What Causes Frequent Tire Blow Outs on a 10K Holiday Rambler Presidential 5th Wheel Trailer

Question:

34 fifth wheel camper 10,000lbs Holiday Rambler Presidential what kind of tires should we use on our camper? we continually have blowouts when we travel. Someone came up to us when we were getting gas and asked if we got a lot of blowouts with our trailer and said that he had the same camper and had the same problem. He said he had to get a higher ply tire because when he did that he didnt have anymore problems.

asked by: John G

Expert Reply:

Normally you would use the tire size recommended by the trailer manufacturer with the proper capacity for the gross trailer weight. Trailer tires can blow for a few reasons. It basically boils down to heat though, the number 1 enemy of a tire.

How does a tire get too hot? One way is overloading the tires by carrying more weight than they are designed to handle. Most people never reach the gross trailer weight capacity so this is not as common as you might think on travel trailers.

Heat can also build up by exceeding the speed rating of a tire for extended periods of time. A trailer tire rated for 65 miles per hour should not be run at 75 miles per hour for this reason: too much heat!

But probably the most common cause of trailer tire blow outs is under inflation. Trailer tires should always be filled to the maximum psi indicated on the tire. this is because trailer tires, unlike passenger vehicle tires, are built with a thicker sidewall to handle more vertical load. If under inflated the thicker sidewall will generate excessive heat.

Going with a tire with a higher load range means that it will have a stronger build so as long as you stay within the speed rating and always inflate to the maximum psi you should be good to go. If you can tell me the tire size you have and the number of axles on the trailer I can make some recommendations for you.

expert reply by: Michael H