Trip Update

On our way home we experienced a blowout on the trailer.  It did $3500 damage.  I am very conscious of the importance of maintaining trailer tires properly.  I had new tires on it.  I check my tire pressures everyday before travel to be sure none are soft.  At every gas stop I  feel each tire and hub for excess heat while looking at general condition of the tires.  I never exceed the maximum speed rating of the tires which is 65 mph.

We were in Kansas on I-70 traveling at 62 mph.  Temperature was in excess of 100.  I had just gassed up and made my inspection of the tires and hubs.  All looked good.  The tire exploded a few minutes after leaving the gas station.  It looked as though someone took a hatchet and chopped the tire in two.
The tire dealer said it looked like damage from an impact.  I hadn't run over any curbs or hit any big pot holes as I recall but the Pilot gas station I had stopped at had huge holes all over the parking lot cause by trucks.  Maybe with the tires hot from the road and driving over these holes damage was done although I did go very slowly over them.

The blowout ripped off the sewer connection.  All the gray water dumped on the road.  Fortunately, the black tank value remained intact or I would have had a big mess.  A trooper who witnessed the blowout stopped to be sure we could get help and make sure our truck was running and we had water.    With the temperature over 100 he wanted to be sure we would be ok sitting along the road waiting for help.  I would never try to change a tire with traffice flying by at speeds well in excess of the speed limit.  I called road service.  They came out with a truck with emergency lights that helped move people over into the other lane.  Some jerks still flew by just inches away from him.  I was very nervous but he didn't seem to mind.

This really spoiled the rest of the trip home.  It dampened our spirits on traveling across country with a travel trailer again.  We saw many trailers and 5th wheels on our trip with blowouts.  ST tires just don't seem to hold up like truck or car tires do.  I can't imagine car and truck tires blowing out this often.  They have to endure high heat and pot holes but seem to be better made.  With everything made in China today who knows what kind of quality control there is on products made there.

My insurance covered the repairs.  I had to pay my $500 deductible.   I took the trailer to North Trail RV in Ft. Myers, Florida for repairs.  They did a very good job.  The trailer looks like new.  They told me they are seeing a very large increase in blowout damage in the past few years.  They said it isn't only travel trailers but large Class A units also.