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Don Halas
Senior Member
Joined: 01 Jul 2015
Location: Connecticut
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Posts: 190
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Topic: Flat Tire Posted: 03 Feb 2016 at 11:29am |
Noticed the pod listing in the driveway yesterday when I got home. Flat tire.
The pod was bought last July and has about 1,200 miles on it. I know there have been other threads about changing tires but here's my specific questions if someone wants to jump in here.
1. Can I consider the spare a replacement for the flat tire. In otherwords, can I put the spare on and then relegate the fixed/new tire as the spare.
2. I don't know what brand the tire is but suspect it's not a real popular brand. Is getting whatever warranty might be available on it worth the while or not. If no warranty applies or its a hassle should I get the same brand or just an equivalent?
3. If the FR installed tires are know to be crap what would be a more desirable brand. I'm more concerned with safety and convenience than the cost of buying a new tire.
4. When I jack this thing up, I'm thinking just putting the bottle jack somewhere on the frame behind the tire. Any cautions?
Thanks!
Don
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CharlieM
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Nov 2012
Location: N. Colorado
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Posts: 1797
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Posted: 03 Feb 2016 at 11:58am |
Addressing you first and last questions: The spare is usually on a cheap white steel wheel. Best and easiest to fix the flat and put it back on. When jacking get the jack on either the frame or under the axle MOUNTING bracket. Do not put the jack under the axle tube. On your other questions, therein lies endless debate. Avoid cheap China bombs. Maxxis tires get good reviews. I prefer Goodrich LT tires vs ST with some off road tread for better sideways and braking traction.
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Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp
Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
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Posts: 6128
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Posted: 03 Feb 2016 at 2:17pm |
Actually.. you will find the road wheel won't mount where the spare is carried. Since the tires are only a year or two old, I wouldn't worry about changing them yet. Pull the flat, take it and have it repaired.
Most trailer tires are made in China. Not a thing we can do about it. Tire "discussions" are rarely civil, so I stay out of them. Your current tires have a 4 digit date code on the sidewall, in an oval, it's tells the week and year they were made. Most recommend a 5 year life span, no matter how good they look. Some say 6, a few 7.. We changed at 5 1/2.
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Don Halas
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Joined: 01 Jul 2015
Location: Connecticut
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Posts: 190
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Posted: 04 Feb 2016 at 6:23pm |
Thanks for the responses.
These tires (Ridgway Sport Power Towing) must be some generic sh*t. I tried finding dealers or somewhere I can take the tire in the event there is any warranty adjustment (they Pod was new July, 2015). Hard to find these anywhere or even some information about them.
So I'm going to take the tire to my local Firestone. If it's a road hazard I'll fix at my expense. Otherwise I'd like to know how Forest River will handle an exchange/credit. I certainly don't want to use the spare on the trailer and then travel to the dealer without a spare. Especially considering the dealer is in PA and I'm in CT. I can't believe that FR used something with questionable quality and no type of customer support.
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Don Halas
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Joined: 01 Jul 2015
Location: Connecticut
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Posts: 190
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Posted: 06 Feb 2016 at 6:04pm |
I put the spare on the trailer today. Didn't have much difficulty finding somewhere to put the jack on the frame.
My bottle jack did not extend properly. We go the flat off a max height, but had to mess around with blocks and such to get the full tire on.
So I'm planning on getting a new one for travel as I don't want to be carrying a ton of blocks and messing around like this on the road.
Anyone know off hand what the best maximum height is for a bottle jack. I want to be sure its still short enough to get under the Pod without problems.
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CharlieM
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Nov 2012
Location: N. Colorado
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Posts: 1797
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Posted: 06 Feb 2016 at 7:41pm |
Measure carefully before you buy a jack. The challenge is finding a jack that will fit under with a flat tire and still jack high enough to put the new tire on. Bottle jacks don't usually have a high enough extended-to-retracted ratio. For that reason I went with a scissor jack.
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Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD
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Pod People
Senior Member
Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
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Posts: 1078
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Posted: 07 Feb 2016 at 8:55am |
We had a flat and also found that our jack would would not fit under the frame when the tire was flat. We ended up buying a small floor jack ( 1 1/2 ton)from Harbor Freight for about $75 when it was on sale. This model is only about 3 1/2" tall. I think this is the model http://www.harborfreight.com/15-ton-compact-aluminum-racing-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-60569.html we store it in the front dinette storage area. I have used it and it seems to work fine. I positioned it under the axle riser.
Vann
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Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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Don Halas
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Joined: 01 Jul 2015
Location: Connecticut
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Posts: 190
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Posted: 07 Feb 2016 at 9:44am |
Thanks.
A floor jack would be the ultimate, but I don't see carrying one on the road. Too big and heavy and not something that I'd hope would be used often if at all.
I'll look into the scissors jack, otherwise I guess I'll just cut a strategically sized block(s) and have to take to passes when raising the Pod back up before putting the inflated tire back on.
Thank you again.
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Tars Tarkas
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Joined: 14 Jan 2013
Location: Near Nashville
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Posts: 1447
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Posted: 07 Feb 2016 at 10:06am |
WalMart has a mini floor jack for about $25 if I remember right. Works great for the purpose. The whole thing is about the size of a breadbasket maybe. Might be a little bigger than a scissors jack, but it's a lot easier to use.
TT
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser
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Pod People
Senior Member
Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
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Posts: 1078
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Posted: 07 Feb 2016 at 10:59am |
look at the specs for the floor jack that I listed-it's only 31 pounds and compact. It works well and is easier to use and more stable than a scissors jack Vann
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Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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