We were on our way back from Kentucky Lake, and had just made the transition from Hwy 24 to Hwy 57. We heard a rather strange noise, and soon my bride noticed some rubber being thrown back from the trailer. Sure enough, we had large sections of tread separation on our left tire. A call to Triple A, and soon we had a technician out to change the tire and put on the spare. Very large chunks of tread had come off the tire. We made it home, and just this morning I went to our local tire store to get the tire replaced. As I drove the trailer along side the garage, the technician noticed the other tire coming apart! Sure enough large chunks were coming off that tire as well! The date showed the tires had a DOT date of the 3rd quarter of '09. We were sure lucky to get home. I had the store put on radial Summit Tires, at just $55.00 each,not bad. We were sure lucky to get home and get the Scamp to the tire store, all is now well for our Smoky Mountains trip coming up August 15. We shall now tow with great confidence!
Great to hear you got home OK. Did you get ST tires?
Don
2015 Scamp 16'
Tow Vehicle...2013 Lincoln MKX 3.7L V-6
SW Ohio
ST? Well, they are radial and HT rated. Yes, we were very fortunate to make it home safely! While driving into,the garage area, the technician noticed the right tire too was coming apart! We were very fortunate to make it home!
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
Looks like HT are light duty truck tires which are also good for trailers due to heavier sidewall construction. Also looks like they want to be at or near the max PSI cold when towing to get the most out of the load range. Sam's club has a good trailer tire.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=219
I had been debating whether to get the bigger axel and 15" tires for my 19' which is on order and now I think I will spend the extra $250.
After two blowouts on the same hot weather trip, we now carry an extra tire on wheel in addition to the bolted on spare. The tire size on the Scamp is not always readily available in many out of the way places. Bigger wheels and tires from Scamp would be a good idea.
Lynn
Not sure where we get a wheel that fits the Scamp. Maybe our local RV dealer. We now sport brand new radial trailer tires and tow with great confidence on our next vacation. Our spare is old, but never put on the ground. We just put about 100 miles on it.
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
I am glad you were able to pull over safely and call AAA.
Your experience however, is a prime example of why trailer tires should be replaced EVERY 5 Years.
Trailer tires sit around, a lot, and usually don't show much tread wear. While the tires may look fine on the outside the rubber compounds have deteriorated to the point that they will deconstruct while on the road.
Every tire manufactured has a 10 - 12 digit DOT code stamped on one sidewall indicating the "Batch" Number and date of manufacture.
The last four digits of the DOT code indicate date of manufacture. The last two digits are the year of Mfg and the other two digits are the week of Mfg. For Example if the last four digits of the DOT code were: 2215, the tire would have been Mfg in the 22nd week of 2015 (approximately the middle of May).
Replacing tires every 5 years is difficult to do, especially if the tread looks good, However Safety dictates that we must travel with the best tires possible so, we must "bite-the-bullet" and replace our tires before they self destruct on the highway.
Bottom line: Flyboy's tires were Less Than 6 years old and both tires failed at the same time. Plan on replacing your tires EVERY 5 years, for Safety's Sake.
By-the-way, the Spare should also be replaced if over 5 years old.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
Wel stated friend. Yes, 5 years is the limit. I got fooled by deep tread life still on the tires. Yes, 5 years is the limit, as mine reached 6 and fell apart. At just $55.00 each for very good trailer tires,mints an easy decision to change them out every 5 years, regardless of tread depth!
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
I fully agree with the five year (or thereabouts) rule, and I also agree that it is important to know how to read a tire’s date code (a trick I learned when I had my first trailer).
But, ever since I first read about this incident a few days I had suspected that something else is going on. To have two tires go bad at the same time, and in the way they did (chunks falling off), I wonder if you drove though something corrosive that damaged the rubber. I have seen rubber fall off in chunks only a day or two after being exposed to an unknown liquid (HazMat situation).
It’s no big deal since the tires were due for replacement anyway, unless your tug’s vehicle also got exposed. And it’s just a theory, mentioned for possible discussion.
No, I was on smooth highways, and very good roads. It was just time, and both failed as they were both the same age. Tire store is on my list today for the tire store to get the spare tire replaced as well.
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
Chemical spills can happen on any road. Its just a theory.