PUMA 31DBTS 3 tire failures same tire location

[thomcmdchief]

I have a 2012 PUMA 31DBTS that has blown the same tire on the same tire location, pax side rear, three separate times on two separate brand tires. First time, 2013, on the Will Rogers Turnpike, the rt, rear tire blew and sheared off the axle, rolled under the bumper, lifting the whole rear end, rolled down the road hitting, and totaling a Lincoln around a mile behind us according to the Trooper. Got a new axle, and put on the spare for the rest of that trip home to Indiana. Next time, two years later, the spare from the previous incident explodes again! I pitch a fit with Palomino and the Forrest River main office, about the safety of the tires they use. Ultimatley, Palomino has me bring the unit into to their assembly plant in Goshen, IN. They have their tire suppliers, Lionshead Tire and Wheel, Lippert Components, and the PUMA crew go over every square inch of the undercarriage of that unit. Lippert re-squared the frame, and replaced both axles. Lionshead, replaced the wheels and tires. When she was finished, 2 years ago, mechanically, she was brand new. Took the her out for a our annual trip to Mackinac and everything was perfect! The 2016 season comes around, and again, perfect. Yesterday, returning from the Mackinac area, 20 miles from home, the right rear tire explodes again, this time taking the wheel well surround with it.

I am now afraid to use this unit. Anyone else heard about anything like this???

[Mars]

Did you or FR ever get weights per wheel of the trailer? That one wheel be overloaded. Saw a post about that a while ago, not sure what model.

[thomcmdchief]

Not that they told me. You have the fridge and the bathroom above that wheel.

[thomcmdchief]

The PUMA plant has my unit since last Thursday, 7/27. The plant manager, Johnny, told me it wasn't the tire. Lippert has been called in, but as of last evening, nobody knows exactly what is causing the problems with the wheel in this one particular position. I've talked to the folks at Forest River Corporate, to see if there is a plan B in case they can't pinpoint the cause. We'll see what happens.

I'd sure like to hear from anyone who has had issues with tires blowing, or wheels coming off the same axle position repeatedly.

[thomcmdchief]

The folks at the PUMA factory have really done a great job of finding what the cause was for the same tire letting loose three separate times over a period of four years. Johnny Jones, the plant manager, put his people on my 31DBTS, and have corrected the issue. I can't describe how it feels to have people go the extra mile to stand behind their product in this day and age, but the crew at PUMA really stepped up to the plate! Thanks to all of them!

[NeilM108]

What was the cause?

[thomcmdchief]

Ultimatley, it was a Lippert frame issue. Johnny Jones, the PUMA Plant Manager gave me a copy of Lippert's inspection and repair report yesterday. My 2012 31DBTS has essentially been rebuilt from the wheels up. The frame was essentially 5/16" out of square which put torque on that passenger side wheel, that caused the three failures. In the first two cases, new axles, wheels, tires, hangers etc were replaced. This time Johnny had the entire unit delivered to Lippert to have them put it on their frame jig. In the meantime, he also decided to rebuild the entire outside of the unit as well. There was some damage around the wheel well on the passenger side, but Johnny decided the whole exterior would be replaced, including new doors, all new windows, new aluminum siding as well as 2018 paint and decals. My wife and I didn't recognize it when we showed up at the PUMA plant to pick it up.

It seems to me, that PUMA, and the guy who's in charge of building their RV's, stand by their product and believe in taking care of their customers.