Towmax Tires

I just bough a new Big Country 3650Rl and it has Two max tires on it. I'm an Automotive Shop Owner and I know these tires are unreliable and they blow out frequently. I feel that Heartland should not be using these tires because of there poor quality. When these tires blow, they usually tear the under side of the trailer up and rip out plumbing and propane lines. I want to upgrade to the Goodyear load range "G" tires made by Goodyear and I feel that Heartland should be supplying them. My trailer has 7000lb axles in it and the tires do not have the proper weight ratings for the axles. I'm sure there is a liability issue here?

Thanks
Jeff

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

jdamude said:

I just bough a new Big Country 3650Rl and it has Two max tires on it. I'm an Automotive Shop Owner and I know these tires are unreliable and they blow out frequently. I feel that Heartland should not be using these tires because of there poor quality. When these tires blow, they usually tear the under side of the trailer up and rip out plumbing and propane lines. I want to upgrade to the Goodyear load range "G" tires made by Goodyear and I feel that Heartland should be supplying them. My trailer has 7000lb axles in it and the tires do not have the proper weight ratings for the axles. I'm sure there is a liability issue here?

Thanks
Jeff

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If you look at many other makes of trailers, you will see they use Tow Max tires also. Heartland will supply Goodyear G rated tires if ordered with them.There is an extra charge for the upgrade. The tires do not need to match the axle rating, they only need to match the loaded axle weight which will be considerably less than the total gross weight of the trailer as a portion of the trailer is carried by the hitch. Heartland has sold thousands of trailers this way as have all of the other trailer manufacturers. If you look at the Tow Max tire you will see they are approved by the U.S. DOT for use on these trailers and meet all their legal requirements. I'm sure they have never had a liability concern related to this. There are lots of people on this and other forums that have had very good luck with them. Oh, and by the way I won't use them on my rig either.....Don

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

Thanks Don. I just ordered 4 new Goodyears. I towed this trailer home from the dealer (4 hour drive) and worried all the way. I'll keep the Towmax's for someone with a lighter trailer. A friend of mine had one blow last Sumer and it blew a whole in the floor of the trailer.

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

jdamude said:

I just bough a new Big Country 3650Rl and it has Two max tires on it. I'm an Automotive Shop Owner and I know these tires are unreliable and they blow out frequently. I feel that Heartland should not be using these tires because of there poor quality. When these tires blow, they usually tear the under side of the trailer up and rip out plumbing and propane lines. I want to upgrade to the Goodyear load range "G" tires made by Goodyear and I feel that Heartland should be supplying them. My trailer has 7000lb axles in it and the tires do not have the proper weight ratings for the axles. I'm sure there is a liability issue here?

Thanks
Jeff

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having my new tires installed Tue on my new Silverado that I will pick up on the 13th......No BlowMax tires for me.

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

The GoodYears are bullet proof....

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

Talked to Heartland today. They claim that the Towmax's tires are not problematic and are rated properly for the trailer. I wonder if they read there own forums and the amount of complaints about the tires?

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

jdamude said:

Talked to Heartland today. They claim that the Towmax's tires are not problematic and are rated properly for the trailer. I wonder if they read there own forums and the amount of complaints about the tires?

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Jeff,

Yes they read the forum, (not every post), and yes they are aware that folks that have problems tend to post over and over about them. But based on the number of trailers on the road with TowMax tires, the actual ratio of problems compared to # produced may be much smaller than we know.

HL has stepped up to offer alternatives. And, Tredit, the tire supplier, did say (at the Rally in Goshen this summer) that the tire manufacturer has made improvements to the tire.

All that to say, knowledge is power for the end user. Either pay for the upgrade before you buy, switch them yourself, or roll the dice. It's up to you.

Erika

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

Perhaps the number of Heartland Towmax problems seem small but put that into perspective of the number of people that post things to the internet is also small but the number trailer owners that do not do the internet is far greater. And many of those with tire issues never report them or post them to social media.

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

I've moved this out of the factory area into the area more related to open discussion of tires. Heartland has responded in earlier threads regarding Tow Max tires.

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

I have a friend that purchased a new Coachmen 5r and I noticed the towmax tires on it. I asked him if he knew of the reputation of the towmax tire and he did not, so I shared my experience along with all the horror stories I read about. He said GEE THANKS, I REALLY WANTED TO HEAR THAT!
I felt kinda bad being the bearer of bad news to a friend and excited new owner of a nice expensive rig.

All RV manufacturer's should re-think the use of tires with such a poor reputation. It would be a first class move for Heartland to deem these tires unfit for it's standards, especially if they were the first in the industry to do so.

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

TravelTiger said:

Jeff,

Yes they read the forum, (not every post), and yes they are aware that folks that have problems tend to post over and over about them. But based on the number of trailers on the road with TowMax tires, the actual ratio of problems compared to # produced may be much smaller than we know.

HL has stepped up to offer alternatives. And, Tredit, the tire supplier, did say (at the Rally in Goshen this summer) that the tire manufacturer has made improvements to the tire.

All that to say, knowledge is power for the end user. Either pay for the upgrade before you buy, switch them yourself, or roll the dice. It's up to you.

Erika

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In my case, the dealer and the Heartland brochure advertised that they don't "skimp" on the tires . . .

Well, obviously they are not telling us the real truth . . .

My dealer NEVER once offered me the option of upgrading the tires . . .

I have the BlowMax tires on my 2013 Trail Runner . . . and I am very upset that I am looking at a $1000+ expense that I shouldn't have to make on my brand new trailer.

Heartland . . . step up to the plate and stand behind your customer base . . . not your bank account!

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

wrgrs50s said:

I have a friend that purchased a new Coachmen 5r and I noticed the towmax tires on it. I asked him if he knew of the reputation of the towmax tire and he did not, so I shared my experience along with all the horror stories I read about. He said GEE THANKS, I REALLY WANTED TO HEAR THAT!
I felt kinda bad being the bearer of bad news to a friend and excited new owner of a nice expensive rig.

All RV manufacturer's should re-think the use of tires with such a poor reputation. It would be a first class move for Heartland to deem these tires unfit for it's standards, especially if they were the first in the industry to do so.

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I don't say anything to other owners I run across that have Tow Max tires. I used to. The few I mentioned the problem to got somewhat ticked off and acted like they didn't believe me...I figure if they are real RVers they would know about the problems..Better to just leave well enough alone....Don

Re: ATF: Big Country - Blowmax Tires . . .

GOTTOYS said:

I don't say anything to other owners I run across that have Tow Max tires. I used to. The few I mentioned the problem to got somewhat ticked off and acted like they didn't believe me...I figure if they are real RVers they would know about the problems..Better to just leave well enough alone....Don

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My neighbors just purchased a new 2014 Heartland North Trail after seeing our new 2013 Heartland Trail Runner . . .

They bought it from the same dealership we got ours from.

I warned them about the 'BlowMax' issue after they brought it home . . .

Had I known they were going to buy a new RV I would have warned them ahead of their purchase!

Luckily for them, they own property in the mountains and are going to park it there, so for them the tire issue may not be an issue at all!

However, for those of us who like to pull our trailers to various places . . . it is time for us to make our voices heard!

HEARTLAND . . . DO YOU HEAR US?

And HEARTLAND . . . what are you going to do to keep us loyal customers . . . ?

Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

Hi Erika,

Thanks for your input. I'm a little set back by your quote "All that to say, knowledge is power for the end user. Either pay for the upgrade before you buy, switch them yourself, or roll the dice. It's up to you."

I will keep your comments on hand. The fact of the matter is the tires do not have the proper weight ratings for the units with 7000lb axles. If the trailers are loaded to their payload capacity according to he payload stated on the vehicle information plate then the tires are not sufficient for the unit. In many cases, these trailers are loaded to capacity.

The manufacturer of the trailer is responsible to have the proper equipment installed to carry the maximum stated payload.

This is where the problems lie. If we were to "roll the dice" as you stated, and an incident occurred, there will be a problem.

I have elected to change the tires voluntarily, although not happy about it, but there are many consumers who has purchased new units that may not be able to afford the upgrade and will be forced to use their units with improper tires if loaded to the maximum payload.

I do appreciate the Heartland quality however they shouldn't have cut expense in the tire department.

Regards
Jeff

The fact of the matter is the tires do not have the proper weight ratings for the units with 7000lb axles. If the trailers are loaded to their payload capacity according to he payload stated on the vehicle information plate then the tires are not sufficient for the unit.

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Hi jdamude,

The GVWR on the info plate is carried in part by the tires and in part by the hitch/rear axle of the tow vehicle. I think you'll find that your hitch is carrying roughly 20% of the weight. If your BC GVWR is 15,500 pounds, and you're fully loaded, around 3000 pounds will be on the hitch and 12,500 will be on the axles/wheels/tires. 7,000 lb axles will handle that without difficulty and your tires will be each be carrying around 3,125 pounds. Weight is not distributed evenly, so you could be heavier on some wheels than on others.

Last summer our Rushmore was running 16,200 (200 over max weight) and we were heavy on the hitch - actual measured hitch weight was 3,700. The weight on the tires varied from 2950 to 3200. I've lightened up a bit since then, but you get the idea.

Hi Dan,

I think your situation is more common than not. Once you get the individual axle weight within a couple hundred pounds of the tire capacity, and high road temperatures, air pressure not at max, and possible overspeed the probability of failure increases. Than you take a tire that is poor in quality, than your exposure to risk is extremely high. The load range G tires give a little more room from being on the edge.

Thanks for the weight information. It's amazing how fast the weight adds up when loading the units. My truck has a gross payload of 3700 lbs. it handled the trailer well, but once we added airbags, the handling improved quite a bit.

I still believe that upgrading to the G rated tires is a safe decision. I purchased a unit from a dealers stock at year end and didn't have a choice to order the upgraded tires at the manufacturing level.

With the all that being said, I think there is an equal responsibility on the owners of the trailers to ensure they are operating in a safe zone in regards to weight, tire pressures and tire maintenance. We own an automotive repair facility and the root of all causes is usually lack of maintenance.

Thanks
Jeff

jdamude said:

With the all that being said, I think there is an equal responsibility on the owners of the trailers to ensure they are operating in a safe zone in regards to weight, tire pressures and tire maintenance.

Thanks
Jeff

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Jeff, I think we are saying the same thing. We agree the TowMax have a low tolerance for "error", and respond with premature failure.

That's why I said upgrade, or roll the dice.






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Re: ATF: Big Country - Towmax Tires

I think the tires are warranted by Tredit Tires in Elkhart, not Heartland. This is much like BF Goodrich tires on my Ford truck are warranted by BF Goodrich not Ford. For warranty issued contact Tredit Tires.

The problem is they keep using these blow max. This is a much easier fix than Quality Control!!!!

I had always read about the blowmax tires but not everyone had problem. Well the first long 7 day trip I take the right rear trailer tire blows. Close is a discount tire store. I find the left front trailer tire is now split and about to blow. 800 dollars later I have a new set of tires on all four.
What is the recommendation for the elkridge 34RST . I need to have a tire rating of G to get me into an area where I have 15 to 20% wiggle room in load capacity. Does Goodyear or Bridgestone have some good ones?