Towmax tires.

VideoGuy3

Member
We purchased a new Bighorn 3070RL in Feb 2012. No tire problems to date and about 6,000 miles. Today I noticed one tire was wearing differently than the others. After carefully studying the situation and with the use of a straight edge I determined this tire tread is at least 1/2 inch narrower than the others although they are all marked as ST235/80R16. Has anyone experienced this anomaly? The date of manufacture is 12/1/2011 for the trailer. Maybe this is an older model tire as I believe they changed the manufacturing process in 2010. Any thoughts!


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scottyb

Well-known member
They all have a date stamps on them near the DOT codes. Usually 4 numbers. The 1st 2 are the week # and the last 2 are the year. If you haven't already done so, read a few of the Towmax topics on this forum. It may make your decision for you.
 

mobilcastle

Well-known member
I would put on a set of LT tires-ST tires do not seem to hold up well on a heavy trailer. My 2010 Bighorn has these tires with about 20K on them and they look new-http://simpletire.com/sailun-235-85r16-8244393-tires. Good luck
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Videoguy,
Can you post some pics of what you are seeing? Someone may recognize your issue.

I would think what you are seeing is not normal. I would have the tires removed from the rims and checked for deterioration from within.

One of our tires, the tread pattern was shifting and stretching at the sidewall due to broken belts inside. This was a tire with less than 1000 miles on it.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1355017877.883060.jpg


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Bksvo

Well-known member
I had a tire do this - broken belts. Change it out now. You can probably get TBC to give you a new one, or get some reimbursement. Check out the tire forum - lots of bad comments on Towmax. I'd really recommend getting different tires all together.
 

rumaco

US Army Retired (CW4)
Is there a place to go to see all of these catastropic failures and the carnage they produce? I have never seen a failure site that tells of all these failures or shows all the problems they have caused (tires). I hear of all these terrible tires yet when I go to find out (google) there is nothing there.....me thinks it is all hype driven by the constant "I believe anything I am told". Only one tire is made in the USA and that is Goodyear and they have a pretty crappy history.
 

Sandpirate69

Well-known member
rumaco,

Here you go, real tire failures. My TPMS worked pretty good, but it couldn't tell me when it lost the tread. Non the less, the failures are real. There are several posts on the web talking about how poorly these tires perform. As a Convoy Commander in Iraq I had numerous M1114 Humvees drive on while the Goodyear was on its Runflat for 40 clicks while taking fire. I can surely appreciate Goodyear. Anyway the photos and failures are out there.
 

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Bksvo

Well-known member
100_2575.jpg100_2573.jpg
rumaco,

Just look through this forum and you'll see quite a few victims. Not hype, just facts.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Videoguy,
Can you post some pics of what you are seeing? Someone may recognize your issue.

I would think what you are seeing is not normal. I would have the tires removed from the rims and checked for deterioration from within.

One of our tires, the tread pattern was shifting and stretching at the sidewall due to broken belts inside. This was a tire with less than 1000 miles on it.

View attachment 22448


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Looks like a "Fred Flintstone" tire.
 

VideoGuy3

Member
It turns out the tire has tread separation after it was inspected by the Big O Tire Store manager in Las Cruces NM. This inspection was ordered by Olga of TBC who by the way are handling the warranty claims for Tow Max. Tredit is no longer the go to company for these claims. TBC wanted to prorate the claim based tread wear. One of the Heartland customer service reps attempted to intercede and get me a replacement tire. No success, however the Big O Manager was able to convince Olga to replace the tire at no charge. It's time Heartland addresses these issues in a pro active manner. They should take a lesson from the Ford Explorer/Firestone Tire fiasco from a few years ago. As Ford found out they were liable as well as Firestone
 

caissiel

Senior Member
I would put on a set of LT tires-ST tires do not seem to hold up well on a heavy trailer. My 2010 Bighorn has these tires with about 20K on them and they look new-http://simpletire.com/sailun-235-85r16-8244393-tires. Good luck

I have been having failures of ST tires for 20 years and LT tires have been my success. I have had failures with GY and Carlisle and others. My Chinese LTs are performing well and will possibly be replaced with other similar LTs.

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Grey Ghost

Well-known member
DSCN2062.jpgi
Dealing with Dynamic Tire out of Canada on these blown Power King Tow Max Tires. TBS filed the claim for me and Dynamic contacted me about sending the tires to Canada for inspection. They paid for it and also asked about damage to my 5ver. Hope to hear soon.
 

poosu

Member
I really have had no problems with the Towmax tires that came on my trailer. Two major trips from Florida out to Yellowstone and Arches NP. Maybe 15,000 total miles of towing. Trailer is stored 10 mo. out of the year with the tires covered. After reading some horror stories, I gave them a hard look. I still think they had plenty of tread for a 1,500 trip but when I removed the cover I saw a big semi circular crack on the side of one. The others have no visible defects. We are slow drivers as we are trying to keep gas mileage reasonable. Anyway I am replacing them with Goodyear Marathons. My only criticism is I think 15,000 miles is too low. The tires on my F150 which tows this trailer have 30,000 and look great. I was expecting a lot better from the trailer tires.
 
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jeff1996

Member
I have had all 5 of the oem towmax tires blow out on my 5th wheeel. My tag states the 5th wheel weighs 16k, but when I weight it we were under 13k. So out goes the weight issue. These tires are junk, and heartland needs to address this before someone dies.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I have had all 5 of the oem towmax tires blow out on my 5th wheeel. My tag states the 5th wheel weighs 16k, but when I weight it we were under 13k. So out goes the weight issue. These tires are junk, and heartland needs to address this before someone dies.
Hi jeff1996,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and thanks for joining the discussion.

Which 5th wheel do you have?
 

Sandpirate69

Well-known member
Hang tight & be patient. If they requested damage assessment, have a dealer write up a damage estimate & cost for repair. Send it with pics. Good luck.

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Bgerrish

Member
Hi all 1st post. I have a Cyclone 4014 and 5 of my 6 Towmax tires failed on the last outing (it would have been 6 but it failed on the previous outing). The rig is 18months old. I had 80 psi cold in the tires and the 1st one failed about 120 miles into the trip and the 2nd one 30 miles after that. I pulled the 2 blowouts off and the 3 original remaining tires off when the tire dealer in Blythe pointed out that they were separated. The problem I have is I cannot find a dealer outside of Indiana to handle the warranty. Will Heartland handle the warranty? The damage this time is pretty extensive to both sides of the coach and the insurance adjuster wants to see all of the tires before I do whatever with them. I would also like to hear peoples thoughts on switching to LT tires.
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Bgerrish,

Welcome to the posting side of the Heartland Owners Forum.

I would suggest you call Tredit Tire (800) 537-2925. They are the suppliers of the tires to Heartland. They have been known to work very good with customers.

Jim M
 

tweber

Founding Wisconsin Chapter Leader-Retired
I had tire issues which included blow outs and damage a number of years ago. The tire manufacturer would not talk to me or take my calls. Tredit came through and covered my expenses, but it took about 5 months. Communications, documentation, and patience are the key. Good luck.
 
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