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Old 11-22-2013, 10:28 AM   #1
akf15e
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You can't make this stuff up. Help!!

Hey MOCers, need some help. Some of you saw my Labor day post about the blowout I had coming back from the beach. Left side, rear axle, significant damage. Three years ago I replaced all four Marathons (after 2 developed sidewall bubbles)with BFG Commercial TAs. All was uneventful until the September blowout. Tire was badly shredded by the time I pulled off to the side of the Interstate. The shop I got them from couldn't tell if it was material failure, road hazard, or what due to the condition of the tire. The tire guy did say he had never, in his years of dealing with the TA, seen one just fail due to material issues. And he said he has seen some seriously overloaded ones too. We chalked it up to a road hazard or slow leak perhaps.

Today I finally got Monty back from the body shop. Ouch - $2200 (250 deductible) but it looked great. So I start the one hour drive home and not 10 minutes from the shop....BOOM! I hear and see the RIGHT side rear tire tread separate. Yes, I immediately started sobbing! I got the rig safely to the side of the interstate. Not as much damage as the previous blowout, but it's gonna hurt as there is no way I can make another claim this soon. Of course my 6 ton jack and tools were at home...because of course there was no way another one of these tires would fail, right?? Luckily a good Samaritan (no pun intended) in a work van stopped by and had not only a big jack, but an on board pneumatic system and impact wrench! Lucky day! Got things swapped out, limped home on my Marabomb spare, and now am at a loss for what to do before next week's planned trip to Williamsburg for our annual family gathering.

Here's what I know and need help with/advice with:
The entire tread separated. There is also a big "tear" in the sidewall on the inside of the tire, from tread to rim. Not sure which is the chicken and which is the egg in this scenario.
I have not weighed each individual wheel, but do know that both axles are sharing just under 11000 lbs, probably less right now since the rig was emptied before dropping it off for repairs.
I check pressures religiously - they were all at 80 psi. Don't have a TPMS.
I ventured out onto the Interstate and recovered the "gator". There is absolutely no sign of abnormal wear on the failed tire or any of the others.
Both failures were on the rear axle.
Both axles appear to have a slight bow to them...higher in the center than the sides. It seems to me this has been this way since I bought this new in 2009. No problems until 2013. I took pictures in 2009 and showed them to my dealer who said it looked fine. Should the axles be perfectly straight? If they weren't wouldn't I see extra wear on the outside of the tires, given the positive camber of the axle? I never have seen abnormal wear on either the Marathons or the BFGs.
So the question is, has anyone had similar issues with Commercial TAs? Do you think this is more likely a material failure or could I have an axle issue? I can post pics of the axle and tire remains if it helps.
I am VERY wary of traveling next week, considering that I still have 2 TAs on the other axle and 2 have failed on the past 2 trips. WWYD?

Thanks so much!
 
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Old 11-22-2013, 10:40 AM   #2
H. John Kohl
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Sorry about your tire failure. The axles do have a small bow up in the center. You might have to take it to an alignment shop for a true reading.

You did not mention if you had a tire pressure monitoring system. If not that would be my first action.

Good luck and safe travels.
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Old 11-22-2013, 10:44 AM   #3
oldelmer1
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Your TA's are 3 years old, I would take the remaining 2 off and really look close at them. I had a set of TowMax on my old camper and all of them had cracks on the inside, looked fine on the outside, and they were only 3 years old too.

Might just be time for new shoes all around.
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Old 11-22-2013, 10:45 AM   #4
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If this tire did not shred, I would take it in for inspection. Out of curiosity, do you know if date stamp is same on all TA tires? Something is amiss.................... Don't know about your axle question but I suspect a bad batch of tires.
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Old 11-22-2013, 10:48 AM   #5
akf15e
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John - thanks for the quick reply. I do not have a TPMS, and it is on the Christmas list now, trust me. It could have been an issue on the Labor Day failure, but today I no kidding checked the pressure at the body shop and literally 5 minutes later the tire failed. Doesn't mean I didn't still have a deflation going on, but it just seems too coincidental for 2 BFG TAs to fail on consecutive trips. I am going to try and get the rig in to the shop this weekend to check the axles, if they have the capability. Yes, the bow is slight, about a 3/4 inch rise form the outside to the center.
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Old 11-22-2013, 10:53 AM   #6
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Doberman - I am suspecting that too. Since none of them show abnormal wear and I bought all 4 at the same time, I am worried about a QC issue. I'll check the date stamp. Yes, I will be at the shop first thing Monday AM and have them give me their opinion. Thanks so much for the input.

Oldelmer1 - I will look really closely tomorrow. Was getting dark when I finally limped home today, so I couldn't see for sure. 3 years?? Bummer, I was hoping for more out of these tires! The tread is in outstanding condition.
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Old 11-22-2013, 11:13 AM   #7
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There was a recall on those tires.Did you check if your tires were part of that recall? Reference http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/volun...ty-recall.page
The bend in the axle is your camber. If you were not seeing abnormal wear I would say it is correct. I have ran the same tires as yours for over 25K and have had no issues but my unit is also lighter than yours.
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Old 11-22-2013, 11:35 AM   #8
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Jimcol - thanks a million!! My tires are recalled. Wow and to think I spent good money to get rid of failure prone tires and replaced them with failure prone tires! I will swap them all out on Monday. Then the campaign will begin to recoup damages that Progressive and I have paid for/will pay for. I know I never received a letter for a fact. I bought them on base and they in turn purchased them from a local dealer. Then the base tire shop closed and I imagine records went away as well. More to follow.
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Old 11-22-2013, 01:05 PM   #9
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Glad you found out about the recall. One of the reasons many of us check the forum almost daily is to catch info like that that others post. We should all be notified by the company involved, but sadly it doesn't always happen.
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Old 11-22-2013, 01:12 PM   #10
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Here's my thoughts: You have the 3400 which is one of the heavier Montanas. Now twice you have asked 3 tires to carry the weight normally spread between 4. You also state you have approx 11K on the axles, remember those LTs are rated just over 3K, so four brand new tires would be 12K, but when you take away one you're left with 9k capacity and 11K of load. So it may be time to think about replacing all.
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Old 11-22-2013, 02:10 PM   #11
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by mhs4771

Here's my thoughts: You have the 3400 which is one of the heavier Montanas. Now twice you have asked 3 tires to carry the weight normally spread between 4. You also state you have approx 11K on the axles, remember those LTs are rated just over 3K, so four brand new tires would be 12K, but when you take away one you're left with 9k capacity and 11K of load. So it may be time to think about replacing all.
Exactly what I was thinking, when I had tire failures in the past, I replaced ALL of the tires. If one failed, I was not taking any kind of chance on the others.
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Old 11-22-2013, 02:39 PM   #12
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Thanks guys. Yes, I was paranoid for the remaining 40 miles home, just waiting for the other 2 to let loose! I was highly suspecting a tire issue (or axles) because it was too coincidental. But I didn't want to believe the tires I put on to avoid this kind of situation were failing on me! They are all under recall, so they will all be replaced anyway. I appreciate the inputs.
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Old 11-23-2013, 12:19 AM   #13
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DQDick - you are 100% correct. This past 2 years have been a blur as I traveled 16 times internationally for work. After a couple of years of record us of Monty, the past 2 have been much more sparse, hence I also failed to check in here as much as I once did. It will become a much more regular affair. I am also a bit peeved the tire shop didn't catch the recall when I took the first tire in for replacement. Would have saved me this second blow out in all likelihood.
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Old 11-23-2013, 01:13 AM   #14
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It's too bad that if a tire blows, the sudden shift of weight on the others - regardless of how long - affects the longevity of those tires. Sometimes right away. Sometimes not for a couple of months. Happened to me. Perfectly good tire on the same side as the one that blew previously - two travel days (800 miles) later...
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Old 11-23-2013, 02:42 AM   #15
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Sounds like a candidate for G614's
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Old 11-23-2013, 06:00 AM   #16
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That's happened to me. One tire fails, then further down the road another fails. Got them all replaced including the spare.

Second trailer, one tire ALMOST failed. Got them all replaced including the spare. I got lucky enough to replace them all because I was nervous not smart.

Now, my tires are aging out and you guessed it, they are ALL coming out including the spare. This winter for sure.
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Old 11-24-2013, 02:23 AM   #17
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Kerry - that was one of my first thoughts too, but the BFGs were supposed to be a reliable solution and to date they have done more damage to my rig then Marathons ever did. Granted, there was a recall, but recalls happen because of shoddy factory production and/or materials. And then I just saw a thread about someone with a 614 letting loose. I almost feel resigned that this is just a way of life with campers.
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Old 11-25-2013, 01:55 AM   #18
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Regarding the BFG Commercial T/As, I sympathize. My newest one was recalled last year. Then one developed a sidewall delamination "flap" while traveling but got to a Tire shop before it deflated. Then its mate blew its tread on the very next trip and did some damage. NO MORE BFG Tires for me.
Currently have mostly Michelin LT tires, will go XPS Rib in the future.
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Old 11-25-2013, 11:16 AM   #19
akf15e
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Update - 3 free new tires from the local shop today. They had never heard of the recall either. They need to hang out here too! I had already bought the other new one before the second blowout, so I have to go through corporate Michelin to get that money, as well as to claim my insurance deductible. Then I have to discuss the new damage and how that will be covered. Or do you all think I should just punt to Progressive for recovery of the previous damage money as well as the new damage?

Anyway, I am wiped out now! Most of the day was spent jacking up Monty, removing tires, transporting tires, picking up tires, remounting tires! I (knock on wood) have never had a blow out or flat in a passenger car or truck in 35 years of driving. Seems like owning a 5er makes it an integral part of one's life!

Thanks again for all of the input. The recall info was invaluable.
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Old 11-25-2013, 12:14 PM   #20
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Sorry you had to go thru it. What a continuing nightmare. At least it's on the down hill side now. You can go back to enjoying your rig!
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