Towmax by Power King – Facts

[tracks]

Gus, thanks again for your help and we'll see next week.

Kirk

 

[tracks]

Kirk
Glad someone noticed the problem.

Couple of comments. I have suggested a "Free Spin" runout be part of the annual, or more often tire inspection. These types of failures do not happen overnight.

Second. You will do the RV community a great service if you file a complaint with NHTSA. This can be a quick 10 min or less process once you have the info assembled. We cannot always depend on the tire dealer or distributor to report failures to NHTSA.
You will need "Complete" tire size, Brand Name & Design info
Full DOT serial including the date code portion
Vehicle VIN#

Too often people do not make this effort so as Dave has pointed out there are no numbers of complaints on file to justify any further action by NHTSA Engineers. Complaints posted on forums or to others while sitting around a campfire may make people feel better buy that does nothing to put pressure on tire companies and RV MFG to provide better tires with more load capacity.

tireman9, when I get back in town, if I can recover the information needed to make a complaint I'll do it. The tire has already gone to the dump.

Kirk

 

[Jim.Allison]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

Sell your TowMax tires to your landscaper!!!!!!! He needs them you don't. Buy G614s at least. Its in the math, its always in the math.

 

[rzrektd]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

This is my first post. I found the Towmax /Power King tire problems haunting. We own a 2012 Heartland Elkridge 34TSRE 5th wheel. On our way to Naples FL last month we had a right rear tire blow out on I95. The delaminated tire did significant damage to the side of the RV and slide out support structure. Tires were inspected and pressure checked (80psi) prior to leaving VA. Tires had about 3500 miles on them and appeared to be in excellent condition. Tire / wheel covers always used. Replaced all four tires with Goodyear LT G614's. Thank God no one was hurt. Towmax / Power King needs to be held to account and Heartland with its clout should be leading the effort.

Rick Leary
Blacksburg VA

 

[Sunset4k]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

I've posted in another thread about our experience with Tomax tires. We own a 2013 ElkRidge 34QSRL with less than 5,000 miles on the tires. After reading many posts here, we made the decision to change tires. Our Elkridge had been at the dealer for a second round of warranty work and sat outside for apps a month. There were no bubbles on the tires when we left it but by time we pulled it home (about 62miles), two of the tires had huge bubbles, one as big as my hand!! We still had to get it to Discount Tire to switch tires... We held our breath and drove less than 50 all the way. We were lucky.. We made it and now have Maxxis tires. I agree that the RV industry needs to lead the charge against Power King and refuse to use Tomax. We travel with two other couples, one with a Keystone Avalanche, and one with a Forest river Crusader and both have Tomax Tires!!!

 

[MCTalley]

Roger, I'm going to make some phone calls today and inquire about sponsorship to conduct a good controlled study. I'll contact you by email later today and let you in on my plan and maybe we can collaborate.

I could offer to take part in the study as "another brand". Our TPMS is sold under the Pacific Dualies name. It is a system I purchased via Amazon. I've yet to see anyone else mention the brand on here. Drop me a PM if you guys get a comparison together.

On a side note sort of on topic, I've decided that I have no sympathy for anyone (not pointing fingers at anyone here) that have recently passed me on the interstate doing 75 mph and are later seen on the side of the road with a shredded tire.

I actually had this happen recently and spent a mile or so dodging pieces of tire carcass. I stopped to offer assistance only because they had a Bighorn. They declined assistance because they were used to changing tires on their trailer because "it does this all the time". (The remaining good tire was a Hercules, couldn't tell if it was E-rated or not).

 

[Jim.Allison]

I still think that the "China Bomba are inadequate tire for large 5th wheel applications. But!!!!! I also agree that we forget about the times we pushed the tires to the limit. WE forget about the time that we forgot to check the cold tire inflation, or ran one 10 psi low because of a valve stem problem and we forget about that scrub against a curb in a tight turn. We also IGNORE the tight RV turns either backing in or turning around that almost pulled the tire off the rim. Not only do we forget this but so does heartland, they know that these things happen and it's part of the service of the tire. Fact is that 5th wheel tires are "rode hard and put up wet" as my grandpa used to say. Further, I wonder how many Towmax failures occur with first time owners, I know that I drove by all the rules, inflation pressures, max speed 65 (ran the wife nuts, but now she understands), blew out my first TM at 1800 mi. and I wonder how these tires perform in the Arizona desert in the summer where even the best car tires have trouble staying together.

I could offer to take part in the study as "another brand". Our TPMS is sold under the Pacific Dualies name. It is a system I purchased via Amazon. I've yet to see anyone else mention the brand on here. Drop me a PM if you guys get a comparison together.

On a side note sort of on topic, I've decided that I have no sympathy for anyone (not pointing fingers at anyone here) that have recently passed me on the interstate doing 75 mph and are later seen on the side of the road with a shredded tire.

I actually had this happen recently and spent a mile or so dodging pieces of tire carcass. I stopped to offer assistance only because they had a Bighorn. They declined assistance because they were used to changing tires on their trailer because "it does this all the time". (The remaining good tire was a Hercules, couldn't tell if it was E-rated or not).

 

[Jim.Allison]

I love my HiSpec 17.5s and my G114s. fiver tracks great and offers very stable pulling. It's over kill but there is nothing between the G614 and the G114 except the 114 competitors. I like the 75 MPH although I will never pull at 75 it's nice to know that Im well within the speed max of the tire. I wonder if 17.5 in ST's are any good for the budget concience, the new rims and g114 is a bitter pill to swallow for the budget minded.

Thanks for the kind words Kirk! Glad I saw that bubble. It's always difficult to give someone bad news, but my philosophy is "We RVer's have to help look out for each other". I actually left my flagpole up one time at the Fredericksburg, VA, KOA and thankfully Roger Beasley saw it and warned me before I could drive off and do some serious damage. By the way, those 17.5 wheels are awesome. Looking forward to seeing you and Cathy again in Urbanna!

 

[Jim.Allison]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

My story exactly, except 1800 miles on the tire.

This is my first post. I found the Towmax /Power King tire problems haunting. We own a 2012 Heartland Elkridge 34TSRE 5th wheel. On our way to Naples FL last month we had a right rear tire blow out on I95. The delaminated tire did significant damage to the side of the RV and slide out support structure. Tires were inspected and pressure checked (80psi) prior to leaving VA. Tires had about 3500 miles on them and appeared to be in excellent condition. Tire / wheel covers always used. Replaced all four tires with Goodyear LT G614's. Thank God no one was hurt. Towmax / Power King needs to be held to account and Heartland with its clout should be leading the effort.

Rick Leary
Blacksburg VA

 

[wdk450]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

Gang:
The June 2014 issue, page 60, of Trailblazer (The Thousand Trails Magazine) has a question in their Tech Questions column "Ask RV Bill" (not ME) about ST versus LT tires on trailers. The differences listed in ST tires rather than LT tires are:
Special compounds to withstand sitting (storage)
They resist sidewall forces of sharp turns better
Compounds to resist weather and ozone cracking better than LT tires

But the article concluded that you could use LT tires on trailers safely, paying attention to load ratings.

 

[brianlajoie]

We're new to the RV scene. We took our new Big Horn out for our first trip. Did real well. We have towmax tires on our rig too. I bought the tire minders product and installed them before our trip. We went to the Colorado rally and then up to Boise, ID. Here is some of my observations: I have a 2012 F350 and my flat mirrors are pointed to the trailer tires. The fish eye mirrors are pointed to the truck rear tires. Makes watching the rear traffic a little interesting. Every morning I visually inspect the tires. I then look at the tire minder system before I start the truck. The tires ran about 78 PSI while the temp was between 50 and 65. We check the tires again within 5 to 10 mins and the pressure read between 82 and 85. The highest tire temp we've ever noticed was 95 in Idaho when the outside temp was 88 degrees. I've weighed my rig and each axel is well under its max, although I haven't weighed each tire. My rig for the trip weighed a little over 21,300 pounds. I went about 55 to 60 MPH going to Boise more so because we had a strong head wind travelling from left to right that kept buffeting the trailer and therefore the truck. But I also found that being slower on the road than over 99% of traffic meant that anyone cutting me off was going much faster so I wasn't concerned. Let them go around me. Less stress for sure. There were a lot of potholes out there on I80 and I84 that were hard to avoid. Two Pilot gas stations had such tight pull up space to the diesel pumps that I question whether they should be advertising for RVs at all. I had to be very careful not to kiss the curbs with the tires when I filled up. Everytime I stopped I hand checked the tires and re-checked the TPMS. The trip was a great success and I cannot wait until our next trip. The tires are covered until then.

 

[TravelTiger]

We're new to the RV scene. We took our new Big Horn out for our first trip. Did real well. We have towmax tires on our rig too. I bought the tire minders product and installed them before our trip. We went to the Colorado rally and then up to Boise, ID. Here is some of my observations: I have a 2012 F350 and my flat mirrors are pointed to the trailer tires. The fish eye mirrors are pointed to the truck rear tires. Makes watching the rear traffic a little interesting. Every morning I visually inspect the tires. I then look at the tire minder system before I start the truck. The tires ran about 78 PSI while the temp was between 50 and 65. We check the tires again within 5 to 10 mins and the pressure read between 82 and 85. The highest tire temp we've ever noticed was 95 in Idaho when the outside temp was 88 degrees. I've weighed my rig and each axel is well under its max, although I haven't weighed each tire. My rig for the trip weighed a little over 21,300 pounds. I went about 55 to 60 MPH going to Boise more so because we had a strong head wind travelling from left to right that kept buffeting the trailer and therefore the truck. But I also found that being slower on the road than over 99% of traffic meant that anyone cutting me off was going much faster so I wasn't concerned. Let them go around me. Less stress for sure. There were a lot of potholes out there on I80 and I84 that were hard to avoid. Two Pilot gas stations had such tight pull up space to the diesel pumps that I question whether they should be advertising for RVs at all. I had to be very careful not to kiss the curbs with the tires when I filled up. Everytime I stopped I hand checked the tires and re-checked the TPMS. The trip was a great success and I cannot wait until our next trip. The tires are covered until then.

Brian, you seem to be doing everything right, and not to scare you, but the damage that causes a blowout may have already been done. When a transport driver brought your rig to the dealer, they may not have been so careful. Please physically touch your tires to feel for imperfections and look across the rig at the backside of the tires each time you stop to look for bulges (indicating broken belts inside) or bubbles. Those seem to be frequent reports here with TowMax tires.

Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[brianlajoie]

Thank you Tony for the reply. I bought my trailer in northern Indiana where the dealer is less than 100 miles from the factory. Hopefully the risk in transporting is not too great - but there are no guarantees. When I stop each time when I was travelling, I visually inspected and felt each tire to reassure myself that the TPMS was correct - it like it was. When I pull my trailer out of storage next time I will get under the trailer (I usually do this to remove the tire covers) and inspect the inside wall of each tire. How far do you go when you stop and inspect your tires? The thought of crawling on the ground under the trailer at a gas station when I'm on a trip is not too appealing.

 

[TravelTiger]

Thank you Tony for the reply. I bought my trailer in northern Indiana where the dealer is less than 100 miles from the factory. Hopefully the risk in transporting is not too great - but there are no guarantees. When I stop each time when I was travelling, I visually inspected and felt each tire to reassure myself that the TPMS was correct - it like it was. When I pull my trailer out of storage next time I will get under the trailer (I usually do this to remove the tire covers) and inspect the inside wall of each tire. How far do you go when you stop and inspect your tires? The thought of crawling on the ground under the trailer at a gas station when I'm on a trip is not too appealing.

Actually, it's Erika.

I am usually the one checking the tires. We stop about every 200 miles or so... Originally because we needed fuel, but now just to stretch and take a break. I put my hands on the tread, and I look between the tires across to the opposite tires to look at the sidewalls. I don't crawl under, but I try to visually look at every inch of the tires I can see.

We had issues with our TowMax about 14 months from purchase and have since switched to Maxxis. I still check the tires like this, even with TPMS, and even though I don't fear issues from the Maxxis like I've seen with TowMax.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[brianlajoie]

Sorry Erika... Thanks for the tip though. We also find ourselves stopping about every 200 miles. Either for gas, the dogs or stretching..

 

[tireman9]

tireman9, when I get back in town, if I can recover the information needed to make a complaint I'll do it. The tire has already gone to the dump.

Kirk

Some info for others that have tire issues. Having the full DOT serial , including the 4 digit date portion is VERY important as this is needed by NHTSA if they are going to look into doing an investigation or even considering a possible recall.
Also the tire company would ask for the tire(s) to be returned for their inspection. Without having the tires I can almost guarantee that you will not get what you would like from the tire MFG, no matter which company we are talking about.

For some reason people seem to understand that if they had a problem with a wrench from Sears they would ask for the "defective" product back before they would give you a new one. Same for a bad TV from Best Buy or a malfunctioning computer from Staples etc. Tires are no different.

 

[tireman9]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

I've posted in another thread about our experience with Tomax tires. We own a 2013 ElkRidge 34QSRL with less than 5,000 miles on the tires. After reading many posts here, we made the decision to change tires. Our Elkridge had been at the dealer for a second round of warranty work and sat outside for apps a month. There were no bubbles on the tires when we left it but by time we pulled it home (about 62miles), two of the tires had huge bubbles, one as big as my hand!! We still had to get it to Discount Tire to switch tires... We held our breath and drove less than 50 all the way. We were lucky.. We made it and now have Maxxis tires. I agree that the RV industry needs to lead the charge against Power King and refuse to use Tomax. We travel with two other couples, one with a Keystone Avalanche, and one with a Forest river Crusader and both have Tomax Tires!!!

An idea occured to me. When you left the dealership did you check the air pressure in the tires before heading home? Whenever a dealer "delivers" an RV to a customer the tires should be checked to confirm they have the proper minimum air pressure. In your case with ST type tires that would be the pressure on the tire sidewall.

 

[tireman9]

Thanks for the kind words Kirk! Glad I saw that bubble. It's always difficult to give someone bad news, but my philosophy is "We RVer's have to help look out for each other". I actually left my flagpole up one time at the Fredericksburg, VA, KOA and thankfully Roger Beasley saw it and warned me before I could drive off and do some serious damage. By the way, those 17.5 wheels are awesome. Looking forward to seeing you and Cathy again in Urbanna!

Ddi you file a complaint with NHTSA? The quality of tires being provided by the manufacturers will not improve until it starts hitting them in the pocket book i.e. Them having to pay for free replacement under a recall, and a Recall will never happen until RV owners make the effort to file complaints, with the VIN 7 DOT serial numbers, to NHTSA.

 

[tireman9]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

Gang:
The June 2014 issue, page 60, of Trailblazer (The Thousand Trails Magazine) has a question in their Tech Questions column "Ask RV Bill" (not ME) about ST versus LT tires on trailers. The differences listed in ST tires rather than LT tires are:
Special compounds to withstand sitting (storage)
They resist sidewall forces of sharp turns better
Compounds to resist weather and ozone cracking better than LT tires

But the article concluded that you could use LT tires on trailers safely, paying attention to load ratings.

I find the statements about tire construction and compounds interesting and have to wonder how those making these statements gained access to the tire specifications and confidential compound chemical information.

I think it more likely that some are simply repeating some marketing claims they may have heard or read somewhere.

 

[tireman9]

Thank you Tony for the reply. I bought my trailer in northern Indiana where the dealer is less than 100 miles from the factory. Hopefully the risk in transporting is not too great - but there are no guarantees. When I stop each time when I was travelling, I visually inspected and felt each tire to reassure myself that the TPMS was correct - it like it was. When I pull my trailer out of storage next time I will get under the trailer (I usually do this to remove the tire covers) and inspect the inside wall of each tire. How far do you go when you stop and inspect your tires? The thought of crawling on the ground under the trailer at a gas station when I'm on a trip is not too appealing.

If you use a digital gauge when inflating your tires and have a TPMS I see no reason to crawl around inspecting tires at each gas stop. I don't.
I do keep an eye on the pressure reading on my TPMS as it is my first line of defense.