Towmax Blowout with damage and other 300c stuff

[jmgratz]

Although you may have a manufacturer warranty some things are warrantied by the manufacturer of the specific item such as Suburban for the water heater, Dometic for several other things, Lippert for the frame and the tire supplier for the tires which in most cases is Tredit Tire. Contact them directly for the warranty on the tires and wheels. When I changed out the tires to Goodyear and had an issue Goodyear warrantied the tires and paid for damage sustained to the rig when the tire failed. Hope this helps.

 

[wdk450]

I think that premium tires, TPMS, disk brakes and premium suspension should be regular options on the options list. A knowledgeable salesman should be able to get you to opt for these and raise your monthly payment just a bit in trade for some peace of mind. The manufacturers should be eager to offer these to reduce their warranty costs.
I just looked at the standards and options for a HR Presidential 5th wheel: H rated tires, 17.5 inch wheels, MorRyde pin box, all standard; MorRyde IS optional. I just think that Heartland should make this stuff easily available (options) to the new owners.

 

[nscaler2]

I think that premium tires, TPMS, disk brakes and premium suspension should be regular options on the options list. A knowledgeable salesman should be able to get you to opt for these and raise your monthly payment just a bit in trade for some peace of mind. The manufacturers should be eager to offer these to reduce their warranty costs.
I just looked at the standards and options for a HR Presidential 5th wheel: H rated tires, 17.5 inch wheels, MorRyde pin box, all standard; MorRyde IS optional. I just think that Heartland should make this stuff easily available (options) to the new owners.

Bill,
I agree with you 100%. However if Heartland isn't going to stand behind their choices of tires and warranty any damage caused by them, they don't have any incentive to offer the things that you mentioned. I got rid of the Mission tires that came with my Bighorn as soon as I could(replaced with Michelin XPS Ribs) and had a MorRyde pin box and IS suspension installed by MorRyde in Elkhart. Best money I have ever spent. The Michelins are perfect. We store the 5th wheel for 6 months a year. When I come back to it I always check tire pressure before moving it. In 6 months they MIGHT leak 1 (0ne) pound of pressure. All I can say is they were well worth the peace of mind money.

 

[cookie]

I just looked at the standards and options for a HR Presidential 5th wheel: H rated tires, 17.5 inch wheels, MorRyde pin box, all standard; MorRyde IS optional. I just think that Heartland should make this stuff easily available (options) to the new owners.

I just compared similarly equipped HR Presidential and Landmark. The price was about $4,000 more on the HR.
The 17.5" wheels, MorRyde that are standard on the HR are available options on the Landmark. I put those options on the list when pricing the Landmark.
Although they are great options, not everyone feels the need to upgrade to H rated tires or the MorRyde. Around 2K.

Peace
Dave

 

[Bob&Patty]

HL does offer premium tires, disc brakes and Mor/Ryde pinboxes on some of their higher end 5ers. Even on some of their bigger TH's. It does not matter if they come standard or not, you are going to pay for these one way or the other. There is not one manufacture of any vehicle that warranties tires. They may help you get an adjustment when a problem accures but they are not bound by anything to help you. Tires are manufactured by the tire company and its up to them to stand behind the tire...period. If you order a set of GY G614's on a coach, and finance the cost of the coach, you will be paying interest on, lets say 2K for 15 years. Its the same with the pinbox, and disc brakes. You can get a Mor/Ryde pinbox from tweetys in Texas for $599 with free shipping and install it yourself and save about $200. The tires you can buy after you get the coach cheaper, sell the OEM ones and recoupe some of the money. Disc brakes, the kits are about 2K for all the parts and if your handy with tools you can install them yourself and save big money. Its all about how you want to spend your money.

 

[Lndeatr]

Tow Max tires are rated at 80psi with load of 3520lbs per tire. Not enough for these heavy rigs.
G614 are 3750lbs per tire at 110psi. Be sure to check your rims.

Rereading my post the every 3 years should be every 6 years. I am at a Discount Tire getting 5 Goodyear G614 as I type this. Gonna see if I can Craigslist the remaining 4 Tomax and new tire I bought as a spare in the last town we stayed at. That way I won't have to haul them the California.

 

[remoandiris]

Do you really think 1,000 lbs capacity (if a tri-axle) will make much of a difference?

Tow Max tires are rated at 80psi with load of 3520lbs per tire. Not enough for these heavy rigs.
G614 are 3750lbs per tire at 110psi. Be sure to check your rims.

 

[jmgratz]

Do you really think 1,000 lbs capacity (if a tri-axle) will make much of a difference?

It is not the 1000 lbs that is the difference it is the quality of the tires that is the difference.

 

[remoandiris]

A question of tire quality was not mentioned before, only carrying capacity.

It is not the 1000 lbs that is the difference it is the quality of the tires that is the difference.

 

[scottyb]

It is not the 1000 lbs that is the difference it is the quality of the tires that is the difference.

BINGO! Someone mentioned earlier that the Big 3 Truck MNFR's don't warranty their tires. Well, for starters, they use top brand manufacturers instead of fly-by-night 3rd world country manufacturers. When one of them screws up, policies get changed.

 

[Lndeatr]

Do you really think 1,000 lbs capacity (if a tri-axle) will make much of a difference?

It will on my dual axle.

 

[evolvingpowercat]

FYI for those of use with the smaller Heartland TTs that use 50 PSI ST tires the Maxxis ST Trailer Tires are a good alternative to consider vs. Towmax or Goodyears. I bought four of the Maxxis for about $ 100 each last winter and and had new Orange TPMS stems put on the wheels at the same time and its all working out great for me.

 

[Mrsfish]

I will post real numbers on Thursday when I return to work, but comparing Thor industries to the Big 3 is like comparing your local diner to red lobster. The scale of business by the big 3 demands prices from their suppliers that far multiplies the discount given to Thor by their network. As a result, Thor has no choice but to go with a lower bidder. And as we've seen - there are large tire store that recommend these towmax also. I think the point to be understood is that the towmax aren't bad for every rig - but bigger is not better. I believe that most of us don't find out about these bad tires until we already own them and that just p***es us off. I do wish heartland put a better tire on the bigger (not most expensive) but they don't and I'm sure they know what that decision costs them (if anything). I learned about the tires after the fact and I have spent the big dollars to put the gys on our rig. I don't play with safety issues. And I've had the towmax up for sale for 4 months and not even a bite. I know this forum is to discuss our opinions, I just feel we've beaten this one to death.

 

[remoandiris]

Only if your axles can handle it.

It will on my dual axle.

 

[piet10]

Mrsfish,

Try putting a sign up at a local feedstore. Mine sold in 3 days for a utility trailer.

Al

 

[Mrsfish]

Mrsfish,

Try putting a sign up at a local feedstore. Mine sold in 3 days for a utility trailer.

Al

Tank yu, tank yu bery mush (Elvis impersonation in type)

 

[JohnD]

Mrsfish,

Try putting a sign up at a local feedstore. Mine sold in 3 days for a utility trailer.

Al

I'll probably use my Blowmax's to light a fire as a smoke signal for rain this next spring or summer . . .

 

[taken]

Goodyear G614 tires are now an option on the 300C as well as most other Heartland brands, not just the higher end ones. When I bought my 30C they were not an official option, but rather a hidden option you could order if you knew how to ask. (Which I didn't...) I had read enough though, to know it was a need to do upgrade and I swapped them as soon as I got the rig home from the dealer.

As for the length, Heartland can't get this straight. When I bought mine it was listed as 36 feet. It soon went to 38 on their site and is now at 40. Actual measurement is 40. Guess it took them a while to get this figured out. The GVWR on our rigs is also all over the board. When I bough mine it was 14k. It went to 16k for a while and I actually got Heartland to send me a new weight sticker to state that. Now it's back down to 14k. During all these changes, nothing ever actually changed in regards to the length or to change the GVWR.

 

[Lndeatr]

We'll I am heading back to California today from Texas with the new G614s, my step-son and a new daughter in law. Have about 1000 lbs of their stuff in the garage as they are gonna stay with us a few months until they get on their feet. I was able to sell 4 of the tires (3 Towmax, 1 new off brand tire I bought as a spare) to a guy here in Texas to use on a smaller car trailer. I am taking the blown tire and the tire next to it as it was damaged. I think I am gonna turn it over to my insurance and pay my deductible ($500). My agent (Farmers) suggested I do this so they can inspect the tires and then go after Towmax for reimbursement including my deductible. Less hassle for me and maybe they will respond better to the insurance company.

On a slightly related point, I like to fill the freshwater from home so I have good, filtered softened well water but I don't want the extra weight now. I went to Lowes and put together a double filter(sediment and charcoal) with a high flow Watts regulator. I'll post a picture. Great pressure and tastes good without an odor. Now I can run with minimal water.

 

[Lndeatr]

Here is the picture of the filter/regulator setup. Fits in the tub along with a hose.