UPDATE - (FINALLY GETTING FIXED) - Blowouts are a nightmare!

[CAJUN LADY]

A lot of you know about the little blowout incident I had on my Scotty trailer on the way to Ocala, FL to our "Women in Tears" gathering earlier this month. Well, I hadn't looked at it since I got back so today, I decided to uncover the damaged area and take a closer look. I did find more utensils, (one of them went through the sidewall) a bit with road-rage but some are keepers.

I also had the "Inspector" show up, as usual.

The blowout on Interstate 75.






My baby getting loaded up.


Poor baby....


The best tow truck service I've ever had! And tire store was awesome!


Side storage which also supports the bed.


Nightview


Day view


More views


Used to be drawers and storage here.


See that long tan spoon? It was driven through the inside wall under the stove. I couldn't figure out what it was till I pulled it out.


Found more utensils in the mangled mess! Check out the twisted tongs and more knives with no handles. I'll just add these to the other salvaged souvenirs!


This makes me sad.



When I thought I was in the clear, the "Inspector" (aka Jasmine) shows up!


She sneaks in the back door!


She looks around...


Gets in a closer look...


And finally looks under the stove...




The "Inspector" said, "Hey, let's talk about how we are gonna handle this repair because I don't accept anything less that purrrrrfect".


Give me a treat NOW or I take this camera OUT!


Ok, back to work...This is what's left of the drawers that were inside.


And more I had already cleaned out today.


Where'd that damn cat, oh, I mean "Inspector" go now??


And after looking at the damage to my sweet Scotty girl all I wanted to do was cry like a . . . . . .

(that's my future camping buddy, Izzy, my first grandbaby, born 2/18/11)

[Shadow Catcher]

Becca
Were you able to figure out why the tire failed? e.g. penetration, somthing on the road, old age (more than 8 years old)... Always looking for what went wrong.
Congratulations on the new grand child. We have #2 and #3 coming simultaniously (twin girls) end of May beginning of June. Daughter wrote she enjoys feeling them move, even when they are trying to come through her belly button.

[CAJUN LADY]

Becca
Were you able to figure out why the tire failed? e.g. penetration, somthing on the road, old age (more than 8 years old)... Always looking for what went wrong.
Congratulations on the new grand child. We have #2 and #3 coming simultaniously (twin girls) end of May beginning of June. Daughter wrote she enjoys feeling them move, even when they are trying to come through her belly button.

I think the Florida sun/heat got the best of it. It was showing crackling on the sides and I had plans to replace them soon but obviously it wasn't soon enough.

When I got on the road I knew something wasn't right by the way it was riding and planned to pull over at the next exit to check the air, which I normally do before a trip but failed to do this time. The blowout happened shortly thereafter. I was going 62 when it happened and was fortunate to "use my head" and not "lose my head".

That taught me a valuable lesson! I bought 2 new tires that day and I'm so gun-shy about this happening again that I want to buy new tires every year now. Probably overkill but I don't want to experience that again.

All the damage to my cabinets came from loose rubber hitting it.


Notice how it split in half.

[Shadow Catcher]

8 years from date of manufacture is supposed to be the limit on tire age. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... ?techid=11

Well we have had a bearing failure and a tire failure recently, unfortunate lessons.

[CAJUN LADY]

8 years from date of manufacture is supposed to be the limit on tire age. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... ?techid=11

Well we have had a bearing failure and a tire failure recently, unfortunate lessons.

I'm sorry to hear about your bearing and tire failure. I feel your pain.

I'm going to have the bearings checked. I want to learn how to pack them myself. I know it's messy but what the heck. I was raised to work hard and dirt/grease washes off. I've changed my own flats - I can grease bearings. Wish I could build a wheel well...a little out of my league.

[Miriam C.]

Wow Becca, that is just awful! I wonder if you can make some metal spars across the wheel well so this doesn't do that much damage again! Just plane scary!

[TENNJIM]

Becca, I am amazed at the damage to your Scotty-did not realize a blown tire could do so much. Feeling your pain, but mighty glad you are okay. Sometimes, a blowout can effect the tow vehicle handling.
Jim B / Utah

[CAJUN LADY]

:( Wow Becca, that is just awful! I wonder if you can make some metal spars across the wheel well so this doesn't do that much damage again! Just plane scary!

Thought about that when I was looking at it yesterday. Have to look into it when I get the wheel well fixed.

[CAJUN LADY]

Becca, I am amazed at the damage to your Scotty-did not realize a blown tire could do so much. Feeling your pain, but mighty glad you are okay. Sometimes, a blowout can effect the tow vehicle handling.
Jim B / Utah

Jim, it would be less of a headache if the blowout would have been on my TV. At least the damage could be easier to fix.

[stomperxj]

I want to learn how to pack them myself. I know it's messy but what the heck.

You can do it the "clean" way and use a vacuum food sealer. fill a vacuum food bag with some grease, throw the bearing in it and seal it on your vacuum sealer. removes all the air and greases the bearing. No mess, no fuss. You can do up extras and leave them in the bags for emergency spares too and not worry about getting grease all over everything...

Jess

[CAJUN LADY]

I want to learn how to pack them myself. I know it's messy but what the heck.

You can do it the "clean" way and use a vacuum food sealer. fill a vacuum food bag with some grease, throw the bearing in it and seal it on your vacuum sealer. removes all the air and greases the bearing. No mess, no fuss. You can do up extras and leave them in the bags for emergency spares too and not worry about getting grease all over everything...

Jess

Pretty darn smart Jess! I've got the vac sealer and bags and will give that a try. Thank you!

[dmb90260]

Trailer tires are generally recommended to be changed after five years. They can look good but you are right about the sun doing big damage on them that you may not notice. Trailer tires are also a bit softer on the sides.

I had a blowout on my trailer a year ago, my own fault. I had misread the recommended inflation and had twice the air I needed. It left suddenly between Phoenix AZ and the CA border. I use Coach Net insurance and they got some one to help me who could inflate a seldom used spare. I think they came from 50 miles away. Good thing he brought his beefy son, there is no way I could have gotten that tire off even if I wanted to. Fortunately there was a tire place two exits down the road.
I was luckier than you and had zero structure damage, just one bad tire.

[Zollinger]

OMG. That's my biggest nightmare, blowing a tire on my trailer. Hard to believe how much damage was done to the trailer. Glad to see the "Inspector" is on the job!

[S. Heisley]

Becca:

Thank you for sharing all your pictures. Undoubtedly, you have alarmed some people to the point that they will be more careful. The damage that your trailer suffered is truly amazing. That wood was practically turned into toothpicks and that spoon that went through the wall!

I remember when my sister had a tire blow out on her car while she was on the freeway. Her car became airborne and she ended up with huge bruises on both her thighs where they hit the steering wheel. Luckily, that was the worst of it that time.

It's all pretty alarming.

[sagebrush]

OUCH!!!!!!!! Glad to see you have a qualified inspector on the job! Will