Beach-Rat
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Re: Brand new 5th wheel-- blowout from the factory to the dealer
My comments are in reference to ST225/75-15 tires.. In 2000 I purchased a 25ft Prowler 5er.. had 225/75-15 Load range "C" Goodyear Marathons from the factory tires were made in late 1996,, ran them thru 2004, X 12k miles.. no problem.. In 2004 they were replaced with "D" Marathons.. another x10k miles without a problem.. 2006 purchased a new Arctic Fox 24-5N with 225/75-15 "D" tires.. in 2009 at x13k miles all "no name" factory tired developed "goose eggs" in the tread areas.. all were replaced by Northwood's tire vendor. 2009 Dico (made by Titan) "E" tires were installed.. 2011 with x13k miles.. had first blow out.. more "goose eggs" .. had to buy a "C" bias when second tire failed in Key West.. 2012.. four Carlisle "E".. one on way to Key West, three upon returning home (on bias "C") (Carlisle is what the agri-suply store at location of blow out sold).. 2014.. x10k miles on Carlisles.. will be three years old in spring '15.. they look fine.. all tires run at max pressure.. checked every morning (of a trip).. ST225/75-15 tires are not of the quality that they were in the 1990s.. There is an LT225/70-15 "D" that is made for European delivery vans.. Continental and Goodyear make them in Europe.. sold by Tire Rack... these may be my next move.. BTW.. 16in tires will not fit under my trailer.. I have 31 in axle spacing.. Note:.. yes the LTs are 70s and the STs are 75s.. please do not criticize, offer a solution.. and remember.. "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein467Views0likes0CommentsRe: Dexter HD Suspension & EZ-Flex Install (long w/ pictures)
Great thread.. I was installing my EZ Flex just about the time that this thread was started. Three suggestions.. Place large piece of cardboard or tarp under the work area. Pounding and banging to remove/loosen the old bolts will create a rain of rust & funk (Northeast & rustbelt) that you do not want to have to lie in during the assembly stage. Test all of the wet bolts, I had one that the two drilled grease holes did not meet..had to run out to Dexter jobber for a replacement. Place the bronze bushings in a tub of ice water, remove them just as you are ready to install.. dry & lube.. heating the spring eye a little helps even more.. Good thread.. On Edit: I placed my zerk fittings facing inward.. that way i can crawl under the trailer and lube it without pulling the wheels.564Views0likes0CommentsRe: Revived Trailer Tire Thread (formerly on the 5th Wheel Forum
BurbMan.. welcome to my world.. Just wait & the front axle will separate and deform, give it a trip or two.. I've been through the same song and dance twice both times at the 2 1/2 to 3 year mark. My last set had RF fail (like you) on the way to Key West. Discovered the LF was egg shaped while at Key West and the rear axle tires were both egg shaped when inspected after arriving back home.291Views0likes0CommentsRe: Revived Trailer Tire Thread (formerly on the 5th Wheel Forum
CapriRacer wrote: BeachRat, when you say they denied your claim: Was it the tire dealer that did that? Was there damage to the vehicle that was part of the claim? OE (Mission) all had belt separation, goose eggs at 13k/ 2 1/2 years.. OE paid for new tires.. only thing that I could find, Goodyear & Maxxis were nationally backordered, was a set of Titans trade named Dico. The Dicos ran great for two seasons. February, on the way to Key West I had my first ever blow out.. lost the RF tire 150 miles out. Lose an hour and a half buying a new tire.. In campground at Key West (1200 miles from home) I notice the LF tire had a big bulge in the tread.. buy second tire (bias belted, the only ST225/75-15 that I could find in Key West) Drive home.. Haul the Key West goose egg home, call 800# and on their instruction return to dealer. Pull whells to repack bearings.. last two Dicos now have tread bulges (15k on them) so they go to dealer (he is thrilled to seem, so much so that I mail ordered replacement tires) Manufacture date is over three years from claim (but not retail purchase) so they denied the claim. No damage to trailer. Off again, check back in in a week or so.366Views0likes0CommentsRe: Revived Trailer Tire Thread (formerly on the 5th Wheel Forum
JBarca wrote: winkyb wrote: Check out this tire at Tire Rack( Continental Vanco 225/70/15.) Vanco 2(Highway Rib Summer) Diam. is 27.4 load range D 2470 .They are wider but it worked for me so far with about 1200 miles on them. Thanks, I did. The down side is they declare these to not use near freezing temperatures which in my case is a problem since we winter camp. Thanks for the lead though. After reading "not use near freezing temperatures" I was very concerned (these LTs were looking like my ST fix).. According to TireRack they carry 17 Highway Rib Summer Tires (but like all summer tires, are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice).. So.. where can they be sold? Even Hawaii has snow on The Big Island! Tire experts.. what does the disclaimer mean in the real world (When Florida has a cold snap will the tires freeze and fall off of the trucks?) On a happier note.. my warantee claim for belt separation was denied , the tires are too old. There is a three year warantee and it runs from date of manufacture, not retail sale. Maybe they will send me flowers in the morning..366Views0likes0CommentsRe: Revived Trailer Tire Thread (formerly on the 5th Wheel Forum
JBarca wrote: I have 2 tire issues that just surfaced today... (snip) The left rear tire will not clear the concrete on this setting. (snip) I have 3 tires that have a OD circumference of 90". Then I have this left rear tire at 91". John.. welcome to my world! My first separation was an edge tread.. all of the "experts" on numerous boards were singing the bent axle song.. but.. I placed the new spare in that position and it did not duplicate the problem. Then I had the "left rear tire will not clear the concrete on this setting" only mine was my "between the tires wheel chock" wouldn't fit between the tires. (again the bent (out of alignment) song from the "experts") Your "straight edge' pictures indicate to me that the problem was discovered early, if you had towed 500 or more miles on the damaged tire (they can hold together for long periods) the tread could have been flat but the tread depth would have been very shallow over the "goose eggs". I have lost 9 tires in six years, only one blew out, the other eight failed like yours. The original spare was still good when the other four were returned and replaced under warrantee, it hung under the trailer for three years and when used (10 mile trip) it did what yours are doing. Good luck..221Views0likes0CommentsRe: Revived Trailer Tire Thread (formerly on the 5th Wheel Forum
CapriRacer wrote: To try to understand so I can answer your question: When you changed to the Load Range E tires - Did you increase the inflation pressure to 80 psi? If not, then you didn't actually change to Load Range E tires. You changed to "Load Range E tires running at Load Range D conditions" - essentailly running a Load Range D tire. The "Es" run at 80psi.. all truck & trailer tires run the max PSI (80 for "E" or 65 for "D") Like Winky.. I remember towing a single axle Wilderness up and down the East Coast with 35psi in the OE tires.. from tire age of 3yo to 9yo with no issues.. and now my "jack stand" tires are 1996 "C" Marathons that ran 7 years towing and still hold the trailer while the "good" tires are being serviced.333Views0likes0CommentsRe: Revived Trailer Tire Thread (formerly on the 5th Wheel Forum
ST Weight Ratings.. There is more to it.. I don't know what or how but I do know that there is more.. Reason.. I just put the third set of ST tires on in six years.. OE were "Ds".. last set & the new set are "Es". All of the OE tires and three of the four past set of "Es" failed due to belt seperation (goose eggs) the fourth "E" is in small pieces on I-295 so I don't know why it failed. The last OE was kept as a spare and it seperated while hanging under the trailer as a spare. And while the tires/wheels are being worked on the trailer is sitting on two 225/75-R15 "C" Marathons (made in the USA Marathons) The "Cs" were replaced due to age at 7 years (1996 build date) and 20k miles. They are now mounted on Toyota pick-up wheels (yes, the offset is wrong, way wrong) and they show no signs of coming apart So.. why does every ST tire that I touch come apart in 2 1/2 to 3 years at less than 15k and the old 1996 "C" Marathons just hang in there.333Views0likes0CommentsRe: Revived Trailer Tire Thread (formerly on the 5th Wheel Forum
winkyb wrote: To back up the age thing with tires.Just this week blue a E rated LT tire on the TV.It was 7 years old and good tread.So time does count Trailer tire or LT tires.Age plus heat adds up to sitting on the side of the road.:R BTDT.. I also had a TV tire blow due to age.. was trying to get one more summer out of my winter tires (wearing them down before replacement) and did $1500.00 damage to the RF fender when it blew.. How did the new LTs do getting you down to the Keys?232Views0likes0Comments
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