Have you ever had a blown tire on your T@b?

jkjenn

No, but I have replaced the original tires. (Please indicate which tires you use in the comments below.)

ScottG said:

catndahats said:

so, after much digging online and reading our "owners manual" what is the best air pressure for a 2014 T@B with the ST tires? Without calling Pleasant Valley, does anyone know for sure? 

The owners Manual says "35psi" and the tire sidewall says "50psi max" and other folks says 40-45 psi....we have been traveling at 38-42psi not realizing we were either over or underinflated for almost 5,000 miles.

This is a good question. While most tires have a maximum pressure given on the sidewall, vehicle (and trailer) manufacturers provide a recommended pressure on a sticker attached to the body. With automobiles, the recommended pressure is usually less than the maximum pressure. On LG T@Bs (mine at least) they are the same (50psi). However, confounding this issue is that the LG owner's manual (which is outdated and covers numerous models) suggests reducing the pressure to as low as 35psi.

Furthermore, it appears from a recent thread that older Dutchman T@Bs use a lower profile car tire with different specs.

Regardless, I remain skeptical (though not certain...) that a little underinflation would be the root cause of a catastrophic blowout of a modern tire.

Scott, ST tires  (standard trailer) are not the same as passenger tires. They do recommend doing filling to max on ST tires to prevent the delamination.

ScottG

Agreed. That is consistent with my (limited) trailer experience in which the recommended psi on the sticker matches the max psi on the ST tire.

This still leaves open the questions of why LG recommends a lower pressure in the manual, and why Dutchman purportedly outfitted their T@Bs with car tires.

I guess, if in doubt, I would go with the manufacturer's recommendation from the vehicle sticker, provided I was using the manufacturer's recommended tire (also indicated on the sticker).

jkjenn said:

...

Scott, ST tires  (standard trailer) are not the same as passenger tires. They do recommend doing filling to max on ST tires to prevent the delamination.

 

ChanW

I wonder if the LG manual's 35psi recommendation is simply another leftover from the Dutchman days. Maybe the lower pressure was ok with the non-ST tires.

And maybe Dutchman went with non-ST tires because the availability of 14" ST tires is so minimal. I had a hard time finding a good selection to choose from in name-brand ST tires.

Mouseketab

No, but I have replaced the original tires. (Please indicate which tires you use in the comments below.)

ChanW said:

I wonder if the LG manual's 35psi recommendation is simply another leftover from the Dutchman days. Maybe the lower pressure was ok with the non-ST tires.

And maybe Dutchman went with non-ST tires because the availability of 14" ST tires is so minimal. I had a hard time finding a good selection to choose from in name-brand ST tires.

Honestly, I think it was wheel availability for the European Al-Ko axle bolt pattern. If you want to replace the wheels on a Dutchman your selection is limited because of the bolt pattern. Can't just go down and purchase any old trailer wheel.

catndahats

thanks to all for the thoughts and replies.  I get out of school today, so maybe a call to Pleasant Valley is in order.  I will say that our original 2014 LG provided ST tires have worn evenly at 38 - 42psi, and we have never had a blowout/flat.  

On a related topic, I'm curious why LG has not updated/upgraded their owners manuals? The older Dutchman T@B's have Richard Lewis' book, but it would be nice to have a Pleasant Valley version for the care and feeding of our trailers.

I realize that since LG took over production, there have been many fluid mid-year changes to the models.  For instance, our 2014 has surge brakes, the Cool Cat, a gas furnace, and no ALDE, but later 2014's do. Personally, I LOVE ours just the way it is equipped.  Our T@B came with a zip lock baggie filled with a crude photocopied and stapled "owners manual", and assorted generic owners / warranty manuals for the different systems (water heater, al-ko axles, heater, tv/stereo, etc...) but nothing specific to our particular T@B. For such a great, well built trailer from a wonderful and responsive company, I'd like to think an inclusive owner's manual could be included---maybe for future models? 

jkjenn

No, but I have replaced the original tires. (Please indicate which tires you use in the comments below.)

It would be nice if they linked to the owners manuals of the components of the different options (Jensen, Norcold, Alde, Cool cat, A/C units, LP detector, axle, etc...) in an owners section of the website or even in a sticky thread at the top of this forum.

mash2

At the very least, it would great to have a detailed parts list for the vehicle included with basic documentation on each trailer.  

Since the parts used vary based on when constructed on the assembly line, a parts list would offer more accurate information on the vehicle.  It appears that it would also help to have assembly version numbers for the T@B maintained by PV since the factory assembly seems to vary  over time (seems particularly true of the Alde implementation on various vehicles, as well as electrical implementation -- a shop floor diagram of assembly would help -- I have one for my DM that has helped to locate wire routing, bracing, and structural members of the walls).  

I have an older DM model, and pulled the part numbers for each component and the assembly diagrams from the shop.  I have downloaded manufacturer user and service manuals from the internet for these specific parts that I access when there are issues with the components.  In general, the manuals offer additional insight that has been helpful in understanding issue with my T@B..  

But even the manuals from the manufacturers vary significantly.  In my case, the power converter manual had virtually no useful information included.  Knowing the specific model number helped in searching the internet for user info, though the manual was useless.  

 

BrianZ

Yes, it happened with the original tires on the T@b.

(Tire Blown At 5-Year Mark)

We had a big surprise last week when our passenger side T@B tire blew out while on route to Grayson Highlands State Park, the highest state park campground elevation in Virginia.  It was an original tire, 5 years old, with 8700 miles and a good amount of tread remaining:

"Castle Rock", Radial ST 226,
metric: ST 205/75R14,

Load Class C (1760 lbs),

Speed Rating: "L", 75 mph

Made in China (no DOT date stamp)

We were going about 60mph on a nicely paved road & just about to enter the small town of Independence, VA, when it happened.  The loud bang or pop, accompanied by a bit of sway felt in the steering wheel, prompted me to say, without having to confirm it, "We just blew a tire!" as my wife was saying, "What was that?".  No problems with control, but I immediately slowed down & started looking for a place to pull off the road.  

Because we were on a relatively new looking stretch of road with wide shoulders,  I was fortunate to find a spot with plenty of room at a driveway entrance ramp less than 100 yards down the road..

(Google street view + our trailer added)
It was hard packed gravel & very firm, so I was able to jack it up right there with plenty of safe distance from the road & got the spare on.

Here's the blown tire photos..

While changing the tire, a policeman pulled up to check on us, and he said there was a tire shop about a half mile down the road.  We sure felt blessed at this point, and even more so when they had a matching trailer tire & went right to work & we were back on the road with a new spare tire and only an hour lost total!

I did have one small surprise while changing the tire that I hadn't anticipated..  because the tire was flat, and the trailer is low to the ground anyway, there was only a few inches of space between the jacking frame support & the ground, and not enough room to get the jack underneath.  No problem, I just backed it up onto one of our 2x8 wood blocks that we carry for leveling, and problem solved.  

I just used the scissor jack from our Sienna van, which was OK, but the short crank handle that uses a hook & eye attachment was a bit of a workout on a hot sunny afternoon.  I've decided to instead carry a slightly heftier small scissor jack that I use at home, because it has a hex head attachment for the crank, and I can then use my long torque wrench to crank it up more easily.

I can't think of the last time I changed a tire on one of our vehicles, but I did change one on a rental car in St John a few years ago.  We really felt blessed the way things worked out, especially the timing of things - There were so many little roads in the mountains of SW VA with no shoulders or winding up or down the mountain, where we could not have stopped.  Also thankful that it was on the curb side and not the road side, although it is harder to get the jack under there with the stair in the way, since the jacking support doesn't extend near the back of the tires like it does in front (design flaw IMO).

After getting back home, we decided to get the other tire exchanged for a new one, because it had many small cracks in the sidewall..

Yes, we park it outside without wheel covers year-round, but not usually in direct sun, on gravel.  I have been keeping tires at 48 lbs, but now realize the full 50 is recommended.  Not sure if the first set of photos show it, but there may be more wear at the outer edge, which would indicate under-inflation.  I read that this could be damaging to side walls, but our blowout(s) was clearly on the treads, and there was plenty of tread left.
So, they really do have a short life expectancy, and I've now learned not to go over 5 years before replacing, though I've not ruled out that we could have run over some kind of small debris.  We have a 15 y/o utility trailer that's used a couple times a year for hauling leaves etc, and it's been sitting in the backyard for 15 years with original tires (larger), with plenty of tread & in better condition I believe.

dsfdogs

@BrianZ thank you for sharing your experience and pictures. I'm glad you and trailer are ok. Can you show me what scissor jack you have? Thank you.

BrianZ

Yes, it happened with the original tires on the T@b.

Sure, @dsfdogs, but we're having thunderstorms right now, so may not be until tomorrow.

Sharon_is_SAM

@BrianZ - how many miles on the tires?

BrianZ

Yes, it happened with the original tires on the T@b.

@dsfdogs, here ya go..

Sorry, but I don't have a source for the jack I prefer - it's an old one I've had for years, maybe salvaged from an old car, possibly our 1985 BMW that got totalled in 1995 when I got rear-ended at a stoplight.

BrianZ

Yes, it happened with the original tires on the T@b.

@Sharon_is_SAM,
8700 miles, as I  said in the first paragraph. 

Denny16

No. I have the original tires and so far, so good.

Brian, every trailer service shop I have used, all recommended replacing trailer tires car least every four years max, to avoid a blowout.  Those cracks on the side look like they have been there for at least a year.  Those are signs the tire is well past its use by date, and need replacing.  Glad no one was hurt and no real damage.
 Cheers 

BrianZ

Yes, it happened with the original tires on the T@b.

Thanks, @Denny16, we were indeed fortunate in many ways.  It was this incident that caused me to take a closer look at the remaining tires, when I found those cracks. The spare still looked like new. The only remaining question I have now is whether the 4 year rule applies to an unused spare?  I would not expect so, depending on storage conditions.  Ours had never been used until this incident, and kept under a full cover of good quality and it still looks like new..
 
Our new-looking spare is now our driver side tire, and I'll explain why..
Upon seeing the cracks in the old driver side tire, we took it in for replacement at our local tire shop the day after we got home.  They had one trailer tire on hand of the correct size, and we had that put on to replace the cracked one.  It was not until I took a few photos to document what we had done for our records that I discovered this new tire was not a Load Range C tire like the rest, but a Load Range D, with an inflation pressure of 65 psi instead of the original 50 psi.  At first, I had planned to return it, but decided to keep it, if they would switch it onto the spare rim, and I could then use the old good quality spare as the drivers side tire & put the 65psi tire as a spare. 

I figured a 65 psi tire may be ok as a spare, as it may not, admittedly, get a pressure check as often, but without suffering as much from losing some air over time.  I could not find any info about whether mixing Load Ranges was actually dangerous, though I can think of several reasons why it's not a good idea for routine use, not to mention unnecessary for a lightweight 320 model T@B.

So, that's our complicated tire saga.  When I try to account for what we have done with our tires over the last few days, it reminds me of the very old "Who's on First" comedy sketch by Abbott & Costello. 

BrianZ

Yes, it happened with the original tires on the T@b.

PS:  One more follow-up comment about the first replacement tire we got after the blowout..
After reading about tire labels, I  found the DOT date stamp on the new tire..

It showed that our "new" tire on the passenger side here was manufactured the 32nd week of 2015!  So our new tire is already 7 years old! It looks in good condition though.
The only consolation about this is that we got our trailer new in 2017, so the original spare that we are now using on the driver's side should be a good match, age-wise. 🤔

Edit/Update:  I found a photo from when we first got our trailer in 2017 which showed one of the Castle Rock tires with a date stamp of "3815", so our two "new" tires are both the same age, just 6 weeks difference and 7 years old.

VictoriaP

@BrianZ I need to find where I saw it, but tires need to be replaced according to the date on the tire, not the time of purchase, due to the natural deterioration of rubber. And I generally see 3-5 years as the guideline for replacing trailer tires, regardless of visible wear or cracking. By that standard, your new tire is long out of date already. It really sounds like the sensible move is to replace all three.

The tires on my 2019 are dated 2018, so they’re pretty much also due for replacement despite having less than 1000 miles on them. 🙄 

Denny16

No. I have the original tires and so far, so good.

The general guidelines from most tire manufacturers is to replace tires from 6 to 10 years from its DOT date of manufacturing.  How long a tire/tyre lasts depends on how it is used, and where it is used or stored.

I found this article which has a good rule of thumb to follow:  

How Long Does a Tire Last?

Carmakers, tiremakers and rubber manufacturers differ in their opinions about the lifespan of a tire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has no specific guidelines on tire aging and defers to the recommendations of carmakers and tire manufacturers. 

Many automakers, including Ford, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz, tell owners to replace tires six years after their production date, regardless of tread life. Tire manufacturers such as Continental and Michelin say a tire can last up to 10 years provided you get annual tire inspections after the fifth year.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association said there is no way to put a date on when a tire "expires" because such factors as heat, storage, underinflation and conditions of use can dramatically reduce the life of a tire. Here's more on each of these factors:

Heat: NHTSA research has found that tires age more quickly in warmer climates. NHTSA also found that environmental conditions, such as exposure to sunlight and coastal climates, can hasten the aging process. People who live in coastal states and other areas with warm weather should keep this in mind when deciding whether they should retire a tire.

Storage: This applies to spare tires and tires that are sitting in a garage or shop. A tire that has not been mounted and is just sitting in a tire shop or your garage will age more slowly than one that has been put into service on a car. But it ages nonetheless.

Spares: They usually don't see the light of day, but they're still degrading with time. If the tire has been inflated and mounted on a wheel, it is considered to be "in service," even if it's never been used. And if a truck's spare is mounted underneath the vehicle, it's exposed to heat, dirt and weather — all reasons to plan on replacement. 

Conditions of use: This refers to how the tire is treated. Is it properly inflated? Underinflation causes more tire wear. Has it hit the curb too many times? Has it ever been repaired for a puncture? Tires on a car that's only driven on the weekends will age differently from those on a car that's driven daily on the highway. All these factors contribute to how quickly or slowly a tire wears out.

Proper maintenance is the best thing a person can do to ensure a long tire life. It is important to maintain proper air pressure in tires, rotate them regularly and get routine inspections.

Based on this info Brian, you need to get new tires.  Hope this helps.  

Cheers 

BrianZ

Yes, it happened with the original tires on the T@b.

Thanks, @Denny16, for the interesting article.  It actually sounds more encouraging than your conclusion, but it also appears to be written about car tires, whereas trailer tires are in another class and may be more limited.  Since we just bought two new tires last week, and both that we have on there now look good, I'm not planning to run back out to buy more any time very soon.  However, I won't wait so long next time.  We are also planning to add a garage for the trailer, so that should help as well.
Thanks.

Denny16

No. I have the original tires and so far, so good.

Yes, trailer and tractor tires are a little different, as far as amount of use they get.  Also trailer tires are built a little different than auto/truck tires, most of which are steel belted radial tire’s, rated for higher RPMs.

Trailer tires, have stiffer side walls to support the load and preventing reducing the chance of flipping a trailer over in a blowout or under inflated situation.  They are also slower moving off the dealer’s shelf, so the newest tire from date of manufacture is around two years.  My new Boondock tires from nüCamp that were received last year were made in 2019.

Replacing them when they get four years old from the date they were made, it not practical or necessary.  Depending on hard they are used, I would replace a RV trailer tire that gets lots of use, and racks up high milage every three max.  A trailer that gets light to moderate use, with less highway miles and mostly used at lower speeds, should be good for 4-5 years of use (depending on use) not to exceed 10 years since the tire was manufactured.

In every case, i would inspect the tires before each major road trip, or at least once every six months to a year, in light to moderate use, and replace if signs of sidewall checking or any tire damage are noticed.  Good luck and safe traveles.
Cheers

RFraer

No, but I have replaced the original tires. (Please indicate which tires you use in the comments below.)

I hit a large tire recap about 3000 miles ago. It came off a truck I was passing. It shot under my right side of the vehicle and exited under the camper on the left side. The camper left side must have jumper a foot in the air. I stopped to check for damage and the cap took out my black tank valve handle, Luckily! the tank was empty so it was easy to get a replacement valve at Camping World. At the time the left side tire seemed fine to tow with so I continued with the trip. When we were at Ucamp22 I looked at the tires and noticed that the left side had a bald spot, the spot was only in one area. I showed a picture of the tire to a Tech at NuCamp who thought that a belt might have busted from the impact and the tire became unbalanced. I started calling tire shops in the Sugar Creek area but as luck would have it my wife spotted two new tires and wheels being sold by NuCamp at their swap-meet for $100. I replaced both side and was good to go. One other thing I notice was the left side tire had more ware then the right side even after accounting for the bald spot. I am thinking the left side tire on my camper may be seeing more weight then the right. The AC, BK tank, bathroom, 3-way frig, Alde are on the left side. In the future I will be paying more attention to the tires and will be rotating them every 5000 miles.

Denny16

No. I have the original tires and so far, so good.

You can counterbalance the added weight on the driver’s side, by packing your heavy items low on the opposite side, in the under-counter galley lockers, like can goods, extra water jugs, and appliances.  This is what we do, works great.
 Cheers 

JohnDanielsCPA

No, but I have replaced the original tires. (Please indicate which tires you use in the comments below.)

Swapped out my tires as soon as I picked up the trailer with Goodyear Endurance tires. 

N7SHG_Ham

I have a 2019 400 Boondock, replaced the OEM Boondock tires with same at three years, tires still looked good, BUT was embarking on a month long trip and wanted to increase odds for not having tire related issuesz especially since this involved the desert SW and temps approaching 100f even in the cooler spring months.

I am solidly in the three year camp from installation which will typically be 3-4 years from manufacturer date.

The damage that usually results from a blowout is going to be way more costly than the more frequent tire cost to the long term budget.

jimcenname

No, but I have replaced the original tires. (Please indicate which tires you use in the comments below.)

I put 25,000 miles on the OEM tires on my 2019 T@B400 without incident. Earlier this year I installed Goodyear Endurance tires. Load rating "C" weren't available so I installed load rating "D". Due to that air pressure is now 65 psi instead of 50 psi. nuCamp said load rating "D" is acceptable. I check air pressure on all tires before I depart every day that I tow. I tow 40-50 day per year.


 

YanniLazarus

No, but I have replaced the original tires. (Please indicate which tires you use in the comments below.)

No, but I have replaced the original tires. 

Replaced on my 2020 320S with C load rated Carlisle tires in order to keep inflation at 50 psi to match original tires. 

Denny16

No. I have the original tires and so far, so good.

l Looks like nüCamp is switching to Goodyear tires on the 2023 TaB models, it will be interesting to see which tires they end up using.
 Cheers 

Slackers

No. I have the original tires and so far, so good.

@YanniLazarus have you towed with your new tires?  If so what do you think of them?

elbolillo

No. I have the original tires and so far, so good.

Had our 320S since July 4 of last year and already have over 15,000 miles on it. Tires still looking great.

YanniLazarus

No, but I have replaced the original tires. (Please indicate which tires you use in the comments below.)

Slackers said:

@YanniLazarus have you towed with your new tires?  If so what do you think of them?

"Like" is subjective, I'm afraid... I do like them, they ride fine, hold constant air pressure and allow me to use the factory recommended 50 pounds pressure. And no blow outs.  I'd buy them again. The ironically funny thing is- the factory installed tires behaved exactly the same as my new Carlisle tires while I had them. I think this is a useful survey - it does come down to a judgement call based upon a tire manufacturer's reputation. Any tire is fine- till it isn't!