[VAC] Re: Tire & Tire Pressure Questions

[Inlandrv@xxxxxxx]

Jim Dunmyer. 
I agree with you. The air pressure should be set for the anticipated load, 
and not at maximum. I also agree that a load range "D" provides a great 
margin of safety than a "C". 
Some owners feel balancing anything is a waste of money, others feel 
balancing just the tire is OK. My 36 years rebuilding and modifying the 
Airstream product says otherwise. Complete balancing is necessary. But, if 
someone doesn't want to, then it's really OK with me. It's their money and 
equipment they are abusing, not mine. But, I will be here to rebuild the 
abused trailer, and create another "believer." Insurance companies don't pay 
for "long term" damage, as some think. 
There is no known manufacturer of travel trailer hubs and drums that attempt 
to balance them. Some feel it could be done any place for $5.00 each. Where 
is that place? No one knows. Drilling into a drum or shaving or grinding some 
of it's material away, is pure guess work and most certainly, trial and 
error. I don't know about others, but I don't want any grinding going on any 
where near my wheel balancer.
The fact remains that until someone comes up with a better way, trailer drums 
must be balanced for optimum performance. Our web site, inlandrv.com  shows 
the Snap On Tool balancer. It's no longer available. With this system, we can 
take a 15 inch tire mounted on a wheel, which in turn is mounted on a hub and 
drum, and balance it as you will see on our web site, to the extent that we 
can turn that assembly to any point and stop it. Adding 1/4 ounce weight to 
the very top of the assembly, but slightly off center, will cause that entire 
assembly to rotate. That to us, is a very good balance job. I have used this 
system for 36 years, and swear by it. There are those that have their 
opinions and they are welcome to that. But opinions are exactly that, and not 
facts. Facts can be demonstrated again and again. Any doubter that has ever 
witnessed, in person, how fine a balance can be done to a tire, wheel, hub 
and drum, an assembly that weighs 80 to 85 pounds, that caused to be moved 
with a 1/4 ounce weight or a mans handkerchief, says in wonderment, "WOW!"
If anyone wishes to visit our facility to make this observation, just let us 
know when you will be here. But we will not go through the expense to make a 
movie and put it on our web site. If someone disagrees, that's fine. We will 
be here to put the coach back together.
Also Jim, if someone created a "drum balancer" rig such as you suggest, I am 
sure that a flat rate charge to balance a drum would be a lot more than 
$5.00, as some have suggested. That's also not saying how much liability you 
would incur, when you modified that drum.
The question is asked many times, "Why doesn't Airstream use balanced drums?" 

They would, if they could find someone that made them. No one makes them, is 
the answer. But, if someone did, then I guess some would complain that 
Airstream didn't use balanced "tires." Well, I am sure of that one too, but, 
who makes a "balanced tire?" No one that I know of. But we don't ridicule 
tire manufacturers because they don't. 
The list goes on and on, as to how Airstream could build a "perfect trailer." 
If they did, who could afford it? Not many, I am sure. But then, we don't 
have perfect cars either, and there are far more cars made than Airstreams.
And then we ask, "whats perfect." I don't know either, but I do know what's 
better, and best. Life is too short to worry about "perfects." We learn to 
accept the things we can, and if not, then do something positive to make it 
better. If not, then we need to move over and let the "doer," get busy. 
Some lead, some follow, some just get out of the way.
Jim, thanks for your input and your frequent postings, to several sites. It's 
nice to know that there is more than just a few on the other side of the 
fence.   Andy