Curbside Only Blowouts

barryontheroad · 08-18-2015, 07:06 AM

Although I've been reading items on this forum for a good while, this is my first post - hope I get it right, and I apologize in advance if I don't. In the three years since I took delivery of my FR 8265WS 5er, I've had five blowouts. On the right side only! This isn't my first trailer, or even my first fifth-wheel, but it is my first experience with this phenomenon. Finally, a solution occurred to me, and I wrote about it on my travel blog. Not sure if I can post a link to it here, but am happy to provide it privately. Long story short, I camp in two locations every year, in the exact same spot, for two to three weeks at a time. In both locations, I have to level up the right (door) side of the trailer. I have been using those orange plastic interlocking blocks that you are all familiar with. So, on the latest trip I placed a couple of thinner, smooth orange pieces (that I usually use under the front landing gear) on top of the regular blocks so that the tires rested on a smooth surface instead. This could just be anecdotal evidence, but I had no blowouts on the 1200 mile trip home. I report, you decide...

Vern · 08-18-2015, 07:19 AM

I have never heard anyone else suggest that the Lynx Levelers (without caps) would damage the tires, but I do use the caps on my Lynx Levelers because it seemed like a possibility. I have heard many suggest that door (curb) side blowouts might be related to sidewall weakness caused by curb strikes.

barryontheroad · 08-18-2015, 07:24 AM

Although I can't say for 100%, I'm at least 95% sure curb strikes have never occurred with my rig. Where do you get the caps for the leveling blocks?

Fivealive · 08-18-2015, 07:28 AM

Parking on leveling blocks really isn't much different than parking on gravel surfaces. Most damage that I've seen indicates sidewall failure; the tires are weaker there. There may be an alignment problem with your axles that is causing the tires to overheat. Curb damage can take it's toll. Are you heavier on the right side of your trailer and using tires that are close to the load limit? The right side could be heavier and requires leveling partially due to that.

barryontheroad · 08-18-2015, 08:13 AM

I considered that, but wouldn't that mean that the left side was also out of alignment and subject to failure? In my blog post, I go into more detail about my search for the cause which included weight and load range issues. Even after I upgraded to Ds on the right side, I still had blowouts. But with Cs on the left, there was never a blowout.

rsdata · 08-18-2015, 08:38 AM

I vote for curb strikes, but certainly a look at the failed tires could provide a clue there. With all the rough surfaces you could possibly drive over or store your TT on, I really doubt that the plastic levelers are the problem.

PhoneDude 8289 · 08-18-2015, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsdata

I vote for curb strikes, but certainly a look at the failed tires could provide a clue there. With all the rough surfaces you could possibly drive over or store your TT on, I really doubt that the plastic levelers are the problem.

X2

Cypressloser · 08-18-2015, 09:32 AM

Could you weigh each side of the trailer individually and compare these numbers to the load ratings of the tires. Maxxed out tires are more likely to fail even with the best possible care.

Vern · 08-19-2015, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barryontheroad

Although I can't say for 100%, I'm at least 95% sure curb strikes have never occurred with my rig. Where do you get the caps for the leveling blocks?

Go to Amazon and search "Tri-Lynx cap" for the caps for Lynx levelers. They come in a set of 4.

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