What to do when you got a flat tire while driving?

[aboyz]

Just wanted to get some more insight on what to do when your tire is flat while towing the trailer?

I mean ofcourse you pull over. Let me give you an example.

Towing my trailer on the freeway at 50mph. Just saying, hopefully it doesn't happen, but say the tire got a flat. Does it make the trailer dangerous and flip over? or I can slowly pull over safely?

I mean nothing can prevent it from happening you know. It can happen to anyone at any given time.

Just wanted to know from people experience this. What happen to them and how scarey it is?

thank you

[bob213]

More than likely you won't even know it until it shreds apart and starts slapping against the side of the trailer. Best option is a tire pressure monitor system like TST or TireMinder. It will tell you when you start to loose pressure or if it just blows. Pull over safely and decide if you want to change it or call road service.
With a single axle trailer you WILL know. Put the best tires on it you can and keep them maintained and replace regularly.

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by bob213

More than likely you won't even know it until it shreds apart and starts slapping against the side of the trailer. Best option is a tire pressure monitor system like TST or TireMinder. It will tell you when you start to loose pressure or if it just blows. Pull over safely and decide if you want to change it or call road service.

Humm.. so you saying if you get a flat while driving. you will not notice it? you cannot feel it? My trailer does come with a monitoring system which monitor the PSI on the tire. But it doesn't alert you. So I have to keep that running all the time and keep a track on it if i fall below 40 psi?

Currently my tire is at 50psi.

Is this the correct way to monitor the tire if i'm going on a long road trip?

[flyflotrtim]

Most tpms systems will alert if the trailer tire psi falls below a pre-determined point. We once forgot to turn ours off when boondocking, it was very cold that night and the psi in the trailer tire dropped enough to set off the tPMS and wake us and several neighboring campers. We reset the alarm feature 5 lbs lower and now also remember to turn off the system while camped.

You do not want to run on a single tire. There are multiple reports of the second tire failing soon after the first tire do to added loads and heat build up. If you cant pull over safely and put on the spare, drive slowly until you can.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by aboyz

Towing my trailer on the freeway at 50mph. Just saying, hopefully it doesn't happen, but say the tire got a flat. Does it make the trailer dangerous and flip over? or I can slowly pull over safely?

Depends on which vehicle gets the flat. If you have a blowout on your tow vehicle, don't hit the brakes. Keep your foot on the gas until you get control of the vehicle. Then take your foot off the gas, slow down and pull to the side.

I agree with bob313, you probably won't notice it unless you see pieces falling off in your rear view mirror or your TPMS goes off. The greatest danger is in losing control of the rv. That's easy to do if you hit the brakes or make sudden changes in steering when you realize that the tire is going flat. It takes a lot to actually flip your type of rv. The same procedure works for slowing down your rv.
Most videos of rvs that have flipped show the unit 'fishtailing' severely before they roll over. Having reached over to get something and accidentally turned the steering wheel, I can attest to the ease of fishtailing a small trailer and scaring the heck out of both of us until I got control.

If you inspect the tires each time you stop and make certain your tires are properly inflated before you take off in the morning, you'll reduce the chance of tire failure.

[wanderingbob]

Many of us have been towing for 30 or 50 years , I have never needed a TPMs system . Check your tires every morning with a tire gauge when on the road , at every stop ya walk around and look at every tire . It is highly possible that you will not know when the tire blows . Most tire probs are caused by lack of attention . I stopped in a Florida rest area , parked there was a giant fifth wheel with a low tire . I pointed the problem out to the driver and he sez , " I know it looks low but my TPMS sez it has 80 lbs " . WE checked with my manual gauge , 35 lbs .

[dalford]

I had a 30’ travel trailer, dual,axle. No TPMS and was driving on the Florida Turnpike when a trucker pulled up beside me but did not pass. When I looked over he was hand signaling towards the back.

I immediately pulled over and my tire was pretty shredded. I never felt it. I recommend a TPMS also. Maybe you will never need it but if you have a tire going low or a blow out you will know.

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by flyflotrtim

Most tpms systems will alert if the trailer tire psi falls below a pre-determined point. We once forgot to turn ours off when boondocking, it was very cold that night and the psi in the trailer tire dropped enough to set off the tPMS and wake us and several neighboring campers. We reset the alarm feature 5 lbs lower and now also remember to turn off the system while camped.

You do not want to run on a single tire. There are multiple reports of the second tire failing soon after the first tire do to added loads and heat build up. If you cant pull over safely and put on the spare, drive slowly until you can.

Thank you. Now I remember the TSS truck.com system is what I'm using, I program the sensor to alert me when the PSI is below 45PSI.

So whenever i'm driving always have the tire monitor on and once it alert me . its time for me to pull over safely and check the tire..

thank you

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

Depends on which vehicle gets the flat. If you have a blowout on your tow vehicle, don't hit the brakes. Keep your foot on the gas until you get control of the vehicle. Then take your foot off the gas, slow down and pull to the side.

I agree with bob313, you probably won't notice it unless you see pieces falling off in your rear view mirror or your TPMS goes off. The greatest danger is in losing control of the rv. That's easy to do if you hit the brakes or make sudden changes in steering when you realize that the tire is going flat. It takes a lot to actually flip your type of rv. The same procedure works for slowing down your rv.
Most videos of rvs that have flipped show the unit 'fishtailing' severely before they roll over. Having reached over to get something and accidentally turned the steering wheel, I can attest to the ease of fishtailing a small trailer and scaring the heck out of both of us until I got control.

If you inspect the tires each time you stop and make certain your tires are properly inflated before you take off in the morning, you'll reduce the chance of tire failure.

I see. good info. so to remain calm and slowly pull the vehicle over.. thank you.

[phillyg]

Had a RR tire loudly blow out while doing 65 on the highway and pulling the FW. Scared the crap out of me. I just pulled off slowly, but since it was the real wheel, control was not a problem. I can only imagine how bad it could have been if it was a front tire. And for the record, the tire was the first and only Michelin I've blown out. Pressure and tread was good, so I consider it an anomaly.

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by aboyz

Just wanted to get some more insight on what to do when your tire is flat while towing the trailer?

I mean ofcourse you pull over. Let me give you an example.

Towing my trailer on the freeway at 50mph. Just saying, hopefully it doesn't happen, but say the tire got a flat. Does it make the trailer dangerous and flip over? or I can slowly pull over safely?

I mean nothing can prevent it from happening you know. It can happen to anyone at any given time.

Just wanted to know from people experience this. What happen to them and how scarey it is?

thank you

A single axle travel trailer such as your GeoPro with a flat tire will not handle or look the same in your mirrors as it did with 2 good tires. Pulling a single axle trailer you will notice when you blow a tire. If you are familiar with the way the trailer sits while towing you should notice the box leaning to the side in the case of a gradual leak.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

A single axle travel trailer such as your GeoPro with a flat tire will not handle or look the same in your mirrors as it did with 2 good tires. Pulling a single axle trailer you will notice when you blow a tire. If you are familiar with the way the trailer sits while towing you should notice the box leaning to the side in the case of a gradual leak.

X2

[timfromma]

Be aware that most trailers do not come with a jack or a lug wrench. I found this out the hard way after my first trailer got a flat on the side of I95 in Georgia. I ended up having to disconnect and leave my wife, daughter and trailer on the side of the road while I headed to a nearby Walmart to buy what was needed.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

A single axle travel trailer such as your GeoPro with a flat tire will not handle or look the same in your mirrors as it did with 2 good tires. Pulling a single axle trailer you will notice when you blow a tire. If you are familiar with the way the trailer sits while towing you should notice the box leaning to the side in the case of a gradual leak.

Good catch. I missed that it was a single axel trailer. That would make it noticeable. The advice seems to be the same though. Foot on gas til you have control, then foot off the gas to slow down and pull to the side.

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

A single axle travel trailer such as your GeoPro with a flat tire will not handle or look the same in your mirrors as it did with 2 good tires. Pulling a single axle trailer you will notice when you blow a tire. If you are familiar with the way the trailer sits while towing you should notice the box leaning to the side in the case of a gradual leak.

Thank you. this is what I needed to know. So while driving if my tire is blown up I can still have control of it and notice it and slowly pull over to change it correct?

So are you saying with two axle with 4 tire is better in this scenario?

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by timfromma

Be aware that most trailers do not come with a jack or a lug wrench. I found this out the hard way after my first trailer got a flat on the side of I95 in Georgia. I ended up having to disconnect and leave my wife, daughter and trailer on the side of the road while I headed to a nearby Walmart to buy what was needed.

Good catch.. let me make sure to get the correct lug wrench..

[tomkatb]

One should also verify that they can jack the trailer up enough to change a tire.

On our fifth wheel the blow out was barely noticeable. I saw the bits of tire flying in the rear view mirror. Called Good Sam to change it. Only took 6 hours.

Be careful changing tires. Every now and then a tired driver will get behind you at 70 mph.

My cousin was just putting the tools away. He had his wife and children sitting on a berm about 30 feet away. The other driver hit his trailer as he was closing the trunk.

The wife and kids got a great view of his death.

Changing a tire on the highway is dangerous.

[phillyg]

Originally Posted by phillyg

Had a RR tire loudly blow out while doing 65 on the highway and pulling the FW......

Sorry, I thought you were asking about a blowout on the tow vehicle.

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

One should also verify that they can jack the trailer up enough to change a tire.

On our fifth wheel the blow out was barely noticeable. I saw the bits of tire flying in the rear view mirror. Called Good Sam to change it. Only took 6 hours.

Be careful changing tires. Every now and then a tired driver will get behind you at 70 mph.

My cousin was just putting the tools away. He had his wife and children sitting on a berm about 30 feet away. The other driver hit his trailer as he was closing the trunk.

The wife and kids got a great view of his death.

Changing a tire on the highway is dangerous.

I will never changed a tire on the highway meaning freeway? That is why we pay the insurance or the warranty right to come out and do it>?

I do have a question about jacking up the travel trailer.
I got a geo pro 20bhs. Do they just use the 4 supported jack that is on the trailer to lift it up?

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

One should also verify that they can jack the trailer up enough to change a tire.

On our fifth wheel the blow out was barely noticeable. I saw the bits of tire flying in the rear view mirror. Called Good Sam to change it. Only took 6 hours.

Be careful changing tires. Every now and then a tired driver will get behind you at 70 mph.

My cousin was just putting the tools away. He had his wife and children sitting on a berm about 30 feet away. The other driver hit his trailer as he was closing the trunk.

The wife and kids got a great view of his death.

Changing a tire on the highway is dangerous.

First, this is why I have avoided traveling at night while towing.

Second, if you pull over as far as possible and put out your triangles a fair distance behind your vehicle (for additional warning time), changing a tire doesn't always become "deadly dangerous".

I've had to change a tire on the traffic side of my trailer twice on a freeway. It's not comfortable but it is to me far more preferable than waiting 6 hours.

FWIW, here in WA State if you are pulled over on the shoulder of our freeways there's a good chance a State Trooper will arrive on the scene soon and may even help you change the tire. Years ago the WSP started a program where their troopers would assist (sometimes just change) tires in order to get the motorist off the side of the road ASAP.

People should practice changing tires on their vehicles at home so they can do it on the road with little delay.

Everyone does carry the Waring Triangles don't they?