Crusader 5th Wheel Wrong Wheels/Tires

[mwdilday]

The load capacity seems sufficient for the weight you described. It is pretty routine that your tires are rated for at or less than the TOTAL weight on a 5th wheel. I have a 18,000 lb trailer with axles rated at 8,000 lbs each and tires are probably similar. I would roll it until I had a problem.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by doc73

And if the factory said it was sent with 16 (I am not sure if they could even know this for sure but who knows) then it goes right back to my response of the dealer or the original owner switched them. If the original owner has actual proof then that leaves the dealer..

Either way almost three years later and the second owner. I would think it falls into the buyer beware when buying used.

There is a third possibility besides the previous owner or dealer but the hauler who delivered the RV from PT... Maybe he needed some new tires?

I agree, too many cooks in the kitchen at this point.. bite the bullet and go get what you want and mark it up as another learning experience.

[BMullins46]

I'd seriously consider getting either Michelin XPS Ribs or bite the bullet and go up to the next level and get the Goodyear G614 load range G or H tires, just be sure the wheels you get are rated for the 110 psi fir the Gs or 125 psi for the Hs.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Norsky

ependydad, they are OEM tires and wheels but I would rather figure out a way to resolve it without taking it to that level.

Mountndream, I was shooting for a little more load capability with new tires to handle imbalance and maybe not have to run full pressure for a better ride. The load selection on 16" tires is much better than 15". I am really hoping to have the wheels that were supposed to be on the trailer so I can get good rubber and peace of mind while traveling.

Thanks for chiming in.

My thinking is if it happened for your rig, could it have happened to other rigs and possibly a recall needs to be initiated?

[crusader424]

Man, what a shame. Not sure what Crusader model you have. We have a 35RST. It came with 235/80 R16 E rated tires. Hate to say but Primetime opts to send their coaches out with ( Towmax) tires. I even called the manufacturer and asked why they would such a nice coach and have it sitting on such an unreliable tire. Our first Crusader had the same tires and we encountered numerous blowouts , tearing up the underbelly.
We recently put new tires on our 315RST And went with the new Goodyear Endurance, only American made trailer tire. Very thick side walls. These just came out earlier this year and had great reviews. Good luck with yours.

[esmoglo]

Originally Posted by Norsky

We purchased a 2015 Crusader 5th wheel this summer and really enjoyed the upgrade from our previous campers. After reading all the horror stories about the stock tires and experiencing the issue first hand, I decided to start looking at upgrading the rubber for added peace of mind going down the road.

The factory stock tires on the trailer are ST225/75R15 LRD good for 2540 lbs each, seemed marginal for a 10000 lb trailer. I decided to look at the VIN spec on the side of the trailer which called for ST235/80R16 LRE good for 3520 lbs. The first thing I thought of was how the heck did 15” load range “D” tires wind up on my trailer when factory spec called for 16” load range “E”.

I reached out to the original owner to see if he could shed any light on the issue. He confirmed the tires on the trailer are the same that were on the rig when he pulled it off the dealer lot, even sent me a picture of the trailer hooked up to his truck when he left the RV lot the day he made the purchase. He was just as upset about this as me because he did not notice it either.

Next I made a phone call to the RV dealer to inquire how this might have happened. They stated they do not swap tires on trailers, only fix flats if something like that occurs in transit from the manufacturer. They gave me the number to Forest River/Prime Time so I made a call.

Spoke to a guy at Forest River that wanted to make sure the VIN number on the trailer matched the VIN number on the frame in case the factory mixed something up. I took pictures of both (they match) and also the tire with size information on it. Called back and could not get hold of the same guy but explained the situation to a retail sales person and e-mailed the pictures with an explanation of everything that led up to this discovery. I received the boiler plate response “Prime Time must respectfully decline any assistance with this concern”. I responded by stating this was a safety concern and I was just hoping to get the correct wheels so I could buy new rubber and not have to buy the wheels too. They reviewed their paperwork and confirmed the trailer was shipped with 16” wheels and tires from the factory along with the same response so I asked that a manager review the issue.

I received a response from the retail manager indicating the pictures were recent and they can’t confirm what was on the trailer at the time of delivery with the same “Prime Time must respectfully decline any assistance with this concern”. I also sent the picture of the RV as it was hooked up to be pulled off the dealer’s lot along with a full explanation of the situation again. I have not heard anything back for a few days and I am a bit frustrated, I think they just blew me off. The wheels and tires magically changed from 16” LRE to 15” LRD between the manufacturer and the RV dealer before delivery I have a feeling I know what happened but have no way to prove anything.

Am I wrong in thinking this is a potential safety issue and the right approach is to try to resolve it with Forest River/Prime Time? Am I speaking to the wrong people or department? Has anybody else run into a similar situation? I have had and still have issues like nose cap fade, bathroom vanity falling off going down the road, etc but nothing rises to the level of this. I would think the manufacturer would like to get to the bottom of the wheel/tire swap and resolve it.

I feel like I may have dodged a bullet up to this point since the tires are not too old and do not have many miles on them. I am happy this was discovered before I blew an overloaded tire out going down the road at highway speed. It seems a good idea might be a line item on the RV delivery checklist that reads “wheels and tires match manufactures VIN spec” with buyers initial on it to keep this from happening.

Any thoughts feedback or ideas would be appreciated. I am still hoping Forest River comes through with help on this, might be wishful thinking. Will update if they do.

Doesn’t surprise me at all, to be honest, RV industry barley stands behind what the sell under warranty let alone after it's out of warranty. Love the “respectfully decline any assistance with this concern” it’s as if they can smell the lawsuits (not saying that’s the case here). Wonder how many times they did this? Wonder how many people even know?

Guess it’s best to order your set of new wheels and tires so you can have peace of mind moving down the road.

[Arctic Wolf]

Originally Posted by doc73

And if the factory said it was sent with 16 (I am not sure if they could even know this for sure but who knows) then it goes right back to my response of the dealer or the original owner switched them. If the original owner has actual proof then that leaves the dealer..

Either way almost three years later and the second owner. I would think it falls into the buyer beware when buying used.

I'd agree with this. As much as it stinks, it is what it is.

[Norsky]

I do wonder how many other RV owners have the wrong wheels and tires and don't even know it. Myself, I used the tire data to inflate to the proper pressure and never looked at what was supposed to be on the 5th wheel...until I went to upgrade the rubber. I started looking at tires and just happened to look at what was supposed to be on the trailer which started this whole mess.

I would be willing to bet not too many owners would really notice something like this, or at least not right away. At least most owners would have the right wheels/tires to begin with so it would not be an issue.

It appears PT is not interested in getting to the bottom of how this happened or any resolution. Kind of sad really. I am starting to see a similarity to all the boats I have owned (hole in the water where you throw all your money).

I am going to start looking for aftermarket wheels, probably put Maximus M8008 rubber on the new wheels, seem to have good reviews on this forum.

Thanks for all the feedback.

[Arctic Wolf]

It's a three year old trailer you bought second hand... I would think Prime Time bears no culpability in the switching of wheels at this point.
They have records showing it left the factory with the correct wheels and tires... what happened next is anyones guess.

[hicksie]

I am aware of some people who have switched out the rims on their trailers and even motor vehicles foe aesthetics or a variety of other reasons which includes rime diameter and tire types and sizes. One of the previous may jabe done this to your trailer wjich would have been out of the control of the manufacturer or dealer. Once a vehicle leaves the lot they have no control or jurisdiction.

[clr]

Look at the classified section of this forum. There is currently a set of 16 inch wheels and Maxxis tires for sale that may well work for you. Since you never stated the lug bolt number or spacing I can only guess.

[desiphil]

Yes those are mine. This post actually reminded me that I had them in the garage.

I'm guessing the original selling dealer swapped out the original wheels. Perhaps to satisfy a different customer but it had to start at the original dealership.

Unfortunately, it's a bit unreasonable to expect the manufacturer or dealer to pay for a replacement this long after purchase. It should have been noticed by owner #1.

Good luck!

[ben31]

Get load range E 15" tires.