Re: [VAL] Economical Tow Vehicles

["Tom" <thomm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dave,

We have a 1969 29' International Ambassador.  I recall something about the 
weight of the trailer being about 5500 pounds I believe.  That old trailer 
pulled very easy.  Years ago I put on Goodyear Marathon trailer tires but 
we've had that trailer parked now for well over a dozen years, maybe more as 
we use our 1995 34' Airstream Classic FK nowadays.

If you don't do anything else when you replace your tires do this - use 
STEEL stems for your tire valves, the kind that use a nut to hold them in 
place.

Rubber tire stems have a 65 psi rating (read that somewhere,maybe here) 
which is NOT safe.  There are NO rules that say you have to use a rubber 
tire stem so why not pay the extra $1.00 or so that they'd cost over using 
cheaper rubber stems that might blow out.

IF a rubber tire stem blows out of a wheel and the resulting damage from an 
instantaneous blowout damages your trailer to the tune of $2,000.00 minimum 
considering sheet metal, labor, wheel well repairs, etc. you will know you 
should have spent the extra pocket change for those STEEL tire stems.

I truly believe that a lot of blowouts on travel trailers and other types of 
trailers are due to rapid loss of air pressure resulting in super heating of 
the tire carcass which then begins to fly apart.  If you've seen tires on 
race cars come apart then you've seen rapid loss of air pressure resulting 
in tire shredding.  And those fenders on those race cars?  That could be 
your Airstream sheet metal doing the same thing.

Ask anyone who's ever had a blown tire pointed out to them by passing 
motorist if they felt a thing - most never do unless you are in a tunnel and 
you are the only vehicle around to hear the explosion.

I would advise everyone to install STEEL tire stems - no matter the load you 
carry in your trailers or how heavy or light your small to big trailers are 
in size.  One big pot-hole can cause enough of a jolt to increase the tire 
pressure beyond that 65 psi threshold of rubber tire stems.  A word to the 
wise they say ...

Tom Meeker
WBCCI 5303