We pulled into Witchita Falls, TX, about an hour ago. Our plan was to stay one night and then head onto Oklahoma City tomorrow. (Please notice my use of the past tense.)
As I was opening the step into the trailer, I noticed something funny about one of the tires. Lo and behold it was another tread separation! Recall that we had this problem with one of our tires back in Borrego Springs. So, I walked around to the other side of the trailer and Holy Spit!! The tread on yet another tire was completely gone!
The fact that we avoided a blowout is a miracle! The tread is gone all the way around, and the tire is losing air. We can only surmise that it came off within the last hour or so of our trip. We've been on the road for at least six hours today--all freeway driving--a good portion at the 70 mph speed limit. We both are amazed.
There was damage to the wheel well on that side of the trailer as the tread left us, but nothing Mike couldn't bend back with his bare hands. We didn't hear or see anything. These are "Mission" brand tires that came with the trailer. The trailer is only four years old, and while we've used it quite a bit, we shouldn't be having trouble like this. We replaced the one tire when we were in Borrego Springs. Now these two will have to be replaced, and we're planning to replace all three of the remaining original tires. Better safe than sorry.
So . . . we were planning to stay here one night, but now it will be longer. With tomorrow being Sunday, we expect things will be closed. We also expect to have to wait for tires to be ordered since these are an unusual size. We expect that the soonest we'll be able to get out of here probably will be Tuesday. Oh well. Fortunately, there are a few things to do here. There is at least one quilt shop, a couple of museums, and some bike and hiking trails. And there are the world famous (snicker) Witchita Falls. Mike just informed me there is a Goodyear Auto Service Center about three miles away. I'm not keen on towing the trailer even one more inch. However, Mike seems to feel it's safe if we go slowly. It will save us quite a bit of money if we don't activate their mobile service.
With all of that going on, it looks like I'll have some time to sew. Things could be worse. For instance, we could be broken down by the side of the road (or worse). I'd definitely rather be sewing.
As I was opening the step into the trailer, I noticed something funny about one of the tires. Lo and behold it was another tread separation! Recall that we had this problem with one of our tires back in Borrego Springs. So, I walked around to the other side of the trailer and Holy Spit!! The tread on yet another tire was completely gone!
The fact that we avoided a blowout is a miracle! The tread is gone all the way around, and the tire is losing air. We can only surmise that it came off within the last hour or so of our trip. We've been on the road for at least six hours today--all freeway driving--a good portion at the 70 mph speed limit. We both are amazed.
There was damage to the wheel well on that side of the trailer as the tread left us, but nothing Mike couldn't bend back with his bare hands. We didn't hear or see anything. These are "Mission" brand tires that came with the trailer. The trailer is only four years old, and while we've used it quite a bit, we shouldn't be having trouble like this. We replaced the one tire when we were in Borrego Springs. Now these two will have to be replaced, and we're planning to replace all three of the remaining original tires. Better safe than sorry.
So . . . we were planning to stay here one night, but now it will be longer. With tomorrow being Sunday, we expect things will be closed. We also expect to have to wait for tires to be ordered since these are an unusual size. We expect that the soonest we'll be able to get out of here probably will be Tuesday. Oh well. Fortunately, there are a few things to do here. There is at least one quilt shop, a couple of museums, and some bike and hiking trails. And there are the world famous (snicker) Witchita Falls. Mike just informed me there is a Goodyear Auto Service Center about three miles away. I'm not keen on towing the trailer even one more inch. However, Mike seems to feel it's safe if we go slowly. It will save us quite a bit of money if we don't activate their mobile service.
With all of that going on, it looks like I'll have some time to sew. Things could be worse. For instance, we could be broken down by the side of the road (or worse). I'd definitely rather be sewing.
6 comments:
So glad you caught that while you were stopped! Wow! :)
Wow, you are very lucky! Very sorry you've had such trouble, but very glad you are within reach of civilization and not out in the middle of no where. Sincerely hope the repairs don't delay you too seriously.
I'll pass along some safety news that's been passed along at work. Check the age of the tires. If you Google "tire age" there are several sites that show you how to read the code on the side of your tires that tells you when they were made. According to the information presented at work, the age of the tire can be just as signigicant a factor as tire milage, especially in tread separations. If the age on the tires is 6 years or older, then the tires should be replaced. You should check the new tires as well before they put them on. There were several stories on how special sized tires can sit on the shelf for a while and be "out of date" because their turn over is not very fast.
Sorry for the long comment. I hope it's useful.
Thank goodness that they stayed round for you while you were moving along the road!!!
Sounds like the tyres could be faulty. Glad you are safe.
That's a scary story. I'm so glad you're both safe. Enjoy the sewing, but I wish there was a better reason for it.
Wow, that's scary! We had two tires on our new SUV fail within 24hours on a trip, so I know that feeling of "I'm not going ANYWHERE until we replace them ALL!"
Glad you're safe!
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