Yesterday, while traveling I 40 around Knoxville, the rig ran over a rather substantial piece of steel and took out the leading tire on the curb side of the rig. The damage was immediate. KZ poorly designed the 110 volt power cables, kitchen propane hose and a TV coax right over the tire. When the tire shredded it took out all of it. Even the Pressure Pro tire system could not react fast enough to prevent the damage.
I pulled to the shoulder immediately to assess the damage. 1st make sure the propane was off. Next get our safety vests on and set up the traffic cones. The Impact wrench, jack and spare were next. I went to work changing the spare and wire-tying the remains of the dangling wires and hoses out of the way. An hour and a half later we were back on the road headed to Jamestown, TN.
Now off to the hardware store for some materials for the repair....
Still rolling,
Stu and Donna
Still rolling,
Stu and Donna
NOTE: This is NOT a photo of our tire, but this is close to what ours looks like. When the weather is better, Stu will get our tire out and take a photo.
Stu and Donna
So.....you watched Sons of Anarchy? It kind of surprised me.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're okay...if your tire looked like the one in the picture it had to be BAD. Good luck with the repairs.
ReplyDeleteWe had a very similar blowout on our way up to Kansas about a month ago. The tire also looked similar. Luckily the only damage we suffered was the propane line to the kitchen and some broken support pieces. Had to have the hose fabricated at a hydraulic hose shop.
ReplyDeleteGlad you didn't have more damage.
Tire blowouts seem to be the main thing that happens to 5th wheels. Glad you guys are OK.
ReplyDeleteWe had 3 blow outs while traveling with the Cougar in 2 years!..Turns out the whole carriage was skewed. Den drove to Indiana and brought a new axle back, put it on, but it didn't help...One of the reasons we got our Hiker..it seems to be better made.
ReplyDeleteBlow outs are a big fear of mine. Thankfully it didn't do any worse damage and you are safe!
ReplyDeleteI've heard Sons of Anarchy is great. One of these days we'll have to start watching it. Have you watched "Breaking Bad" It's another terrific series!
That is something I fear pulling the 5th wheel. I broke a spring, that was bad enough. Glad you were able to make it off the road safe.
ReplyDeleteNothing like living on the edge, huh?! So very glad to hear that you are safe. :)
ReplyDeleteWOW -- the most important is you are safe! Blow-outs can be very scary & is a great fear.
ReplyDeleteYup, a few weeks back we had TWO blowouts within 3 hours. First one ripped off large strip of fiberglass that covers the tires. Luckily both tires on same side. They only had less than 5,600 miles on them.
ReplyDeleteGuess we need to be glad it didn't damage any wires, etc. Waiting for parts to arrive at the dealer for repairs.
Glad you are both safe.
So glad you are ok! Blow outs are probably the thing I worry the most about. Very scary!!
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ReplyDeleteGlad you are both OK. What an experience. Glad we RVers are such an adventurous bunch as we take it in stride and go on.
ReplyDeleteMain thing is you guys and Sadie are okay. But what a terrible experience. Something I think all of us experience at one time but nothing we want to happen to any of us. Good luck with the repairs.
ReplyDeleteThose blowouts can be very bad, so glad it was not worse.
ReplyDeleteEven still got to watch your show:)
Oh my gosh...that is horrible news.
ReplyDeleteOur metal propane extend-a-stay broke, and that scared us silly. I can only imagine how you must have felt.
Take care, and safe travels...TnT
that is quite the tire photo!!..glad to hear that you are all safe and sound!!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear all is well and the blowout did nothing worse than cause damage that can be repaired. Would I be right in guessing that the reason RV trailers and indeed big trucks seem to get more blowouts than almost any other type of vehicle is the driver / passengers cannot feel the trouble before it goes bang, like you can in a car or on a bike? I wish you well with the repairs.
ReplyDeleteIf your tire looks anything like the one in the picture, you're lucky you weren't hurt. Things can be fixed/replaced. It's harder to fix or replace people.
ReplyDeleteI hate blow-outs. Had a double blow-out a few years ago on our then fiver. Ripped off skirting, knocked over screw for awning support. But we could not lift that 14000lbs sucker with our jack to replace tires. Had a tow truck to lift trailer from the rear.
ReplyDeleteThankful you are all OK. Good drivng,Stu, to get off the road and stopped so quickly.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are both okay. Blowouts are definitely not something fun to deal with. Hope you are having a good trip.
ReplyDeleteHoly shredded rubber Batman! I'll ditto everyone's comments that I'm glad your alright and safe.
ReplyDeleteHubby and I are thinking of getting into camping on a much smaller scale. I hope you don't mind me hanging out over here and learning a thing or three. Right now, we are going to look for something we can pull with the Jeep. Bigger and better toys will come with retirement... I hope!
BTW... I hope you didn't miss the Sons. It was an awesome episode. Lot's of crap going down now.
Roll on and ride safe!
Holy Crap! We saw a tire blow out on the tiny travel trailer in front of us on I-40 east of Sallisaw, Oklahoma yesterday. I left an immediate trail of debris on the road, which we were able to avoid by some expert drivage by Fabgrandpa. This has been the trip for us seeing flat tires and blow outs on other rigs. Just hope we get where we are going without having one ourselves.
ReplyDeleteBeen there...done that...LOL! Glad you are safe and yes we agree about poor design of wire placement. We were lucky and our wiring harness was spared for the most part. You might check with your tire company on the damage. Our tires are Goodyear...and they stood behind them...after inspecting the tire they sent us a check for damages and a new tire....
ReplyDeleteYou were lucky. When we had a blowout years ago on our fifth wheel it took out some electrical lines above the wheel well and lit the trailer on fire. We pulled off I-15 and parked on top of the fuel tanks at the Texaco in Idaho Falls before we realized that the trailer was on fire. Then we discovered that I couldn't get the truck out of Park. Fortunately the fire department responded quickly.
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