RV Tires
Your RV have 4 or more tires on it. They are a vital part of your rig and need to be in good condition.
The first thing to look at is air pressure. Every manufacture has an inflation chart in the RV. Be sure to follow their recommendation since the handling of the RV will be bad if right. Unsafe air pressure, too low or too high, can be catastrophic so pay critical attention to the air pressures. Tire problems can happen really fast so it is always to be on the safe side here.
Many want to pump up the tire pressures so as to get better fuel mileage. Care must be taken here. My RV Flair has a 65 pounds per square inch (PSI) rating. I run 90 PSI all around. When I got my new Samson tires the tire pressure was at 100 PSI. I would like to un 100 PSI but my compressor likes 90 PSI better.
If you have any questions you should ask a truck tire professional about that.
An important thing related to tire pressure is weight loading. An RV can weigh a whole lot. Mine weighs about 14,000 pounds.
Your rig should be weighed starting with total weight. Next weigh the front wheels together and then the rear wheels. It is important to weigh the right side wheels and the left side. Make up a chart showing the weight distribution. This helps you to balance the wheel loads so the RV rides stable.
This is important because an unstable weight distribution may cause a driving upset and you lose control. If you want to see what an RV involved in an accident looks like just Google up Salvage RV.
After seeing the carnage, it reminds me to make sure that my insurance is paid up!
Oh, Yeah! You should check the tires air pressure! I noticed
that the right rear outside dual looked like it needed some air but I was so busy I
neglected to check it. When I got to Lakeland FL at the camp ground I finally
checked it. Egads! No air pressure! I rode all the way here on the inner tire. I
figured that since I didn't run it flat on the ground the tire would be OK.
There was a Goodyear truck tire business right around the corner from Sanlan's
so I took it there. (I tried to jack up the wheel and take it off but couldn't.)
I think they replaced a bad valve stem.
11-3-2011 After a fall trip to Rockville, IN I was installing new spark plug wires on the motor. I had to crawl under the motor home by the front wheels to access the plug wires. I was on the drivers side and glanced back toward the rear tires. I noticed that the left rear inside tire was flat. I tried to pump it up but it had rolled off the rim. The next day I took it to Ginman's Tire in Muskegon, MI They jacked it up and pulled the wheels off. Inspection showed that a nail had punctured the tread. The repair was completed and back on the motor home. I usually do the wheel take off but the RV big tires makes it difficult. Be sure that you have a road hazard insurance package on your RV. A road call for bad tires can be expensive. The Good Sam Club has an excellent one.
It pays to look at your tires each morning before you start your drive.
One good thing about dual tires is you can keep on driving when one goes flat with no damage to the flat tire. Twice now I have had a rear tire go flat and I drive along merrily on my way, not even knowing that the tire was flat.
The moral of this story is always check your tires before moving on. If you want peace of mind, get road side assistance insurance. Fixing a big RV tire can be costly. AAA has inexpensive insurance available. When I head out to Washington state I will make sure I have it.