BLOWOUT!!! - again

We were eastbound on I-10 in the Florida panhandle - about 3 miles east of DeFuniak Springs. Right alongside of a FDOT crew the right rear trailer tire blew! Those guys told us they thought they had been shot. Scruffy asked if that was us, just as I was looking in the side mirror. I said "Yep, part of the tire just flew off." We pulled over. Scruffy got out to look. A couple of the FDOT guys drove up to where we stopped. Scruffy said he'd call Good Sam Road Service. One of the guys said he would change it if GS couldn't come out real soon - like within half an hour - they had work to do right where we were sitting. GS rep said it would be 45-60 minutes. Scruffy said to cancel it. So, FDOT put cones around the truck and trailer and replaced the tire. Nice guys.

Photos below:


Broke fender, scuffed up side of trailer. The water pipes along that side seem to be okay.


The center tread all the way around peeled off.

Sorry to hear of this.

Didnt you get new tires when you bought the new rims?

Hope it doesnt ruin your WDW fun.

Considering the miles ya'll travel vs the blowouts, ya'll are still probably below average ?

What brand tire was that ?

Save the tire and call the company that made it so that they will pay for the repairs. That tire look just like what happen to me in Jan 06 and tire company payed for the repairs.

Hey guys,

Wow! Sorry to hear what happened to you. That's not just a blow-out, that's a delamination of the tread. I'd save the tire and try and get the mnfr to give you a new one.

I got the PressurePro and on our first trip we got a 1/4 bolt in a tire that had 250 miles on it. It let me know right now. I could see the psi going down on the LED read out. Had to buy a new tire but no repairs to the 5th

The tires are Carlisle. We bought them in December, 2008. After we bought them, we started seeing some very negative posts about Carlisle tires.

What causes delamination? Is it a defect in the tire? We're concerned now that they will all do that.

Tater

Sorry to hear about your troubles. We had the same problem returning from Colorado a few weeks ago (Goodyear Tire) I had checked the tire pressure less than 100 miles prior to the tread coming off. While Workkamping this summer we lost count of the number of 5th Wheel Trailers that came thru the park that had experienced blow outs and most of them had damage similar to yours. It appears 5th wheels have more tire problems than other R.V.'s when talking to workers at tire stores. Just my 2 cents worth. Enjoy your trip to Florida

Delamination I think is the separation of the belts or plys of the tire. It gets an air pocket or a blistor inbetween plys of the tire.

Low air pressure causes heat to tire.

Running over the reccomended speed

A defect in the tire when it was put together

We were going to get the tire replaced in Clermont, FL, which is near where my brother lives. But, after thinking about it, we decided we didn't want to drive that far without a spare, so we called one of the Discount Tire stores in Tallahassee to see if they had the tire we needed. They did, so we took the trailer there.

Scruffy paid for the lifetime guaranty on the tires we bought last December, so the replacement was free. He paid $15 for the lifetime guaranty on the tire we bought today.

Here are two more pictures:


The tire guy said we probably picked up a nail. As the tire deflated, the edges of the tire were taking all of the weight. That caused excess heat, and eventually it blew, causing the tread to peel off.


The very professional and efficient tire guy replaced our tire and had us back on the road very quickly. This is the Discount Tire on Thomasville Road and Killearn Center Drive in Tallahassee, FL. It was easy to get to, just about a block north of I-10.

Tater

One of the biggest reason for tire failure is not running the right air pressure in the tires. ( ford / firestone ) Explorer tire problems, tire man. calling for 40 psi in tire vehicle man. calling for 25-30. The less pressure you run in the tire from recommended the hotter the tire temp. We also like to run lower pressures to get a better ride. I owned a tire store for a few years and the suppliers reps kept telling me this to m ake sure I would get warraty on tires if needed.

I had the same thing happen to me coming back from NM, along I-40 in Arkansas. Same tire location as yours. I have pressure/temp monitors, but got no indication till it blew. (I know they work, as I have had press/temps alarms before). But it just simply blew out! No damage to my unit though, as I knew immediately when it happened, and got off the road. But this was one of the original tires with 20K+ miles on it. Should have already replaced it just didn't. Still had good tread, but looks can be deceiving. (where have I heard that before? Possibly in a previous marriage? Nah!) But anyway, I have always heard you could blow a tire on a tandem axle trailer, and not feel it. NOPE!! Not true---not on mine anyway. But, considering the miles I have towed this unit and my previous TT, I was probably about "due".

What a Bomber. The guy at Camping World told me that they put cheap tires on at the factory. What do 5th wheeler folks carry around in case of a blowout? Surely everyone does not have Good Sam's road service? My main concern would be jacking it up. I carry around a 6 ton jack and extra 2 X 6 boards but would that be enough?

How about you ezrider6298. You seem to be very experience in 5th wheel and travel trailers. You have been doing it a long time. Just curious. I guess you could call me a newbie.

I use my Stacking Blocks.
I first break the lug nuts lose. Then I pull the the trailer up on the ramp that I built with the stacking blocks.
Make sure you have the flat tire high enough to replace it with the spare.
By using the stacking blocks you do not have to crawl under the trailer. The trailer is more stable this way than on the Jack.
Two summers back I had a blow out on the right side. I was only able to get the unit off the Interstate about two ft pass the white line. With the cars and trucks passing it was rocking the trailer before I changed the tire.

I usually carry a wooden ramp that I constructed using 2"X8" lumber, and I have just used my "leggo" leveling blocks, but with either, I still have to use the bottle jack from my F-250 to raise the wheel off the ground due to the equaflex suspension. I also fashioned a "doo-hickey" that permits me to use my cordless drill to raise the bottle jack. But I would NEVER attempt to raise the wheel by using just the jack.

ezrider6298 wrote: I also fashioned a "doo-hickey" that permits me to use my cordless drill to raise the bottle jack.

May we all see a picture of this "doo-hickey"

Yes. That would be interesting to see. A "thing-a-ma bob" that you use with your cordless drill to raise a bottle jack.

We couldn't feel any change in the ride of our truck/trailer with either of our blowouts. We sure could hear them, though. Both times we got off the highway immediately. The first time there wasn't any damage to the trailer.

We like our Good Sam ERS - it has paid for itself with the first blowout and the two flats that we woke up to in campgrounds. Unfortunately, GS couldn't get to us soon enough for the road crew. So they put on the spare.

Tater

We've decided to get a tire pressure monitoring system. Any suggestions regarding brand would be appreciated.

I have the Pressure-Pro and like it. Like I said befor it saved me. I just got new tires and on the first trip comeing home I had a 1/4 bold get in one. It let me know, you can see the psi going down and a alarm goes off. Time I got pulled over I had 15psi in the tire from 90psi. I had to buy a new tire but NO damage to the Cat. All it takes is one time for these things to pay for them selfs

Hi Tater,

We have the pressure pro also, so far so good with it. It is very sensitive with the pressure. According to it, verses my gauge, my gauge is 7 pounds off.

Best price I found was at Costco.com.

I have a TST brand. Works well so far....

Bought right off their website as a group buy.

We have the TST also, payed for itself on our way to Disney last month!!! Also bought off of the website. When the battery is charged, seems to last for weeks, I like that because it is one less cord to have floating around the floorboard all the time.

The insurance adjuster came out yesterday and gave us an estimate for the repairs. Now the trailer in at a local dealer (not Wildcat) waiting for parts.

We're hoping the trailer is fixed before our January trip to WDW.



Tater

I find it unbelievable that Carlisle is still allowed to make TT tires. I had trouble back around 2003 and switched to Michelin 16" LT load range E tires and never had another problem.

http://www.bobbystuff.com/RV/04-04-Exploding_carlisle_tires.php
http://www.bobbystuff.com/RV/01-08-16_inch_tires.php

Just bought the TST system and the install and set up was easy. It sure gives me peace of mind and I don't keep looking in the mirrors anymore!

I don't keep looking in the mirrors anymore!

i'd keep looking ....

The one thing I remember reading about these pressure monitors is that there are little batteries in the tire sending units. It said when you are not going to use it for a while, to remove the sending units because they are always on when they recognize pressure. To replace the batteries, you have to send them back to the manufacturer for a cost.

Be sure to mark them as to which tire they go to so you put them back on the same tire each time too.

Tom,

Thanks for the heads up about the batteries wearing down.

I think we are going to get the TST system for the Cat and the truck.

We're going to find a box that has individual compartments big enough to hold sensors and the tool that is required to remove them - Walmart has them in several sizes in their crafts department. We'll put little labels in the bottoms of the sections that identify which wheel each sensor goes in.

Tater

One thing I have noticed with my pressure pro, the tire sending units, when I put them on my rubber valve stems, the vale stem turns so I have to hold them with a pair of pliers to tighten the sending units.

AND since I always put F21 on my tires, my hands get slippery and I have a hard time tightening the sending units onto the valve stem.

Problems problems problems, boy oh boy!!!! But I think its well worth it in the long run.