As many of us will be packing up for the Easter weekend, I thought it might be time for a helpful reminder to check your caravan tyre pressures. Having checked ours over the weekend the first was at 50psi, the second 55psi (Should be 62psi) and we won't even mention the spare which I suspect I have neglected for a few years!
(and don't assume just because it was recently serviced they will be right... ours was serviced at the start of January)
Check and fill my trailer tyres before departure on each leg of my Summer migration. Accessing the spare is hellish. It is under the trailer. It also has to be removed in order to fill it. Then assemble again.
I treated myself to a frame for attaching it in a more user friendly place.
Another important thing is to know correct tyre pressures for your outfit one size does not fit all 62psi may be dead on for certain tyre and outfit types but will cause others to blow out. Make sure you know what's correct for your setup and never inflate a tyre beyond the max pressure stated on sidewall
And check your valves for signs of deterioration. Mine were badly corroded on my last van after 4 years and wondered how many claimed blow outs were possibly due to valves dropping to bits.
Quote: Originally posted by pitch-up-cyril on 21/3/2016
Suggest fitting pressure indicators for instant and constant check - less than a fiver on-line!
Any links? Only ones I've seen under a tenner only seem to go up to 36psi?
------------- Who needs travel agents,we have our static
Don't forget to check the age of the tyres as well ( 7 years is recommended life) as well as condition- tyre walls for bulges or cracks inside and out. Treads for separation etc.
A lot of overturned caravans are due to sudden tyre failure when travelling. If in doubt change the tyres.
Blowouts on a caravan while towing are horrific. All the advice above is really good, my blowout was caused by hitting something on the road, but the end result of deteriorated tyres will be the same
------------- Who needs travel agents,we have our static
Quote: Originally posted by Onemusketeer on 22/3/2016
wow - nice shredding job there:(
did you have tyron bands on?
Not on that one but have them on my abbey. That blowout destroyed my swift, blew a hole in the floor as well as other damage. Scariest experience ever whilst driving
------------- Who needs travel agents,we have our static
Quote: Originally posted by fife-bloke on 22/3/2016
Blowouts on a caravan while towing are horrific. All the advice above is really good, my blowout was caused by hitting something on the road, but the end result of deteriorated tyres will be the same
There is IMO clear evidence in that photo that the tyre ran flat for long enough to have overheated all of the side wall.
Was that from running for a while under inflated and so the true cause of the "blow-out"?
I had two blow outs on a fairly new van within a short space of time. I thought it too much of a coincidence and did some research. I discovered that the Specification Book supplied with the caravan (a Coachman Amara) showed one inflation pressure while the handbook showed another. I had been inflating to the lower pressure.
I got a letter from Hankook saying that the blowouts were almost certainly the result of using the lower pressure, at which point, Coachman, who had disputed my claim, surrendered and replaced all 3 tyres as all had been used, with Firestones.
Quote: Originally posted by fife-bloke on 22/3/2016
Blowouts on a caravan while towing are horrific. All the advice above is really good, my blowout was caused by hitting something on the road, but the end result of deteriorated tyres will be the same
There is IMO clear evidence in that photo that the tyre ran flat for long enough to have overheated all of the side wall.
Was that from running for a while under inflated and so the true cause of the "blow-out"?
Nope I was seen on CCTV (my insurers apparently checked) checking the tyre pressures at a petrol station 40 minutes prior to to blow out. Both tyres were verified at 55psi as per the manufacturers guidelines
------------- Who needs travel agents,we have our static
Didn't I put a thread up say something like 'Check your valves' a while ago.
After we discovered exactly this, the valve stems had started to perish??
Also, did someone posted a calculation on how to work out the exact pressure for your tyres regarding the weights etc and not what's stamped on the tyre wall???