Warning! Old Tyres can really spoil you day!

[gritineye]

We set out with Rugged Robin on my Ifor Williams trailer, from Eastbourne to Harmans Cross, Dorset, via the M27, at a steady 50 mph. I can't see the trailer at all behind our camper, as it's not wide enough.

 

Didn't take much notice of the passing motorists laughing and pointing, they often do with the Robin, until a kind gent slowed in front of me with his flashers on telling me to pull on to the hard shoulder. As I stopped a cloud of tyre smoke wafted past and I got the message! Rear off side trailer tyre shredded and almost alight!:wow:

 

Managed to change the tyre with an adjustable spanner and no Jack:rofl:, carried on slower, lots of rattling as the spare had a flat spot on it caused by an oval drum (fixed years ago), a bit later it got worse as another tyre started to bulge, carried on even slower.

 

Off the motorway another motorist overtook excitedly pointing, pulled over to find rear nearside tyre also shredded.:rotfl:

 

Only 8 miles to go now quiet road, so carried on at a crawl, had two good tyres, pulled onto rally site with one good tyre left, and one with air but developing a nice bulge!:sweat:

 

Now all this might seem unlucky, but as we were stopping for a red light I spotted a POLICE CAR :shocked: coming up behind, they pulled alongside, but were so captivated by the Robin that they never even noticed the tyres flapping about at all!

 

Now that's what I call LUCKY! :wave: :police:

 

Bought four new wheels and tyres sourced locally by Butty (top man) and delivered to site next morning, had a great weekend and good run back.

 

I regularly look at my trailer tyres and check pressures, and they looked fine, when I left, but time flies, and I hadn't really realized that it's at least 18 yrs since I bought the trailer new, and the tyres were the original ones.

 

So... how old are the tyres on your MV?

 

 

 

PS My trailer is a bit bigger than the one that is shown if you click the Skimword link!

Edited November 17, 2011 by gritineye
That Richard is so picky!

[Richard Farrant]

We set out with Rugged Robin on my Ifor Williams trailer, from Eastbourne to Harmans Cross, Dorset, via the M72, at a steady 50 mph.

 

 

 

Hi Bernard,

 

Not surprised your tyres expired, you must have taken the long route to Dorset .

 

M72 is in Scotland :-D

[gritineye]

Hi Bernard,

 

Not surprised your tyres expired, you must have taken the long route to Dorset .

 

M72 is in Scotland :-D

 

OOps must have been in reverse....:rofl:

[david56]

I had a tyre burst on my twin axle Ifor Williams, like you, I never noticed except for passing motorists flashing me.

 

Stopped and changed for spare which was flatish, moved the load forward and carried on.

 

Once drove al the way from Hamilton services to London with a flat tyre on my tri-axle (Soon to be on ebay) no problems as the flat tyre was just coasting along.

 

Up shot never been very worried about bursting tyres on multiple axle trailers.I suppose I should!

 

I bought some wheels and tyres for my trailers for £50.00 each from the manufacturer. Much cheaper than any local tyre specialist. Not keen on buying tyres from Ebay somehow.

[fesm_ndt]

I got a secondhand set of tyres for my Suzuki. The tyres were like brand new but the locals here said they were no good as they were manufactured a few years back. I thought bollocks never had issues with tyres before and should last long time if looked after.

 

But low and behold, 3 of the 4 blew out duing the next 6 months with the side walls failing. To me it seems tyres have gone the same way as everything else i.e. only made good enough to last 2 to 3 years then you have to buy a new set.

[ruxy]

If you observe flail verge/hedge cutters - keep off the road for weeks.

 

Having had blackthorn needles pass through on the corner where the treadway meets the side-wall (yes, technically just in the wall of tubeless , so no legal repairs) on a almost new Michelin & today on a brand new Maxxis meaning I now need to purchase two new tyres to make up a pair of axle sets for winter. Possibly I should have just purchased four cheapo manufactured by Jinyu , when you study the comparisons form for wet braking performance , £ value for money per mile etc. etc. - thorns through the side-walls are never mentioned..

[david1212]

http://www.kwik-fit.com/tyre-age.asp

 

I can't find right now but there is a guideline from one of the major manufacturers of 10 years for tyres in regular use and 6 years for unused or occasionally used tyres as stated here

 

http://www.tonyblundell.co.uk/tyre-care.html

[paulob1]

http://www.kwik-fit.com/tyre-age.asp

 

I can't find right now but there is a guideline from one of the major manufacturers of 10 years for tyres in regular use and 6 years for unused or occasionally used tyres as stated here

 

http://www.tonyblundell.co.uk/tyre-care.html

 

yes we know old tyres fail, but take my zil 131 tyres look like the originals from when she was built, 1968, they have a few cracks...but they still run at 65 mph on the road and they still inflate and deflate. So I am sure if i keep going one of them will fail eventually, but 6 years is daft for a military tyre...

 

now I am not advocating not changing your tyres regularly, i have 33 military wheeled vehicles all of 6 8 or 10 tyre configuration so assuming best price of 100 per tyre, I would need to spend 25,000 pounds every 6 years on new tyres,some how i think not...

 

on a completely differetn note, the tyres on trailers suffer a great deal more than the tyres on vehicles generally and I would always recommend that these are changed regularly...when one goes it is generally loaded, so when the first one goes if you dont notice quickly enough you will lose a second, then a third then a fourth and so on...all in very quick succession.

Edited November 22, 2011 by paulob1