Lesson learned: Don't neglect to check the spare tire

Just a reminder: check your spare.

I have a 2004 2619 and have been very much up on the maintenance of same, however I have never checked the spare tire because we always carry a power tire pump in the tow vehicle. I figured that even if the spare loses a couple of psi. per year we would always be able to top it off with the pump if we ever needed to put the spare on.
However we were getting ready for a trip to Hollister CA which is a very hot climate usually. While airing up the trailer tires I thought I'd take the time to top up the spare because I was thinking that I didn't want to have to do it on the side of the road in the 103+ degree heat we were heading into. When I got under the trailer and thumped the tire I was startled to find it completely and utterly flat, upon examination it was discovered that the rubber valve stem on the tire was swollen and severely split almost its entire length.
The tire store where I took it for repair said that since there was no way possible that anything could have come in contact with the valve stem where the spare is mounted, they thought it was a defective valve stem or was torn when the spare was originally installed.
Thankfully we dodged a potential roadside headache... so don't forget to check yours... often... I know we certainly will be much more vigilant in the future.

[grill-n-go]

Great post. My thinking "was" the same as yours. I have a small compressor so I've never bothered to get under there and check the spare.

[Bill]

It can be worse. I discovered (fortunately in my own driveway) that if the tire bead breaks away from the rim, the small compressor that many of us carry can't put out a sufficient volume of air to reseat it.

If you've ever watched a new tire being mounted, you've seen that the techician first uses the tire machine (the big rotary tool) to lever the tire onto the rim. Then he connects the air hose to the tire valve, holds the tire in place by hand, and sends a blast of air into the tire. With a sudden loud POP!, the tire seats itself on the rim, and from then on, everything is easy. But the little compressors can't produce that blast of air. If the tire bead has lost contact with the rim, even a little bit, you'll never get it back, no longer how long you pump.

Bill

[Wavery]

The other thing that is a good idea is to replace the spare every time that you replace your tires. Unused tires are more susceptible to rot than the tires on the ground. Visual inspection is not enough to detect cracks in the sidewall of the spare because it is not in use. The first time that you mount your spare and drive for a few miles, the cracking may become quite evident. Just because the surface is not cracked, doesn't mean that the tire isn't rotting under the surface. It is even common for an old trailer spare (that looks fine before mounting) to fail in the 1st few miles.

When replacing tires or stems, always request steel valve stems. They cost a little more but rubber valve stem failure is the most common cause of trailer tire failure.

Another trick for seating a tire is to wrap something around the tire to collapse the center of the tread a little. This will cause the sides to bulge.

I use my belt for my wheel barrow tire. I would probably need a rope for the TM tire.

The only time I ever checked my spare was two days before the right rear blew out.

[wbmiller3]

PopBeavers,
That is a great idea about the belt. I got sick of dealing with this on my wheelbarrow so I ended up buying a solid tire. But I'll keep it in mind for vehicle emergencies!

Many, many years ago my dad owned a gas station. He had a strap that would go around the tire and cinch through a pair of D rings. Then you could inflate it with compressed air and that would make it even tighter as it went from flat to about an inch in diameter. It was about the size of a bicycle inner tube, but made of rubber interior and canvas exterior.

The image of that, when I was around 8 years old, has stayed with me ever since, but I have no idea why.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by wbmiller3

PopBeavers,
That is a great idea about the belt. I got sick of dealing with this on my wheelbarrow so I ended up buying a solid tire. But I'll keep it in mind for vehicle emergencies!

I filled my wheelborrow full off that spray, expanding, insulation foam. It works great...