicle, which for them was the smallest percentage of their use. Only one opinion of many.479Views0likes0CommentsRe: Towing Capability
Back to the original post. On paper the the 3/4 will work...but if you are not careful on watching your loaded weight, you will be over the available pin weight on the truck. Especially if you are taking a generator, extra fuel etc. I have a DWD 3500 Chev. My 5'er says 14,000 fully loaded with a dry pin weight of 2130. I know we put extra weight in the bed(generator) plus the upfront storage is full...I have never had the trailer total weight get up to 14,000 any time I have weighed it, but I have on occasion pushed the pin weight up to 3000lbs. You are not just getting higher pin weight capacity, I believe the 1 ton also has a bit bigger brakes and little stiffer suspension....to me piece of mind482Views0likes0CommentsRe: Pondering Wandering (full timing)
Not a useless thread. I am sure everyone has that thought from time to time... One option I have seen is people at purchasing a small piece of property close to town..ideally a small lot or acreage. I have been through Flagstaff a few times but not familiar with land prices or availability. Pay the money to service the lot - power, sewer, water, ph(or wireless). Unless another financial meltdown you will at least have a piece of "dirt" that is hopefully appreciating or at the very least staying current. Find your self a nice 5th wheel, skirt and insulate around the bottom and you should be able to get through the winter months. I have seen a few people in Montana that have built a tall shed that they back right under with their trailer to help shed the snow and elements. If they can survive in Montana winter, I think Flagstaff would be possible. When the moment strikes, you can put away the skirting, unhook your utilities and drive into the sunset...439Views0likes0CommentsRe: Goodyear G614 tires
It is going to take a long time for Goodyear to re-think their prices in my opinion. It will take a few years for the results to come in on the Sailuns. I suspect that if the S637 pan out to be competitive in terms of performance, that we will see their price start to climb faster that Goodyear dropping theirs. As a side note. When I got my 4 - S637's last week they had to ship them from a Vancouver port warehouse as the local tire chain hasn't been ordering enough to keep in inventory. The DOT date on my tires was 20th week of 2013...so certainly not sitting around in a showroom for long. People must be buying them.239Views0likes0CommentsRe: Goodyear G614 tires
I just forked over $1000 for 4 installed - Sailun 637 on my Jayco 345. I have G614's on my horse trailer and are good. I threw the tread on one, but tire stayed intact. Goodyear gave me a re-tread so still on trailer. I just couldn't justify the $400/tire versus $205 for the Sailun. I am in Alberta so Sailun only available at Kal Tire. They have put on quite a few over the past year and so far they are not hearing about any problems. They could have sold me Carlisle ST's for more money, but felt the Sailun was a better choice in their opinion. I personally don't like ST tires(that's a different post). I pressured them up to 95psi giving me a little extra weight rating than I had on the Load E. Heading to Montana next week, fully loaded, so first real test.103Views0likes0Comments
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