Power King Tow Max tire failure damaged slide

[Mpwelch50]

I am so frustrated right now. Last year we purchased a Crusader 290RLT from a local dealer. It was new. I have had it out about 6 times. It has less than 5K miles on it. It has been almost exclusively highway miles since I usually travel alone and don't want to get out of my comfort zone yet. I have had nothing but trouble with this trailer. From leaking pipes to a stuck slide to a blown seal on the left side axle to a microwave and television that didn't work from the getgo to an air mattress that's been replaced twice and still wont' hold air to the queen size mattress being a piece of junk that we had to replace with a 350 dollar mattress to doors that fell off in our hands and had to be replaced to hinges that are bent to all three of the tank handles coming off somewhere along the first road trip to a failure of the propane system to none of the sensors working properly to now a complete failure of a right side tire. The tread came completely off the tire and in the process destroyed my wheel well, punched a hole in the floor, took off the fender, bent my stairs, and damaged the wall of the slide. I am so disappointed in this trailer and the shoddy construction of what was supposed to be a "touring" (upgraded as defined by the salesman) edition of a trailer.

This is our first foray into the world of RVing and to say that we are bummed is an understatement. Of course the dealer was great replacing everything the first year (under warranty) but now the dang thing seems to be coming apart at the seams. When I researched this tire online it has a horrible rating. On the NHTSA site it has pages of complaints but of course no recall. Am I wrong in thinking that a company that sells a 50K trailer should at least put quality tires on it? These cheap chinese brand tires have a history of coming apart. It didn't blow out. In fact it didn't even lose air. It was still holding 80psi when the guy came to change it. He was scared to death it was going to explode when he got near it. The other 3 tires look almost like they have dry rot. They are cracked and split. With less than 5K miles on them and hardly over a year old!!!!!

When I called the dealer on my way home from what was supposed to be a 2 month journey (I am not staying out on the road with tires that might come apart) he informed me that it isn't their problem. I will have to take it up with the tire manufacturer. How am I supposed to do that???? I don't speak chinese. He said if I couldn't get help then he would talk to FR and see what they might do. REALLY????? That's your customer service??????? In my opinion it's their fault for putting on faulty tires!!!! Now I have a fifth wheel that looks like a bomb exploded on the side of it that I can't safely drive and I'm supposed to pony up the money to put new tires and fix the damage??????? Am I wrong in thinking this is just way out of line? I love the layout of this trailer and want to keep it and keep traveling in it. But if it's going to come apart more and more on each trip, I don't know what to do. I am open to suggestions. Discouraged and downhearted. Michelle

[markb5900]

First and foremost, sorry to hear about all your troubles with your trailer.
It sounds like your dealer just SUCKS!.
I personally would try contacting FR directly and see what they say. Just because your dealer doesn't want to help, doesn't mean they won't.
With that said, I have had to replace tires on one of my motorhomes after a year because the sun literally ate up that side of the coach, so it CAN happen.
They don't know how you stored it etc...

I hope to hear they are willing to help with the repairs as I am a new FR owner myself.
We switched from motorhomes to a trailer this year.
Good Luck

[Herk7769]

Just to satisfy my curiosity.

What is the date code on your tires? (The 4 digits at the end of the DoT Code. Mine are (2410) 24th week of 2010

When I took delivery of my camper, the OEM tires (Carlisle) were already 13 months old. By the time I owned the camper a year, the tires were "out of warranty" but the tire manufacturer said if I sent them the 4 tires (the one blowout - probably due to a curb strike - my fault and the three heavily checked and cracked remaining ones) they would decide if they were going to send me any consideration.

When I asked what that meant; it was a coupon for $100 off a new set of 4.

Yea, right. I now have Marathons with over 20,000 miles on em and about to take them to CA and back. They look brand new. Best money I ever spent.

[rwtdct]

I feel your pain. I just had the same thing happen to me a few weeks ago. I had started a thread like you. http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...fix-43265.html And your right trailer mfg's should install quality tires. Any way to save a buck.

[dretired]

Just curious....Anyone else had trouble with these tires...and...whats the best tire out there ??

[John4th]

I replaced tires on my one year old trailer a few days ago. The Vail Sports were already cracking, and we have a 2K mile round trip coming up in a few weeks. As with my last trailer, I went with Goodyear Marathons. I had excellent results with them, so I went with my gut. Took the best one of my originals, bought a used 14" wheel, and made it my spare.

I've read lots of bad things about ALL brands, including Goodyear and even Maxxis. So, the best things to do is:
1. Keep them inflated to the pressure on the tire.
2. Keep them covered when the trailer is parked. You can get a decent set of four tire covers from Aadco for less than $100. Or not much over. Anyways, it's worth the expense.
3. When you buy your tires, get a warranty that's comprehensive. Will it cover a tire if you discover cracks in two years? (Example)
4. Be careful when driving. Avoid curbs. Avoid pot holes. Period.

Good luck, I hope you get your camper fixed!

[Lynkage]

I never gave my Tow Max's a chance. I replaced them with Goodyear's after the first trip. My power Kings were almost 2 years old when I got the trailer, New!!

It really sucks when these kind of things happen.
Sorry for your loss!!

[dretired]

Originally Posted by Lynkage

I never gave my Tow Max's a chance. I replaced them with Goodyear's after the first trip. My power Kings were almost 2 years old when I got the trailer, New!!

It really sucks when these kind of things happen.
Sorry for your loss!!

You must have read ..or heard ... a lot of bad things.. about tow max tires ?

[Lynkage]

Originally Posted by dretired

You must have read ..or heard ... a lot of bad things.. about tow max tires ?

They were on other trailers I have had and they were ok but I really did not want to find out with a shredded tire on my 5er.

I then find out that all of those tires are made by Carlisle (even the Goodyear) at a plant in China. A bit better QC for the name brands but still the same tread pattern. With the name brand I was able to get a warranty that covered a blowout and the associated repair.

The Goodyear G rated trailer tire is super pricey but a really good tire. I think the insurance was a less expensive way to go.

[OldCoot]

As I have stated before, I would NOT pull a new camper off the dealers lot with factory tires on it. I would and have demanded my own GY Marathon tires put on as part of the deal. Salesman protested, but I told him I'd walk away from the deal even tho' we were already there with our trailer. Needless to say, he finally agreed when we started toward the truck.