Tire maintenance

[charlesmitchell]

Have a friend in FL. that knows an RV dealer very well, and the question came up of how I park the 5th wheel when its not in use. ie( on dirt, gravel cement,wood).
He was saying I should place a 1/4 inch rubber matt down between the tires and the surface thats its parked on to protect the tires. I myself park in on 2X12s.
Have any other club menbers ever hear of this before and what is your input and thoughts to the issue.
My unit is a 2012 3510RL

Charles

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Charles,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

You will get lots of opinions on this subject. Also I am moving the thread to the Tire area.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[cookie]

Kinda sounds like 1958. Old bias ply tires would get flat spots. Since the advent of the new radial tires and improved rubber compounds, that does not to be an issue.
I don't park my car or truck on anything other than the concrete garage floor. Does anyone?
Looking around the park here, the only tires I see up on anything are on wooden blocks used for leveling. And only on one side of the rig.
Just my thoughts.

Peace
Dave

 

[JohnDar]

Is there any benefit to putting anything under the tires, especially if you're using Level-up or other leveling systems to level the rig? With the Ground Control jacks, I don't need to use boards to level, but put cribbing pads under the jacks just to reduce the extension needed. And that's how it sits, all summer and during winter storage. Covers on tires, of course.

I found that unless the ground (dirt/grass) is perfectly flat, putting a board under the tire near a rut usually results in it getting split when the trailer rolls on it.

 

[Hastey]

I agree with Dave, that's some old school practice. Way back I can remember grandpa blocking up the axels on the trailers when they were out of use. We're talking split-rim 16's with tubes, that far back. I never asked him or dad because I just assumed it was to keep them off the ground to prevent rot. I learned that the sun causes more damage than the dirt at a young age.

I park my 5er at the house on 2x8's on both sides to keep them off the ground and level the trailer. I also have wheel and tire covers on them to keep the sun off. I park in the grass on the south side of my shop in the grass. It sets between the 30 x 40 shop and the 20 foot sea land container. I park both sides on the 2 x 8 lumber so that I can weed whack without getting my tire covers chewed up more than anything and i'm sure that it's better for them than sitting on the ground.

That's just what I do.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

A few years ago I was using those paper thin cutting board sheets under the tires. They're available at dollar stores or most flea markets. 2 for a buck. I stopped using them because it was a bit of a PITA.

 

[Birchwood]

I only place something under the tires if its for leveling.It doesn't matter anyway from what I understand
because the problems are on the inside where air escapes to the outer wall and causes blowouts.
If you actually get to the wear bars on a trailer tire you have done some serious RVing over a short period
of time and your wheels were aligned .

 

[SilverRhino]

When I store our BC for the winter months I do park it up on lengths of 2X10. Our storage area has crushed rock for a substrate. If we are travelling I only use wood blocks as needed for levelling.

 

[westxsrt10]

If I was a full timer or stored my RV outside I'd place a vapor barrior under the tire.
My understanding is keep that area dry, moisture can enter internally from the ground and cause the steel belts to rust then expand thereby causing tire failure. If true it's cheep insurance for little to no effort.

 

[teamlkc]

In terms of protecting tires from the sun, is it better to just place a sheet of plywood up against them to avoid direct sunlight or do we need to get the actual tire covers?

 

[JohnDar]

In terms of protecting tires from the sun, is it better to just place a sheet of plywood up against them to avoid direct sunlight or do we need to get the actual tire covers?

Tire covers with bungee cords don't fall down or blow off. They're also easier to store when not needed. You can find individual tire covers at just about any RV store. With a little searching, or a special order, you can get ones that cover both tires on a side, in black or white. I've got black doubles.

 

[GOTTOYS]

When my trailer is rolling down the road there's nothing under the tires but road. Same is true when I park it. I cover the tires with wheel covers if it's going to left for several days just to keep the sun off. Plywood, or anything else that would stay in place will work also. Stay away from tire dressings that contain any petroleum distillates. The petroleum part is especially hard on the rubber. I just wash mine once in awhile and they look good enough for me...Don