Tire blowout on 2021 tab 320S - here's what happened.

Chopin · August 19

Just for everyone's information. A few days ago we had our first tire blowout on our 2021 Tab 320S. These were the original tires (Trailer King) - 5 years old and with probably 10,000 miles on them. I inspect and check them regularly and there were no signs of anything amiss before this trip. I also check the pressure before every trip and it was set to the recommended 50psi. Were were also going 60mph on the interstate (I never exceed this speed). The weather was HOT.

Some notes:
(1) We heard a pop, but apart from some roughness, the trailer (towed by a Subaru Outback) remained absolutely stable. Luckily we were near an exit and were able to get off immediately and pull into to a gas station.
(2) Luckily the tire blew out in such a way that it cause no damage to the trailer.
(3) We called Coach-Net roadside assistance and they were helpful, but while they were finding a service person, we managed to replace the tire ourselves. A friendly passerby who happened to be a mechanic had a bottle jack that was better than mine. The issue with the Tab 320 is that a lot of jacks, even retracted, appear to be too tall to fit under the frame when the tire is flat. I have ordered a very short double-ram bottle jack that I'm hoping will be right, to carry in future.
(4) When we got home we replaced both tires with higher-rated tires. I will also replace the spare.

Luckily it all went pretty smoothly. Somethings I keep in mind:
- Never speed. You're on vacation, don't be in a rush. Don't exceed 60mph when towing and never exceed your tire's speed rating. Most tire store websites have good resources explaining the basics and how to understand the codes written on your tires. Also some good videos out there.
- Know and respect your tire specs. Educate yourself. Check pressure EVERY TIME you go out. I have always done this.
- Replace your tires EVERY FIVE YEARs, even if they look good. Tires deteriorate and they are not expensive enough that you want to risk major damage or worse, serious injury, from a blowout.
- Make sure you have good road side service and/or learn how to change a tire and make sure you carry the right tools.

I'd feared this eventuality, but we were lucky it wasn't so bad. I will feel even more prepared next time and learn whatever lessons I can.

Be safe everyone!

AnOldUR · August 19

Chopin said:

The issue with the Tab 320 is that a lot of jacks, even retracted, appear to be too tall to fit under the frame when the tire is flat.

Rolling the flat tire up onto your leveling blocks can give you enough room to fit the jack underneath.

Chopin · August 19

Yes good advice, and this was the one occasion I had forgotten to bring the leveling blocks! But luckily it will worked out.

qhumberd · August 19

Glad you all are OK!. I just changed by 7 year old tires on my 400 and I'm glad I did.

GCommand · September 8

Here's how I have jacked up my Tab320 and our old Aliner trailer. First, park in a decent spot that's level. Then unhitch the trailer, you can leave the chains and electrical cord hooked up, especially if you are running the hazzard lights. Pull tow vehicle foward just enough to clear hitch. Lower the front of the trailer way down. Lower the rear stabilizing jack all the way down, you may need a small block to rest foot on. Loosen the lug nuts. Now use the tongue jack to raise the front way up in the air. The wheel/tire will come up off the ground. Swap out the wheel with spare and run the lug nuts up to seat on rim. Lower the front jack, tighten the lugs. Raise the rear stabilizer, attach trailer to hitch. I know that it is NOT recommended to use the stabilizers to hold the weight of the trailer, however this method will actually be more stable than perching your trailer up on a small bottle jack and it's only for a few minutes. I have done this several times with no problems, but you do whatever you feel comfortable with.

Horigan · September 8

Back when Pleasant Valley made the trailers, this was the recommended method for changing a tire. I don't know if NuCamp installs the same rear stabilizers on the 320 as they did back then.

tabiphile · September 8

This topic has been discussed often. The method suggested is no longer recommended. The stabilizers are not intended to support weight in this way.
Also often discussed has been the topic of bottle jacks and how other types of jacks (light weight floor jacks) are safer and also more capable. Many campers would never consider using either a scissor jack or a bottle jack for all of the obvious reasons....they do not fit, they are inclined to tip over, they may be at their lift limits.....
As has been often suggested, a good, lightweight floor jack resting on a plywood board is the safest choice. YMV

Chopin · September 8

Thanks for all the comments. Since the blowout, I've been preparing myself for the next time – which hopefully won't be soon. I now have a small, lightweight floor jack and a low profile bottle jack. I have tested them both and they both lift the trailer easily. I think what I would do next time is lift the trailer using the jack and then lower the stabilizers for stability only, not to bear weight. I think this is a good solution. I will note that when we had the blowout, I did make a feeble attempt to lift the trailer using the stabilizers but abandoned it quickly. It felt like it would be far more weight and strain both on the winding mechanism and on the stabilizers themselves than they are designed to bear. I had not considered using the tongue jack as an additional way to lift. But since this method is not recommended I will not use it. I'm satisfied that either the floor jack or the bottle jack will work, and that using the stabilizers for stability while its raised is fine. I'm more inclined to carry the bottle jack when I travel just because it is more compact. I will also be sure to carry leveling blocks because fitting any jack under the Tab 320S is hard when the tire is flat. As an earlier comment suggested it would make sense to pull the flat tire side up onto a couple of leveling blocks just to get enough height to make sure the jack fits under. But the bottle jack I bout is only 6.5 inches high when retracated and has a double ram, so it raises the trailer a good height.

WayneW · September 8

I recently purchased a tire pressure monitoring system that gives tire pressure and tire temp. It has alarms for hi/low pressure readings as well and detection of a rapid change in tire pressure. It sure gives me piece of mind, allowing me to keep track of readings while rolling down the road. I don't know if this would have helped alert you in this situation, but I'm sure glad I have mine now.

Basil48192 · September 9

I had a very similar experience earlier this summer on a busy section of highway in the middle of Detroit with only a very narrow shoulder.
My scissor jack would not collapse low enough, so I had to call a friend to bring his floor jack to me. Essentially sitting on the rim, I measured the clearance between the concrete and the lift point of my 2021 320S (non-boondock). I determined that the jack had to be no taller than 3 1/2" in the collapsed position. Again, this is a 'non-boondock' model so I'm guessing this would be a 'worst case' scenario for the 320 models.
I have since bought a small floor jack from Amazon. It drops to 3 3/8" and comes with a nice, clean carrying case.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/te/5ntho8c5prwe.jpg

Chopin · September 9

Thanks for this. I think my floor jack is a similar size. If you know what you’re doing there are other points on the steel frame where you can set the jack that will give you more clearance than the designated lift point but having a jack low enough to get under the lift point would be ideal.

AnOldUR · September 9

Basil48192 said:

... My scissor jack would not collapse low enough ...

If you can roll the trailer forward a little to get the flat tire up onto leveling blocks it can give you enough clearance to use a scissor jack. I've had to use the scissor jack from our Wrangler and it gets the job done.

HardFault · September 9

Was this flat caused by a puncture or was it failure of the tire itself?

When I motorcycle camp I carry a tire plug kit and a small 12v air compressor to repair flats on the road. I only recently acquired a 320 Boondock and will carry those in it as well. It doesn't always work but when it does work it can help keep a bad day from becoming a terrible one

Chopin · September 9

HardFault said:

Was this flat caused by a puncture or was it failure of the tire itself?

When I motorcycle camp I carry a tire plug kit and a small 12v air compressor to repair flats on the road. I only recently acquired a 320 Boondock and will carry those in it as well. It doesn't always work but when it does work it can help keep a bad day from becoming a terrible one

It was a tire failure. The sidewall blew out. The tires had about 10,000 miles on them and appeared in good shape. They were original to the trailer and 5 years old. Pressure was checked just before going out and I was driving at 60mph. The trailer is always lightly packed and within weight limits. It was an exceptionally hot day, which may have played a part, but other than that I don't think it could have been predicted.

I've upgraded my tires now from C to D weight class.

PS: I'm skeptical that a TPMS can make much difference in such a situation. It's probably good for detecting a puncture or slow leak, but it probably won't give much warning of a sudden failure. If you're checking your pressure every time you go out, I'm not sure how much value a TPMS adds. It probably can't hurt if you don't neglect other prevention and precaution. I do also carry a puncture repair kit, but it definitely wouldn't have helped here as the tire was shredded.

MarkAl · September 11

The structure of the 320 2021 and on is probably similar but the supports are stronger than previous. Anybody think this technique is safer on the newer trailers? In a pinch I'd probably do this!

TourDeForth · September 11

I don’t know if I would do that with my 320s, using the stabilizer jacks and tongue jack to change a tire. I would if it were my only option but I carry small scissor jack that can slip under the jacking point even with a flat tire. However, I’m not comfortable changing the tire sitting solely on the scissor jack and will definitely lower the stabilizer jacks and tongue jack to steady the trailer before I change the tire.

ScottG · 11:32AM

FWIW, I have a 2015 "320" and routinely use the formerly recommended stabilizer and tongue jack method to service the wheels.

Years ago, several brave owners even replaced their stabilizers with scissors jacks and used them for levelling. Although I was vocally skeptical of such a mod, no damage or failure was ever reported as far as I know.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not recommending, just reporting. YMMV!

AnOldUR · 4:04PM

My guess is that someone might enter the trailer while balanced on an extended stabilizer and the tongue jack. The additional weight shifting around inside could have resulted in problems. Rather than trust owners to be safe, it was easier to just say no to this method of getting the wheel off the ground. Just a guess.

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Tire blowout on 2021 tab 320S - here's what happened.

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