Saturday, September 6, 2014

Fargo to Minneapolis

(Prior Lake, MN)  Hi 77 Lo 49 -- We had an interesting day of travel yesterday. We had a big breakfast at the hotel then got on the road by 10:20 for what was expected to be a 4 1/2 hour trip to Minneapolis, MN.














We were just outside St. Cloud, MN on I-94 when the Pressure Pro tire system in Jim's truck started beeping. One of the trailer tires was losing pressure at a rapid and steady rate. He pulled over as quick as he could and by the time he stopped the pressure went from 120 pounds to 50. We called Coachnet and then waited an hour and a half for a mobile tire service truck to arrive. When he removed the wheel we were very surprised to see this:



As you can see, the tread looks fine on most of the tire, but on one side the tread had separated and a big section of it came off. Obviously a factory defect. We have a spare, but it's one of the original tires mounted on a 16-inch wheel that came with the rig. And although it's the same overall diameter as the upgraded 17.5-inch wheels/tires, we didn't feel comfortable driving the last 80 miles with one of the tires a different size. The tire guy brought a new tire with him so we had him mount it on the wheel to replace the damaged tire. We kept the bad tire and we're going to give Goodyear a call. A 3 1/2 year old tire with only 25K miles on it shouldn't have that happen. Thank goodness for our Pressure Pro system. If we didn't have that Jim probably wouldn't have known the tire was going down and it would have blown, damaging the rig. If you have an RV we can't stress enough how much we recommend you get a tire monitoring system!

Our 4 1/2 hour trip ended up taking eight hours, and we got to Dakotah Meadows RV Park in Prior Lake, MN about 6:30. After we got setup we were both kind of stressed out, and I didn't feel like cooking dinner, so we went to the Mystic Lake Casino next door for their big buffet. We hadn't eaten all day so it was extra good. The casino was packed and so was the buffet!

Jim got the satellite dish set up when we got back and we relaxed the rest of the evening. 

Today was a day of computers, reading, crocheting, and football. We did take a walk around the park, and it's a beautiful park. I'll tell more about it before we leave. The weather is so nice that Jim got out the grill and cooked up some chicken and brats for dinner. 

See you tomorrow.

7 comments:

RV Khronicles of Kevelyn said...

Three of our original Goodyear tires had the tread separate. After the first, we were extra vigilant. Goodyear ended up replacing all 4 tires and paid for the damage to our fifth wheel from the first blowout. Our fifth wheel was a 2008. Although they never admitted it, we thought there must have been some defect in the tires made around that time.
Good luck with your claim.

Karen and Al said...

That is scary. I'm glad you had a tire pressure monitor. We wouldn't be without ours, but many people don't think they are necessary. Your post shows why they are important. That extra few seconds may have saved you a lot of trouble.

I just sent Al out to check our tires to refresh our memory on what brand they are. Thank goodness they aren't Good year. It sure looks like a defect.

KarenInTheWoods said...

Yup... those pressure monitors are worth their weight in gold! We have the Hopkins right now, but the sensors loose their battery power too often and need replacing at very expensive rates. ($50 each) ....

We are thinking of switching to Pressure Pro. How long do their batteries in the sensors last for you guys?

Let me know if you get close to our side of Wisconsin!

Tumbleweed Jim said...

Karen, we got our Pressure Pro system when we started on the road 4 1/2 yrs ago and they're still working fine. The literature says the batteries should last at least 5 years.

owensontheroad said...

So far (knock on wood) our tires have been fine since we replaced the Marathons. We love our Pressure Pro too!

Janice Williford Evans said...

we really do need to invest in one of those systems. . .thanks for the reminder, and for sharing your story.

We had a weird travel day on Wednesday. ..perhaps it's the week for it? ? ?

http://readytogofulltimerving.blogspot.com/2014/09/weird-travel-day-and-state-capitol-at.html

Bob and Jo said...

We wouldn't be without our TPMS. We have stayed at those two RV parks. Wish we weren't so far behind reading blogs because we would send you to Jensen's Cafe in Burnsville for lemon ricotta pancakes.

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