Yikes! Tires, Front Leveling legs and rear garage door - all in one day!

[BruteForce]

Since our October thus far has been very mild and unlike most (freezing, snow, etc), we decided to head south about 2 hours to get in one last camping trip.

Arrived at our destination and a gentleman walked over and told me one of my tires was coming apart (on the 5th wheel). Sure enough, the tread was peeling right off the tire. Inspected the other 5 and they were doing the same thing. Put my spare on the worst of the lot and pulled into the KOA to settle in.

Got the 5'er leveled and went to unhitch. The front-leveling legs wouldn't come down using the electrical button. I had to use the hand crank. UGH!

Went to open the back garage door to take the ATV's out and after closing the door back, we noticed sunlight coming through the garage door area (from inside). Seems the left (driver side) latch isn't engaging the back of the door firmly enough. A thick piece of cardboard and all was well (for now).

It's looking like yet another expensive weekend with the Roadwarrior. We have a tire shop about 5 miles away that's going to replace all 6 of out tires ($2100) with Cooper Provider 14ply (G-Rated). Any chance I can get a warranty claim out of these tires coming apart?

 

[jimtoo]

Hi James,,

Don't know what brand of tires your replacing,,, but keep the old tires,,, find out the distributor,, maybe Treadit. Call and explain your problem in a very nice way...and ask for help. Not saying they will,, but maybe.

Jim M

 

[BruteForce]

Hi James,,

Don't know what brand of tires your replacing,,, but keep the old tires,,, find out the distributor,, maybe Treadit. Call and explain your problem in a very nice way...and ask for help. Not saying they will,, but maybe.

Jim M

Original OEM Towmax tires as provided by Heartland (less than 4000 miles on them, but they have a 2008 date on the sidewall <I have a 2010 5'er> ). I sure hope I can make it home the ~140 miles without issue. Local place wants to gouge me for non-existent Cooper tires (Cooper's website shows they don't even make a 235/80 R16).

I've spent the past hour or so searching websites (Discount Tire, Big-O tire, Sears, Walmart) to see who carries this size: 235/80 R16. Seems to be a rare tire size as each vendor only carries ONE tire in that size. Where's everybody sourcing their replacements?

 

[jimtoo]

I have the Michlen XPS on truck and trailer. Discount tire is who I used, and I have 235/85R16 on my trailer. They were about 1" larger in diameter, but I still have plenty of clearance.

Tredit Tire does appear to be the supplier for Towmax tires also, give them a call. They were very nice to deal with when I had problems, but mine were only about 6 months old and 3000 miles also,, don't know manufacture date... but it never hurts to make a call.

Let us know what happens.

Jim M

 

[GOTTOYS]

Original OEM Towmax tires as provided by Heartland (less than 4000 miles on them, but they have a 2008 date on the sidewall <I have a 2010 5'er> ). I sure hope I can make it home the ~140 miles without issue. Local place wants to gouge me for non-existent Cooper tires (Cooper's website shows they don't even make a 235/80 R16).

I've spent the past hour or so searching websites (Discount Tire, Big-O tire, Sears, Walmart) to see who carries this size: 235/80 R16. Seems to be a rare tire size as each vendor only carries ONE tire in that size. Where's everybody sourcing their replacements?

You will only find that size in the junk ST tires that are made in China. The only exception is the Maxxis which is also an ST tire but with a good reputation. Lots of people are mounting up 235/85/16 LT truck tires and are having very good luck with them. Cast aside all the stories you might hear about how they don't work on trailers. Many new trailers comes with LT tires. They are 1" bigger in diameter which will result in them being 1" closer together when installed. I put a set on my BC 3250 when it was new. The difference in weight from the TowMax is that they weigh about 10# more per tire. The sidewalls are MUCH heavier when compared side by side. I used B.F. Goodrich Commercial LTs. I put 7,500 trouble free miles on them in the past year. You will never find Chinese ST tires on my rig again...Don

 

[TravelTiger]

We had issues with out TowMax this spring and contacted TBC brands, the Mfg. For the first tire, I asked for a replacement. When more were going bad, we replaced all and TBC sent $245 for two tires. Ours were mfg 2009. All I did was send pics, and the statement of the tire repair shop that replaced them. We went with Maxxis. Local dealer had 2, ordered 2. Within 3mo mfg., 2011, made in USA.

 

[TXBobcat]

I also use Michelin XPS Ribs on my BH and would recommend them to anyone needing an E rated tire.

BC

 

[Bob&Patty]

Don, when you say 1" taller/bigger. Do mean that the tire is 2"'s bigger?? If they are 1" bigger...then its only 1/2" bigger. You have to remember that it's only a 1/2 " on each side or top to bottom.

 

[wesley1963]

Don, when you say 1" taller/bigger. Do mean that the tire is 2"'s bigger?? If they are 1" bigger...then its only 1/2" bigger. You have to remember that it's only a 1/2 " on each side or top to bottom.

I think he means that the tires will be 1" closer to each other.

 

[GOTTOYS]

I think he means that the tires will be 1" closer to each other.

The overall diameter of the tires is 1" bigger. That makes the radius of the tires 1/2" bigger. When placed on the trailer that will make them them a total of 1" closer together. Sorry to make it so confusing..I use my X-Chocks with mine and they fit just fine. Have had no problems with the LT tires at all. Plus unlike ST tires that are rated for a maximum speed of 65 mph, LTs are rated much higher. To me that says something about their construction as well....Don

 

[Bob&Patty]

See Don, I knew you had it right. Just wanted the OP to understand how to measure it. Yes 1/2" and 1/2" make 1".

 

[BruteForce]

Made it home the 140miles safe and sound. No issues with the tires.

After much research, I'm looking at the Maxxis or the BFG All Terrain in 245/75 R16. Both are E-Rated, but the Maxxis is at 3520 pounds while the BFG are at 3042 pounds. Any pro/con to either choice? Michellin RIB are expensive and seem to be only rated for SUMMER, not All Season.

 

[GOTTOYS]

Made it home the 140miles safe and sound. No issues with the tires.

After much research, I'm looking at the Maxxis or the BFG All Terrain in 245/75 R16. Both are E-Rated, but the Maxxis is at 3520 pounds while the BFG are at 3042 pounds. Any pro/con to either choice? Michellin RIB are expensive and seem to be only rated for SUMMER, not All Season.

Make sure those 245s aren't too wide for your rims. I have the B.F. Goodrich Commercial TAs. They are a real popular choice. I think the highway tread is more well suited for trailers since non of the wheels are powered, all season traction is not a consideration in my opinion. From what I've read the LT tires have reserve load capacity of 20%, the ST tires do not so in the long run they are both capable of about the same loads. The ST tire is only rated to a maximum speed of 65mph. They are both good choices and are much better than the junk it came with. I call the originals "Delivery and Display" tires...Good luck with your decision...Don

 

[BruteForce]

So I've been doing my homework. I'm split between the Maxxis M8008 ST tire (rated at ~3500 pounds) and the BFG Commercial All-Season TA (rated at ~3000 pounds). Am I really giving up 500 pounds in load capacity (per tire)? The ST tires don't come with a mileage warranty, whereas the BFG's would include a 50k mileage warranty & road hazard.

To use the BFG tires, I'd be giving up a little height, but gaining .4 width. After measuring the space, it looks like the slightly wider tires will still fit safely in my fender well.

Heartland wasn't much help in posing these questions - I was referred to TREADIT who indicated that I should consider Goodyear Marathon tires or OEM's (Towmax). Neither was able to help me with changing to LT tires and space in the wheel well on my rig. After measuring, I also discovered that my front/left tire has more than 3" space between it and the center tire, while all other tires (left and right side) only have 2" spacing between.

 

[BruteForce]

One other option that was presented by Les Schwab Tire Center is the Geostar G574. It's .4 inches taller and about $90 more per tire, but its a G - rated tire and is designed for heavy rigs.

http://www.geostartrucktire.com/tire_sizes.asp?tread_Num=G574

Anybody have an opinion on these or even know if the stock/OEM rims can handle 110PSI?

 

[TravelTiger]

Gosh for a gal, I seem to know way more than I want to about tires! But I'm the "researcher", so I've done the homework like you are doing now. If you check the inside of the rims, you may find the PSI rating stamped there. If not, contact Tredit Tire and they can tell you. My guess is if you have 16" wheels, that no, they aren't rated for 110. Ours were 16" rims on 6K axles, and are only rated for 80 psi. I recommend the Maxxis. Like night and day vs Towmax.

If the spacing is different between your tires, you may have a bent axle or other alignment issue. There are measurements you can take to check, and a form to document, from Lippert. See here.

Good luck!

 

[BruteForce]

Well, I confirmed this morning that I can't upgrade to G-rated tires. The OEM rims are rated for a max of 3590 pounds @ 80psi! Without going through the extra expense of rims, I'm now forced to decide on the two e-rated.

Does anybody know if you can reasonably run a G-rated tire at 80psi (instead of 110psi) without causing undo wear?

 

[GOTTOYS]

I'm sure you can but then there is probably no benefit to then having them as it will bring down the load rating to about what an E rated tire is. If it was me, I'd put on a good reliable set of real American made Load range E LT truck tires and drive off into the sunset without looking back. A tire you have heard of that could be replaced with the same anywhere in the country, a real warranty and quality American workmanship and materials...But that's just me...Don

 

[BruteForce]

I'm sure you can but then there is probably no benefit to then having them as it will bring down the load rating to about what an E rated tire is. If it was me, I'd put on a good reliable set of real American made Load range E LT truck tires and drive off into the sunset without looking back. A tire you have heard of that could be replaced with the same anywhere in the country, a real warranty and quality American workmanship and materials...But that's just me...Don

I hear you loud and clear. My thinking is this: The G-rated tire I'm looking at has a tread pattern that is more oriented for 3 axle rigs (hard rubber on inner and outer with standard tread in the middle). If I can still get 3500-3700 pounds load capacity (same as Maxxis E-rated), then its a win-win.

 

[jimtoo]

Does anybody know if you can reasonably run a G-rated tire at 80psi (instead of 110psi) without causing undo wear?

I would not run a G rated tire designed for 110# PSI at 80# PSI. That is the same as running a 80# PSI tire at 60# PSI,, which is under inflated. Under inflated tires flex more in the side walls,, causes excessive outside tread wear... more flex equals more heat... more heat damages tires.

Just my thoughts.

Jim M