oscar
Well-known member
Although I did almost get to 10K.
As we parked on the campground in Mississippi my wife commented that the 4 and 6 tire (Right Center and Right Rear) were awfully close together. I explained about the special Dexter spring linkage and that they are normally close, and sometimes after backing in with braking they can get very close.
Sometimes I should pay closer attention to what my wife says.
On the way back to PA we were on the road for 25 or so miles when we got the dreaded passing car with people hanging out the window pointing somewhere back there. "Thank You". Pull over, and 4 and 6 are rubbing together grooving each other up with some smoke for extra ambiance.
Fortunately the next exit was less than a mile. We get off and find a nice empty church parking lot. I get under there and it appears that the shackles involved are a little closer than on the other side, so that is the direction I start digging. We left winter and thus salt country, and there was quite a bit of surface corrosion, so I figured they were hanging up. I never go anywhere without at least one can of PB-blaster, so I hosed them down. Proceeded to put chocks on the wheels in question, and rocked the rig back and forth a bit to get things moving. After about five minutes of this I had about 1/4" clearance and figured things were working their way loose, and all would be well.
Very proud of myself we get back on the road. 25 miles later someone fired a 105mm Howitzer back there. Seconds later the TPMS starts screaming. Duh. Pull over and, you guessed it, 6 has cratered. Fortunately damage to the surrounding area is minimal, and once again we are less than a mile from an exit. Right off it we find a truck stop, fire up the genny, grab a snack and sit down to think. (It's Sunday). So, the plan is to very carefully find an RV repair shop in the morning to take a look at Dexter. Meanwhile I decide to get a head start and put on the spare.
This is where it gets interesting. I take off the old wheel, and inspect the damage. The rubbing (which had obviously continued after I thought it was getting better) had grooved the tire to the point where it failed. But, as I rolled it away I suddenly noticed that 180º opposite the failed area THERE WAS NO GROOVING.......NOTHING. The tire looked fine...... As I'm scratching my head it starts to dawn on me. And, after I put on the spare I confirm there was nothing wrong with Dexter. The tire had developed a bulge, probably as a result of an internal failure. With the spare on the gap was back to normal. I had the wife drive the rig slowly forward and the gap was fine, and constant.
This also explained why the #4 was grooved, but a lot less and all around. It was being rubbed randomly all around, whereas #6 was continuously hitting in the same spot, where it wore through, or the internal failure just reached critical stage. This also explained why my horsing around in the church parking lot opened up the gap. I simply moved enough inches to get the bulge somewhat out of the way.
So, with renewed morale we head back on the road, hoping that #4 would hold up the remaining 800 miles and that we wouldn't have the need for another spare. Well, the next day around 7pm in Carlysle PA, 100m from the house the TPMS starts screaming. Slow leak in #4. Darn. Once again though (yes that's three in a row) we are right at an exit and there are three, yes three large truck stops right there, including one with a fleet service garage open till 11pm. The leak in #4 was a hole, and I'm not sure it had anything to do with the grooving, but could well have been a nail or something like that. I wanted them to plug it, as all I wanted was to get home with minimal expense, to fix it all right later. Well, he took one look at the tire and said....."No, ain't plugging that". Fair enough. Fortunately he had the right size tire and tread in stock, yes, a genuine Blowmax!. I back inside in bay # 7, they pulled the wheel, mounted the new tire, put the wheel back on and torqued it down properly. Less than 45 minutes after getting off the road we were back on, all for $150
I have a TPMS, and I watch it like a hawk. I keep my pressures where they need to be and these tires have never overheated. I am not seriously overloaded. So, I now believe that the tires these units come with are not enough and/or of inferior quality. I have decided that there are 6 new 17" wheels and 4500# tires in my future.
(Edited for spelling.)
As we parked on the campground in Mississippi my wife commented that the 4 and 6 tire (Right Center and Right Rear) were awfully close together. I explained about the special Dexter spring linkage and that they are normally close, and sometimes after backing in with braking they can get very close.
Sometimes I should pay closer attention to what my wife says.
On the way back to PA we were on the road for 25 or so miles when we got the dreaded passing car with people hanging out the window pointing somewhere back there. "Thank You". Pull over, and 4 and 6 are rubbing together grooving each other up with some smoke for extra ambiance.
Fortunately the next exit was less than a mile. We get off and find a nice empty church parking lot. I get under there and it appears that the shackles involved are a little closer than on the other side, so that is the direction I start digging. We left winter and thus salt country, and there was quite a bit of surface corrosion, so I figured they were hanging up. I never go anywhere without at least one can of PB-blaster, so I hosed them down. Proceeded to put chocks on the wheels in question, and rocked the rig back and forth a bit to get things moving. After about five minutes of this I had about 1/4" clearance and figured things were working their way loose, and all would be well.
Very proud of myself we get back on the road. 25 miles later someone fired a 105mm Howitzer back there. Seconds later the TPMS starts screaming. Duh. Pull over and, you guessed it, 6 has cratered. Fortunately damage to the surrounding area is minimal, and once again we are less than a mile from an exit. Right off it we find a truck stop, fire up the genny, grab a snack and sit down to think. (It's Sunday). So, the plan is to very carefully find an RV repair shop in the morning to take a look at Dexter. Meanwhile I decide to get a head start and put on the spare.
This is where it gets interesting. I take off the old wheel, and inspect the damage. The rubbing (which had obviously continued after I thought it was getting better) had grooved the tire to the point where it failed. But, as I rolled it away I suddenly noticed that 180º opposite the failed area THERE WAS NO GROOVING.......NOTHING. The tire looked fine...... As I'm scratching my head it starts to dawn on me. And, after I put on the spare I confirm there was nothing wrong with Dexter. The tire had developed a bulge, probably as a result of an internal failure. With the spare on the gap was back to normal. I had the wife drive the rig slowly forward and the gap was fine, and constant.
This also explained why the #4 was grooved, but a lot less and all around. It was being rubbed randomly all around, whereas #6 was continuously hitting in the same spot, where it wore through, or the internal failure just reached critical stage. This also explained why my horsing around in the church parking lot opened up the gap. I simply moved enough inches to get the bulge somewhat out of the way.
So, with renewed morale we head back on the road, hoping that #4 would hold up the remaining 800 miles and that we wouldn't have the need for another spare. Well, the next day around 7pm in Carlysle PA, 100m from the house the TPMS starts screaming. Slow leak in #4. Darn. Once again though (yes that's three in a row) we are right at an exit and there are three, yes three large truck stops right there, including one with a fleet service garage open till 11pm. The leak in #4 was a hole, and I'm not sure it had anything to do with the grooving, but could well have been a nail or something like that. I wanted them to plug it, as all I wanted was to get home with minimal expense, to fix it all right later. Well, he took one look at the tire and said....."No, ain't plugging that". Fair enough. Fortunately he had the right size tire and tread in stock, yes, a genuine Blowmax!. I back inside in bay # 7, they pulled the wheel, mounted the new tire, put the wheel back on and torqued it down properly. Less than 45 minutes after getting off the road we were back on, all for $150
I have a TPMS, and I watch it like a hawk. I keep my pressures where they need to be and these tires have never overheated. I am not seriously overloaded. So, I now believe that the tires these units come with are not enough and/or of inferior quality. I have decided that there are 6 new 17" wheels and 4500# tires in my future.
(Edited for spelling.)
