Tow Max about to get next victim

[MagnoliaTom]

My tires actually read LT 235/85

 

[MagnoliaTom]

Mine are marked "LT"

 

[JohnD]

Which warranty would be voided?

Any warranty that you may happen to have on your trailer and hope to use if needed . . .

 

[danemayer]

Which warranty would be voided?

If you don't follow the maintenance schedule in your owners manual, a problem might not be covered by the trailer warranty. Here's the language:

Problems which may result from not following proper operating practices, instructions, warnings or regulations,
including but not limited to those contained in the owners manuals, on labels or otherwise provided by law.

Extended warranties probably have similar language.

In a technical sense, the warranty isn't voided, but specific problems related to lack of maintenance may not be covered. To me that makes sense. No warranty, from any manufacturer of any product, is intended to be a substitute for required maintenance.

Warranties aren't free - the cost is included in the price of the trailer, or in the price of the extended warranty. If damages caused by neglect were covered, the costs would be much higher - and the price would be much higher.

Unfortunately, there are some extended warranty companies that use this as an escape clause to avoid paying for items that should be covered. In JohnD's case where the springs went flat, I struggle to imagine why maintenance records would be needed. I can't think of any maintenance that would have prevented flattening. I suppose it's possible the extended warranty company might argue that periodic inspections would have revealed the problem while still covered by the manufacturer's warranty. But that seems a weak argument since it's assumes a date when the springs went flat.

 

[MagnoliaTom]

My tires actually read LT 235/85

After looking over the tire more carefully, it also says "for trailer service only"

 

[Jim.Allison]

I think I had the term truck as a general term applied to a truck and trailer assembly, not necessarily a truck. But that tire may be a steer tire anyway, I don't own a set so I don't know what the specs of a Sailun or Goodyear is in that species.

However I did counsel a man who I met that was running ST tires on his motor home. He said his tireman recommended them to him. The total lack of education among the general RV public is astounding to me. I also talked to a man who pulled in to a RV park with the whole side of his trailer torn out, he got it bad too, with all kinds of damage other than torn sheet metal. He told me that he thought 80 psi was too much air for the trailer tires, so he was running 60 psi. I did not offer any information to him other than telling him that 80 psi does seem high, but that was what I was running.

You can't help the suicidal.

 

[Jim.Allison]

If you don't follow the maintenance schedule in your owners manual, a problem might not be covered by the trailer warranty. Here's the language:



Extended warranties probably have similar language.

In a technical sense, the warranty isn't voided, but specific problems related to lack of maintenance may not be covered. To me that makes sense. No warranty, from any manufacturer of any product, is intended to be a substitute for required maintenance.

Warranties aren't free - the cost is included in the price of the trailer, or in the price of the extended warranty. If damages caused by neglect were covered, the costs would be much higher - and the price would be much higher.

Unfortunately, there are some extended warranty companies that use this as an escape clause to avoid paying for items that should be covered. In JohnD's case where the springs went flat, I struggle to imagine why maintenance records would be needed. I can't think of any maintenance that would have prevented flattening. I suppose it's possible the extended warranty company might argue that periodic inspections would have revealed the problem while still covered by the manufacturer's warranty. But that seems a weak argument since it's assumes a date when the springs went flat.

I think that my original post on the subject only indicated that I was going to, inspect the hubs, and brake assemblies, install Timken bearings and races, Chicago Rawhide Seals, hand pack the bearings, insure that my spindle nuts were properly secured, inspect the hubs and brake assemblies.

It is federal law that a warranty cannot be voided, unless you caused the failure, either directly or indirectly by using an inferior aftermarket component.

ie. you R&R your hubs, and you install new bearings, you do the job correctly, and use the recommended lubrication. Later your axle breaks. Unless the work you did, or the new bearing a seals CAUSED the failure, then the warranty is still in force.

I fail to see how this would have any effect on my warranties. And if it does then the warranty is going in the trash, because I'm not jumping through dealer/factory hoops to do jobs that I am way more qualified to do than the people they have doing it.

More problems are induced by dealer service departments than perhaps any other single source. I have no problems with my rig and it is because it has NEVER been serviced by a Dealer service department.

There are guys that have shelled out massive amounts of money to repair axles, when they could have just bought the axle brand new and had it shipped to them for half the money. Not only did they have to shell out money, but then they had to argue about the warranty.

Its not worth it. And you can be assured that If I find a problem with my axles, during my inspection, I will document it and seek warranty repair.

If I have to spend a $1000 every year for annual fiver maintenance to keep a warranty in effect then, I just won't have a warranty.

BTW: You can tell I care about warranties, I installed a solar charger and an inverter, by installing a sub panel, when my rig was 6 months old. But I documented it real well. LOL

 

[justafordguy]

After looking over the tire more carefully, it also says "for trailer service only"

From what I can tell Sailun makes the S637 in this size for heavy duty trailers like lowboys and equipment trailers. It isn't an ST tire it's an LT but in a size for trailers.

 

[danemayer]

I think that my original post on the subject only indicated that I was going to, inspect the hubs, and brake assemblies, install Timken bearings and races, Chicago Rawhide Seals, hand pack the bearings, insure that my spindle nuts were properly secured, inspect the hubs and brake assemblies.

It is federal law that a warranty cannot be voided, unless you caused the failure, either directly or indirectly by using an inferior aftermarket component.

ie. you R&R your hubs, and you install new bearings, you do the job correctly, and use the recommended lubrication. Later your axle breaks. Unless the work you did, or the new bearing a seals CAUSED the failure, then the warranty is still in force.

I fail to see how this would have any effect on my warranties. And if it does then the warranty is going in the trash, because I'm not jumping through dealer/factory hoops to do jobs that I am way more qualified to do than the people they have doing it.

More problems are induced by dealer service departments than perhaps any other single source. I have no problems with my rig and it is because it has NEVER been serviced by a Dealer service department.

There are guys that have shelled out massive amounts of money to repair axles, when they could have just bought the axle brand new and had it shipped to them for half the money. Not only did they have to shell out money, but then they had to argue about the warranty.

Its not worth it. And you can be assured that If I find a problem with my axles, during my inspection, I will document it and seek warranty repair.

If I have to spend a $1000 every year for annual fiver maintenance to keep a warranty in effect then, I just won't have a warranty.

BTW: You can tell I care about warranties, I installed a solar charger and an inverter, by installing a sub panel, when my rig was 6 months old. But I documented it real well. LOL

Read slower Jim. Not saying anything about who does the work. I was talking about neglecting to follow the published maintenance schedule. For example, if you decided that it was not necessary to inspect or repack bearings and then after a couple of years they burned up, the manufacturer might remind you that 1) you're out of warranty and 2) you should have followed the maintenance schedule, 3) neglecting maintenance isn't a manufacturing defect.

If you chose to do the maintenance yourself, you wouldn't be having the problem.

 

[JohnD]

If you chose to do the maintenance yourself, you wouldn't be having the problem.

Unless you don't know what you are doing . . .

Remember, not everyone is mechanical!

 

[justafordguy]

Remember, not everyone is mechanical!

Why not?

 

[danemayer]

We all have different expertise and experience. If you can do something yourself and choose to, that's great. If not, you get the pleasure of watching someone else do it for you. The important thing is that the work gets done.

 

[bobca1]

After looking over the tire more carefully, it also says "for trailer service only"

Yep mine are same too. I had just incorrectly assumed since they are labeled "for trailer service only" would be ST but they are LT.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Thank dan, but you have to go back to my original post and read up to get the jist of my aggravation.

Read slower Jim. Not saying anything about who does the work. I was talking about neglecting to follow the published maintenance schedule. For example, if you decided that it was not necessary to inspect or repack bearings and then after a couple of years they burned up, the manufacturer might remind you that 1) you're out of warranty and 2) you should have followed the maintenance schedule, 3) neglecting maintenance isn't a manufacturing defect.

If you chose to do the maintenance yourself, you wouldn't be having the problem.

 

[justafordguy]

I just ordered a set of Sailun S637 235/85/16 LR G tires from a local tire store, should be here by weeks end. With this upgrade and the tpms I installed last week hopefully my tire worries will be over for a while.

 

[MagnoliaTom]

If you get a chance to see the towmax vs. sailun side by side, you will be shocked at how flimsy, light and cheap the towmax are compared to the sailun. My wife was a bit peeved when I told her we needed new tires for a 6 month old trailer, but when she saw them side by side, she could see the difference. She even commented on how "cheap" the towmax looked and couldn't believe they even held up for 6 months. The sailun tire seemed to weigh as much as the towmax and rim combined!

 

[justafordguy]

If you get a chance to see the towmax vs. sailun side by side, you will be shocked at how flimsy, light and cheap the towmax are compared to the sailun. My wife was a bit peeved when I told her we needed new tires for a 6 month old trailer, but when she saw them side by side, she could see the difference. She even commented on how "cheap" the towmax looked and couldn't believe they even held up for 6 months. The sailun tire seemed to weigh as much as the towmax and rim combined!

Yeah I can't wait to see the difference.

I know what you mean about hating to have to replace new tires, my towmax only have 450 miles on them.

 

[billyjoeraybob]

One of my biggest reliefs lately was when I parked my Sundance and Towmaxs at the dealer after my last 350 mile trip on them. We traded it on a LM365 Ashland with G114's. The trip home was a lot more relaxed.

 

[MagnoliaTom]

George jefferson not the only one "movin on up"!

 

[Jim.Allison]

Daaaaaang, you got a set of G114s in the trade?

One of my biggest reliefs lately was when I parked my Sundance and Towmaxs at the dealer after my last 350 mile trip on them. We traded it on a LM365 Ashland with G114's. The trip home was a lot more relaxed.