When 5th wheel is in storage.

Is it a good idea to keep tires off the ground like on a 2 x 12 board when camper is in storage? I thought I read on here where it would prolong the life of the tire. My storage lot is gravel if that make a difference.

In my opinion although it's not necessary, I think its a good idea especially on dirt or gravel. its really easy to through down 2 2x12's in you spot, gives you some marks to shoot for when your parking it.

gdawgs24 said:

Is it a good idea to keep tires off the ground like on a 2 x 12 board when camper is in storage? I thought I read on here where it would prolong the life of the tire. My storage lot is gravel if that make a difference.

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In the past I always parked my RVs on 2x12 boards thinking it would make a difference. However, I recently went to pick up my Landmark that had been stored on a gravel storage lot where it wasn't parked on the boards and the tires looked good as new even after not moving for 30 months. Based on my personal experience I'm starting to believe gravel is just as good, but still believe the boards are better than grass or dirt. Just my 2 cents.....

I have always heard that "dirt" sucks the moisture out of tires. Old wives tale....maybe....might have been when tires were made out of real rubber.

Here I thought it was the other way around... that you don't want to park on pavement that long, because the tires can't "breathe"... so, gravel, dirt or boards over pavement. We're parked on hard-packed dirt with some gravel right now... hmmmm...

If there was a chance that the dirt would settle, and you'd be trying to pull your RV out of a muddy hole come spring, that might make a difference.

From another site - they mention trying to avoid oily surfaces (i.e. asphalt) and wet surfaces (puddles, grass, etc.). One commenter posted the following quotes:

Michelin: "some storage surfaces can cause tires to age faster"
Bridgestone: "Avoid letting tires sit on asphalt for long periods of time because they can absorb damaging oils from it.
Goodyear: "Thoroughly clean your tires with soap and water before storing them to remove any oils that may have accumulated from the road.”

I store my trailer using 4x4's and plastic foot pads. By the time I level it (have level-up system), the tires are barely touching the ground. When I got my trailer out of storage in February, the level up legs and tires were dry and clean. The 4x4's I had to break out of the ice with a hammer.

Let me see what the tire manufacturers had to say. Don't park on asphalt or concrete??? That's a bit silly. What are roads and parking lots made of??? Maybe we all need to buy "air car's, truck's and RV's.

On the flip side, the manual for the auto level says to lube the legs every week! Good grief. Which is worse, leaving the legs down to get corroded or letting it sit on the tires? I am newbie to this as well.

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My OEM Freestar tires have sat on dirt since Day 1 and don't show any ill effects. After installing the Ground Control jacks, I don't carry boards, just block pads for the jacks.

On another note concerning storage, take a look up behind your pin boxes. Not into the box but the rear of the opening. There may be two large holes up there that you might not notice until you hear chirping while you're working in the area. Grrrr...I plugged every hole in the frame way back when, but never noticed those two. One has a plastic wire conduit coming out of it, but the other is wide open. Methinks there's a starling nest in there. Too bad for the babies cuz the rig's heading north on Monday and unless momma rides along, they're not going to make it. No way to remove it without violence, either.

U2fletch said:

On the flip side, the manual for the auto level says to lube the legs every week! Good grief. Which is worse, leaving the legs down to get corroded or letting it sit on the tires? I am newbie to this as well.

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I had this same concern when I left my fifth wheel in storage for 2 1/2 years over 1200 miles away. Believe it or not, the hydraulic jack legs looked almost brand new when I picked it up and they received ZERO lubrication. I think the corrosion thing is way over rated. I did have to sand some surface rust off the foot pads and repaint them, but the legs were as smooth as ever even though they were exposed to the elements for 30 months.