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05-04-2012, 08:27 PM
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#1
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 2,040
SUN #897
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Check your tires.../ Another china bomb victim
On my way home from work today, I came up on a fifth wheel along I-81. I pulled over and offered some assistance. It was an elderly couple, that was heading to upstate New York for the summer. The man was on the phone with AAA and his wife told me they had been waiting for several hours already. I asked if they had a jack and they said no. Since I was driving the dually, I had our bottle jack, boards and a 4-way lug wrench. I got everything together and tried loosening the lug nuts. I ended up bending Kitty's 4-way lug wrench!
I came home and got my impact socket set and a breaker bar, then headed back. When I got there, the AAA ERS guy was trying to get the lug nuts off, with an electric impact wrench. It was not working. Luckily, the breaker bar worked.
The tire that disintegrated, was a GY Marathon ST. The man's spare was also a Marathon. When we put the spare on, I double checked the pressure. It was 10PSI low, so we topped it off. The man said that they were all checked, before they left Texas. He asked me if there were any RV stores nearby and I told him about the Camping World, which was 20 miles in the wrong direction. He was looking to get another tire/wheel, so he would have a spare. I just happened to have CW's phone number, in my phone's contacts.. (Gee, I wonder how that happened!) I called them and asked if they had any tires/wheels. They told me that they have people buy tires and wheels somewhere else and then put them on.
The man was none too happy, going all the way to New York without a spare. He said that he was on his fourth complete set of Marathons already. His camper was a 2009/2010 Montana. I had a spare wheel, with a brand new LT tire on it (Both gotten for free) and offered to loan it to him. He offered to buy it from me, but I didn't want to sell something I didn't have to pay for. We got it mounted under his camper and they were finally on their way.
I checked the date on his other tires (Which were bought 3 months ago) and they were made the second week of April, 2008! Here's what his trailer looked like, after we got the spare on:
What was left of the tire and wheel.. The wheel is destroyed.
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05-04-2012, 08:54 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 1,515
SUN #768
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EMD_Driver
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I checked the date on his other tires (Which were bought 3 months ago) and they were made the second week of April, 2008! .....
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WOW, that is sad that someone would sell him tires like that.
You were a real Good Samaritan to help him out like that.
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Gene & DW Ginny
2002 Sunline T-2363
2008 Toyota 4-runner 4wd 4.7L V-8
Reese Dual Cam straightline - P3 Brake controller
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05-04-2012, 09:04 PM
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#3
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 2,040
SUN #897
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gene
WOW, that is sad that someone would sell him tires like that.
You were a real Good Samaritan to help him out like that.
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I couldn't believe how old those "New" tires were!
I've been helped several times before... Just passing it along..
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05-05-2012, 07:03 AM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 47
SUN #3392
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That was real nice of you to help them out . I'm getting so stresset out with all this bad tire talk on all of these rv forums on line. This tire no good that tire no good made in China made in USA what time of the year the tire was made yada yada yada. I just got my new 2003 2499 I still have not got the chance to take it out yet because all this tire talk got me freaked out .
the dealer where I got my Sunline put on new carlisle tires for me free of charge before I pick it up I thought that was great untill I read the rv forums every one saying don't trust Carlisle tires . So I order me 5 new goodyear Marathon ST now I read this. I got to stop going to these web sites and just go camping.
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05-05-2012, 07:33 AM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 2,040
SUN #897
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pugman
the dealer where I got my Sunline put on new carlisle tires for me free of charge before I pick it up I thought that was great untill I read the rv forums every one saying don't trust Carlisle tires . So I order me 5 new goodyear Marathon ST now I read this. I got to stop going to these web sites and just go camping.
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With the 15" tires you have on the 2499, you don't have much choice. The fifth wheels mostly use 16" wheels/tires and that gives the Light Truck/Trailer tire option.
Your best bet, is to keep whatever tires you have at full sidewall pressure. In your case, it would be 65PSI. Make sure your spare is topped off and enjoy camping!
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05-05-2012, 07:57 AM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Maryland
Posts: 15
SUN #2531
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Sunline's Choice
Don't know how much they used them but Sunline put 4 Maxxis + spare on our 2003 280-SR. The tires were made about 3 months before the trailer. After 8 years and nearly 25K miles, I drove about 30 miles to get new Maxxis. The only flat on the road in all that time was from a bullet in N. Va. Yes, someone shot out the tire as we drove on VA 17. Even then the tire lost air slowly enough we spotted the leak at a rest stop and put on the spare Maxxis. (After nearly killing myself changing the tire with one of my sons I remembered we had Good Sam road service.) After a few more years one had a very slow leak and I picked up a Towmaster locally which seemed to be a good tire. I changed it for a Maxxis with the others because it didn't look like I'd get the same milage out of it. We've done a lot of traveling on this brand and never been disappointed.
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05-06-2012, 05:51 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 52
SUN #3151
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I just picked up two Goodyear Marathons ST205/75R15 Cs today (build dates DOT 0612). We just purchased our Sunline this fall and it had two new Goodyears and two 2005 Missions on (why would the owner only change two tires????).
Hopefully they will be fine. I will definately keep an eye on them.
Really don't have much of a choice
EMD Driver, well done
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2005 Sunline Solaris Lite T-2363
2006 Ram 2500 Diesel Quad Cab Shortbed 4x4
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05-06-2012, 06:27 PM
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#8
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 2,289
SUN #17
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One thing you don't want to use to " preserve & pretty up" your tires is ANY product that contains PETROLEUM DISTULATES. If you want to put any type of "Dressing" on your tires, use Aero 303. Have your tires inflated to MAX PSI, keep tires covered when your rig is not rolling down the road. I'm sure some of the guys will add a few more things too
Kitty
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Sunny #18 2003 F-344SR #8157
Sunny #19 1997 T-2653 #5485
1999 Ford F350XLT DRW Crew Cab, Long bed 7.3 PSD
2002 VW Jetta TDI.. AKA: Kitty's Kruiser
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05-06-2012, 08:41 PM
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#9
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Michigan
Posts: 6,155
SUN #123
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Good job Gary!!
I suspect these Marathons were too overloaded for the tires, so it's not so much the brand but the weight. A tire on a wheel with so many lugs should certainly be in the 80 PSI range. Many manufacturers these days seem to put underrated running gear under them. Chances are if they were traveling from Texas, they were pretty well loaded.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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05-07-2012, 10:49 AM
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#10
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,654
SUN #89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EMD_Driver
With the 15" tires you have on the 2499, you don't have much choice. The fifth wheels mostly use 16" wheels/tires and that gives the Light Truck/Trailer tire option.
Your best bet, is to keep whatever tires you have at full sidewall pressure. In your case, it would be 65PSI. Make sure your spare is topped off and enjoy camping!
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Hi Gary,
He has load range C on his T2499, 50psi max cold pressure.
And yes I do totally agree, run tham at Max cold side wall pressure. It is your first defense to help the situation along with checking pressure at the "start" of every trip.
HenryJ did do a LT conversion on his T2499. It is posted in the Towing Forum. New wheels and tires.
A good helper you are. Kudos to you for helping a fellow camper out.
John
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Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC
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