DuaneG
Well-known member
I had every intention of replacing my tires after reading all the problems these towmax tires have cause over the last few years. But life just got the better of me and I kept putting it off.
Like many of the others who said why change them if I monitor them properly and check pressure all the time. They still looked new with no sign of wear.
So today we were going to do a short trip for our anniversary but only made it 6 miles out of town before hearing what sounded like a bomb going off. We were only going 25 mph but were in the mountains with no where to pull over. As I made a corner I could see one of the tires was thrashed. Had to drive less than a minute to the next turn out. But like others it had sucked the 14 gauge wiring onto the axle and had wrapped around it ripping it from the connections in the slide. Along with a big pile of wire the skirt was damaged and sticking out.
Well we had Good Sam tow service and since my arm has nerve damage I called them to change the tire. This is a whole other topic but cell reception was horrible and the calls kept dropping. I gave the call taker our exact location based on hwy ID and mile marker, but he tried to use their GPS tools to find our location. I told them what the closest town with services was but it took them 40 min to even get a tow started. After that there was a road closure due to a multi car accident 8 miles up the road from us. And because of the delays the tow truck was diverted to the accident.
Shorting this part of the story so it ended up taking 4.5 hours to get the tire changed and by then all tire shops were closed and there is no way I was going to attempt the trip after all of that so we returned home.
After a hectic beginning we have been trouble free for a couple years and got a little complacent. So unfortunately we were do for some drama.
I didn't want to muddy up old threads or bring up sore spots for others so I started a new one. So beside those wanting to say "told you so". I agree you did and I am only to blame for procrastinating.
So now I am conflicted because another driver was sent to the hospital up the road when someone went into their lane and hit them head on. I saw their trailer up on a flat bed and their vehicle was totaled. So with that fresh in my mind I am grateful we didn't go off the cliff or cause someone else to crash.
So at this point I am convinced these tires should have been recalled as I am meticulous on checking them and properly inflating them. We had very limited supplies and know we were not over weighted. I even crawled under the trailer to see the back side of all the tires before we left and no signs of anything looking bad.
Some have mentioned reporting to DOT or something like that but wasn't sure the actual link or if anyone has ever done that. I would love to get my repairs covered and new tires but won't hold my breath on that right now. But wanted to know what the outcome was for anyone else who got investigators involved so these issues can be catalogued properly and not swept under the rug for some pro rated tire money.
Also tried to find the links for wiring diagrams and couldn't locate it. No repair shops near us so will try to repair it myself if I can find the diagram for the slide. It's the slide next to the door and I am guessing it was to the lights and electrical outlets for the slide and maybe the electric brakes but have to do more checking tomorrow as all I have is a pile of wire. Some 14/2 and 14/3 AWG wire.
Like many of the others who said why change them if I monitor them properly and check pressure all the time. They still looked new with no sign of wear.
So today we were going to do a short trip for our anniversary but only made it 6 miles out of town before hearing what sounded like a bomb going off. We were only going 25 mph but were in the mountains with no where to pull over. As I made a corner I could see one of the tires was thrashed. Had to drive less than a minute to the next turn out. But like others it had sucked the 14 gauge wiring onto the axle and had wrapped around it ripping it from the connections in the slide. Along with a big pile of wire the skirt was damaged and sticking out.
Well we had Good Sam tow service and since my arm has nerve damage I called them to change the tire. This is a whole other topic but cell reception was horrible and the calls kept dropping. I gave the call taker our exact location based on hwy ID and mile marker, but he tried to use their GPS tools to find our location. I told them what the closest town with services was but it took them 40 min to even get a tow started. After that there was a road closure due to a multi car accident 8 miles up the road from us. And because of the delays the tow truck was diverted to the accident.
Shorting this part of the story so it ended up taking 4.5 hours to get the tire changed and by then all tire shops were closed and there is no way I was going to attempt the trip after all of that so we returned home.
After a hectic beginning we have been trouble free for a couple years and got a little complacent. So unfortunately we were do for some drama.
I didn't want to muddy up old threads or bring up sore spots for others so I started a new one. So beside those wanting to say "told you so". I agree you did and I am only to blame for procrastinating.
So now I am conflicted because another driver was sent to the hospital up the road when someone went into their lane and hit them head on. I saw their trailer up on a flat bed and their vehicle was totaled. So with that fresh in my mind I am grateful we didn't go off the cliff or cause someone else to crash.
So at this point I am convinced these tires should have been recalled as I am meticulous on checking them and properly inflating them. We had very limited supplies and know we were not over weighted. I even crawled under the trailer to see the back side of all the tires before we left and no signs of anything looking bad.
Some have mentioned reporting to DOT or something like that but wasn't sure the actual link or if anyone has ever done that. I would love to get my repairs covered and new tires but won't hold my breath on that right now. But wanted to know what the outcome was for anyone else who got investigators involved so these issues can be catalogued properly and not swept under the rug for some pro rated tire money.
Also tried to find the links for wiring diagrams and couldn't locate it. No repair shops near us so will try to repair it myself if I can find the diagram for the slide. It's the slide next to the door and I am guessing it was to the lights and electrical outlets for the slide and maybe the electric brakes but have to do more checking tomorrow as all I have is a pile of wire. Some 14/2 and 14/3 AWG wire.
