swimmarz

nice, congrats!

oh boy.... I got my thoughts mixed up, I understand all campers are RV's but not all RV's are campers... I feel like I am back in grade school.

 

They wanted motorized class A, vs tow able trailer

You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here

Who ami kidding, iAm a beer fanatic! That being said we could start doing something that may interest some.

Beer swap+tastings, they don't take long, and are fun!

It works best in groups of 6.

What you do is bring a 6 pack of a local craft beer that you have tried and enjoyed.

One gets opened and every one(6 people) gets a 2 oz sample and 1 bottle of the beer

At the end of the night, you have had 12 oz of beer, and you have 5 bottles to take home.

I typically drink yuengling between samples, and at most will have 3-4 beers in the time it takes to sample swap and discuss.

I'll be at the fort December 11-14th 2015, February 5-7 2016, and October 28-31 2016

My best friend worked for cigar city as a beer rep for them, and now is th brand manager for barrel of monks brewing, another good friend works for a beer distributor on he east coast of Florida so between those 2 contacts I can get my hand on a bunch of rare beer. Basically anything from CCB, barrel of monks, funky Buddha, the list goes on... And a few guys I know from college started their own brewery called Islamorada beer company, so I can get that too!

Let me know if your interested and let's get drinking!

IAm going to start a beer posting. I'll put the dates that I have trips planned( 4 of them) and if anyone is there during the same time we can do a beer tasting/swap

It's simple, especially if you hav 6 people participating

You buy a 6 pack of a local beer, craft beer preferred, bring it. You drink one, every one gets 2oz sample and a bottle.

Go with 6 beers, come back with 5. And you drank 1 beer plus what ever else you want

Beer? Don't mind if I do

I think i found a solution, but I will check with/ look up Larryjm

 

BF goodrich makes an All- terrain T/A KO in LT195/75R14/D 99 R

 

I live in south Florida where it gets hot, really hot, and most of my research has yielded the result for he tire getting too hot and failing, there are many reasons to get hot such as: speed, load, air pressure and ambient temp

 

The tire stated above has a load index of 99 = 1709 lbs

It has a speed rating of R = 106 MPH

 

What I have figured so for for the trailer weight is this

base weight per the sticker is 2630 ( my ac was a factory install) the weight in the book says the UVW is 2473 (2630-2743 = 157, and its a Coleman Mach 8 that weights 90 lbs, so i assume the other 67 lbs are the other options like the spare tire, water heater ect ect)

My water tank is 20 gallons, and i really never intend on filling it, but for the sake of the calculation a full load is 167 lbs

My gear that i have on board in the storage box consist of 4 folding chairs,  6x9 rug/mat, gas grill, power cords, extention cords, water hose, drain hose and tool kit.  All that comes to 100 lbs.

I then figure about 25 lbs in bedding/ towels in side, and then 25 lbs of food

 

so 2630+167+100+25+25=2947 for the sake of this I am going to round up to 3,000 lbs

 

The numbers for the actual weight on the tires should be as follows

3000x90%= 2700  ( 300 lb hitch weight)

2700/2( tires) = 1350 lbs / tire

 

The reason why I am looking at that tire, is because I have 185 80 R13's and moving to a 195 75 r14 should fit based on the calculation from https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc

the tire overall height is .86 inches taller and .39 inches wider

I understand that i would divide the height by 2 and that would be the real distance into the wheel well vs whats on there now, so its less than 1/2 inch difference

 

Ideally Id like to get a even higher weight capacity tire, but as it stands I ll have 359 lb buffer/ tire  till I hit max tire load, ( 718 lbs total)

Id prefer to have 1,000 lb differential to be safe.  

My trailer has a max load of 3300 LBS and how I am loaded I am 300 lbs under that, if i travel with no water/ only a few gallons I could be 400+lbs under

 

I am not ever going to drive for long above 65 mph, but there are occasions where it may be necessary.

Knowing that i have a tire that can handle 75 mph( remember its rated for 106) with no issue is a good thing to have, but it would be doing that speed for a min or two while passing someone or merging, all other times ill be under 65mph

 

Sorry for the long post, please let me know your thoughts

ok, I put my search skills to the test and this is the best I could come up with
 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Acclaim-Lighting-Blue-Ridge-1-Light-Matte-Black-Outdoor-Post-Mount-Light-Fixture-8207BK/204729863?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cBase&gclid=CL7hlcrN38YCFYEYHwodTjAPWA&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

gonna need some copper spray paint, and wok with no handle/ cut handles to modify as the lamp shade on this is on the small side....

They said they had dogs, and one of the reasons they were going to the RV was for the generator, as well as the speed of setup... they said they were mainly browsers, and just looked at the site, and had user names, but didn't post much... we may never know unless they chime in

I do believe they are from Florida as well... I may be wrong though 

Basically speaking, the tires on OEM trailers are generally the cheapest and absolute minimum to cover the axle(s) weight. Going up a size and load range is typically a good idea for safe keeping. But, look at the axle weights and decide if you really need to. You may be able to get by with simply keeping a 13" tire but going with a quality brand.

there lies the problem, not many 13 inch load range d tires, I can get all the C's I want... but options are few and far for D

I am thinking I am going to see if i can fit a 14, then i can run a C and still have a higher weight cap

are you talking about the ones that look like Lanterns?

or are you talking about the mickey lights that some people make and bring?

While at lazydays this past weekend, I ran in to a couple who were trading in their trailer for a Diesel pusher.

I ran into them while in the Accessory store, they were waiting on the "numbers" from the dealer 

While talking to them I did mention this site, after they said they were avid FTW campers, they said they were member's, but i cant remember their names.

 

I did happen to seem them pulling out in the new RV later that day as i was leaving to get dinner for the family.

 

Anyway I just wanted to say congrats on the new camper!  

hope to run into them again soon as they were very nice, and funny!

I had a Westlake tire blow out on me last week on my way home from the Fort. I have a TST 507 tire monitor. I was driving 63 mph, tire pressures and temps were the same on all four tires but one decided to spread itself all over the interstate. Less than 4 thousand miles since I picked it up from the dealer. I now have 4 Michelin tires.

what kind of trailer?

was it a 5er?   I hear more 5ers have blowouts

welcome to the fort!

I know it could be sensitive, but why the fear of boats?

this is a small lake, and I have never had any issues in my 28 years of going

Congratulations on the new trailer.

 

I love the Dinosaur World photos.  I figure that place may be getting more business this summer because of Jurassic World.

 

That is one butt ugly t shirt you're wearing, though.  You need to lose that thing.

 

TCD

you are the 4th person to comment on that shirt....

I guess Ill go back to my original team, since I am no longer living near Boston...

 

GO Cubbies!

wow, thanks for all the feedback, it looks like I may have opened a can of worms

 

I think my dad has a spare tire from his high-lo ( sold it) and it may be a 14 inch tire, once i finish cleaning the garage out so i can fit the popup in there and get code enforcement off my but( cant park it outside for more than 3 days) Ill see if i can fit the 14 inch tire.

If it fits and has at least a 1 inch clearance front to back,  i may opt for the swap when funds become available. 

 

With the 14 inch tire, even in a load range C I wold be adding 50-100 Lbs capacity over what i already have.

 

As for the 5er issue, the guy that warned me at the dealer/campground was on his 6th 5er and we were discussing tongue weights and overall weights, Turns out my pop up, at Max weight, was still less than his tongue weight, he said his was 3500 Lbs, and the over all trailer was 11,000+ empty!

 

Then again he had a big ol Ford Super Duty, and it was a toy hauler 5er, really nice.... the guy on the other side of me couldn't be bothered to join the discussion, he was in a brand new Class A diesel pusher with a tag axel and id ball park his rig was more expensive than my house....

As for your Westlake tires, they are not known for quality on the internet forums.

 

http://www.carsdirect.com/car-repair/4-tire-companies-to-avoid

Brands of Tires to Avoid at All Costs

In recent years, many Chinese tire manufacturers have come under attack for making substandard and unsafe tires available for sale in the United States. Furthermore, some Chinese manufacturers have been the subject of forced recalls by many state Attorney Generals and the Federal Trade Commission. While there are many variations of Chinese import tires that have come under attack, companies that have been the subject of forced government recalls include:

• Westlake Tires
• AKS Tires
• Telluride tires
• Compass Tires

All of these brands of cheap tires are made by the China-based Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company; furthermore, it is alleged that these tires lack even the most basic of safety features such as gum strips which are a rubber feature that helps prevent steel belts inside the tire from separating or damaging the rubber.

here comes that uneasy feeling again....

thanks for that feedback Keith and Norm.

Ill keep that in mind!

 

edit- I went out and looked at the spare as it still had the sticker on the tread

 

Westlake ST185/80R13

STZC

Load Range D/8PR Tubeless

92730

barcode

 

So they are 8 ply tires, Load range D for 1710 lbs ( website says 1709 Lbs)

the website calls the load index of 99 = 1709 lbs when converted via tirerack 

the website calls the speed rating at 95MPH!, I would never test that and ill keep it at 65 max

Why did he tell you to get new tires if these are already new? I'm confused and the speed rating on most trailer tires are 65MPH in Load range D. The tire should say max speed on it.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

I assume he had a bad experience with them... Its unnerving to hear that your new trailer may have bad tires....

as for a speed rating on them, I have yet to find that... ill keep looking at the tire

I just got my pop up home, and before we left the dealer/ campground the guy in the site next to me was looking over the trailer and said to replace my new tires as soon as possible.

 

they are Westlake Super ST 185/80 R13 load range D tires (1710lbs) 

I cant find anything definitive on the tires (super ST) , but when i got to westlake website i find the tire size under the listing for STZC  and it has almost identical specs

http://www.westlaketire.com/en/trailer-tires/375-stzc

Size, PlyRate, Tread Depth, Load Index & Speed RatingStd. RimSection WidthOverall DiameterMax. LoadSingle Max. LoadDual Max. LoadMax. 

ST185/80R13 8 - - 99/95 5.00J 184 7.24 626 24.65 - - 775 1709 690 1521 450 65

 

by those specs, It looks like I had a load index of 99 and a speed rating at 95

 

I am just trying to understand tires and speeds and such as i want to be 100% safe

 

If they truly are a 95 mph speed rated tire, then i feel safe knowing that as i wont go faster than 65 and they have the right load range as my trailer fully loaded is 3300 LBS but i assume its more in the 2750 range as it sits

GVWR is 3292

hitch weight is 292

UVW 2473

CCC 800

just an update, we picked up the PUP, they had it set up on the delivery lot and said we could spend the night.

no major issues with the unit, it was missing 1 fan/light and the other fan/light looked like it was dropped, working, but visible damage.  The dealer is sending 2 new units to the home as they didn't have any in stock.

 

We got there at 10:45, and after redoing all the paperwork, we were doing are PDI/ walkthrough at 11:45.

 

Left the unit and went to dinosaur world, that was 10 min up the road, its actually not bad for $16

 

the heat index was 105 and we saw some storms starting to roll in

 

So we got to experience our first "sever weather" in the unit,  as my phone had alerts going off to seek shelter, back to the pup we go!

 

no Leaks, no issues, it was quite windy, with frequent lighting and some heavy rain for about an hour.

 

We got her closed up sunday morning and the guy in the site next to us told me to get new tires as the ones on the trailer were junk, however he did like the unit and was helpful with lining up the TV with the trailer.

 

I am going to post a question here and on another forum about pop up tires and sizes...

they are 185/80 R13 load range D tires (1710lbs) , westlake super ST's and I am thinking of going up to a 14 inch rim/ tire if it fits with a higher load and speed rating just to be safe

 

As for the tow, it was nice and easy, we kept the Xterra at 60-63 depending on traffic and had no sway even when semi's were going by at 10mph faster than me.

If the truck has spent more then 3-4 years here in PA, I would be concerned about the underpinnings and such.  The salt and liquid magnesium chloride are more corrosive then just salt by itself.  Within a couple of seasons we saw more corrosion then what the norm was.  Brake lines and Emergency Brake cables on all makes and models seemed to have been the hardest hit.  I replaced brake lines on 4 PA State Police Ford Crown Vics within a year of them using the mixture in that area of our state.  The brake lines were not an issue before that.  The 2009 F-250 at work is really rusty underneath.  Outside of it is pristine, looks like a turd underneath and the brake lines will have to be replaced sooner then later.  If it wouldn't be for winter weather, I think I still might be turning wrenches

Salt Scares Me, I lived in NH and purchased my Xterrra New in 2007, after every snow storm +/- 3 days I would get the SUV washed with the full undercarriage blast.  While that did help, there still are signs of corrosion that were noticed when I moved to Florida in 2013.  I spent many hours under the X cleaning/ scrubbing, neutralizing the rust with various chemicals, and then applying a new layer of undercoating.  I am confident that i got most of the rust issues on the frame and under the truck resolved, but it took a lot of work to get there.  now I have 2 small bubbles on the hood, so ill be sanding and respraying that in the near future.

 

No matter how much you try to keep them clean, rust will find its way, especially in the salt/ snow states

one thing I looked into but never did was oil undercoating, if you are looking at a northern vehidle I would ask or inquire if this was ever done, and is is a good preventative measure

http://nhoilundercoating.com/Pkg_2_maintenance.html

look under where your trailer connects, there is a bolt that holds the clasp/ lever to the hitch.

about 30 seconds and i don't even have to cut a lock, just unbolt it and pull it off  look at 45 seconds into the video

and a ratchet or drill wont be that loud vs a hammer...

 

check this out, he shows many locks, not the one i purchased, and how easily they can be defeated, I dont think they tried really hard on thier lock but it shows you the other types out there.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G_zz80h_Tc

I wound up getting a baylock TL33, for $30 shipped from Mr. lock via Amazon.com

I have read that i should also lock up the Chains behind the jack that way they cant use them to just drag the trailer to another location to work on it.

 

when not in use I am not worried about the trailer as it will be in my garage

When it is in use, this is a pop up, so there is the process of breaking it down for travel prior to trying to steal it and hopefully another camper would notice something fishy , but an ounce of prevention goes a a long way in my book.