# Our Camping Experience Last Weekend (long Story).



## Herbicidal

Well we had quite a start to our weekend (past). I was planning to meet my parents at a campground in the small town of Mineral, CA for two nights of camping and hiking. A couple of weeks ago, I had new tires and rims installed onto our Outback 26RS. This was the first trip with the new combo.

We loaded up the trailer and truck, hooked them up and then my daughter, brother-in-law and my sister joined me in the truck for the 3 Â½ hour drive. We stopped in Red Bluff for a gas stop and I walked around the entire truck and trailer as I always do looking for anything out of place. All looked OK. We left Red Bluff and headed east on highway 36.

About 25 miles east of Red Bluff I felt a strong â€œclunkâ€. I looked in the driverâ€™s side rear view mirror and thought I saw a single spark. It was now completely dark and I wasnâ€™t sure if my eyes were tricking me. I kept looking in both rear view mirrors but I didnâ€™t see anything else. The â€œclunkâ€ still bothered me, however, there were no safe places to pull over. This is a two-lane highway for the most part with little to no shoulder. I could not â€œfeelâ€ that anything was wrong and continued on @ 50 mph still looking for a safe pull over spot. All of a sudden the truck gave a tremendous lurch and sparks started flying out on the passenger side of the trailer. I applied the brakes and managed to get everything stopped safely. I was now about 1/3 off the road and 2/3â€™s on it. Basically blocking the entire lane. My brother-in-law was looking in the passenger side mirror and yelled â€œFIRE!â€. I looked back and saw that the sparks from the trailer had ignited the dry weeds on the side of the road! We all jumped out of the truck and my sister took my daughter to a safe location just up from the truck and I grabbed the fire extinguisher from my truck and started running back down the road. My brother-in-law tried calling 911, but he had no reception on his cell phone. I made it to the fire and managed to put it out with the extinguisher before it ran out of flame retardant. By this time my brother-in-law had reached me and helped to stamp out the last bit of embers.

At this point, I still had no idea what had happened. My first concern, after the safety of my passengers was the fire. Two passing cars stopped to lend assistance and someone else was able to call for a fire truck. While heading back to the truck and trailer I came across one of the tires and rims from the trailer. It was intact but somewhat banged up. When I finally made it back to the trailer I discovered to my horror that BOTH wheels on the passenger side of the trailer were gone! As near as I could tell, the wheel studs had sheared off. There was damage down the side of the trailer from the wheel or wheels as they came off the trailer. A CDF (California Dept. of Forestry) fire truck arrived after about 15 minutes. They were pleased that I was able to put out the fire. They started providing traffic control while I tried to figure out what to do. I climbed up on a small ridge and I was able to get cell phone reception. I called my parents first since they were expecting us, then I called my wife. My parents drove down from the campground, about 15 miles away, and picked up my daughter and my sister and took them back to the campground. The CHP (California Highway Patrol) did not arrive for almost an hour and a half. Too many other calls and not enough units. So in the meantime, the CDF crew (4 people) provided traffic control while attempting to get a mobile mechanic or a tow truck to our location. CHP tried as well, with no luck. We knew the trailer had to be moved off the road so we started thinking of ways to do it. We had a bunch of firewood in the back of the truck, so we thought about using the biggest chunks of oak to act as a â€œskidâ€ under the axles on the damaged side. I jacked up the trailer and placed the largest chunks in two places under the leaf springs. About this time a CAL-TRANS sign truck showed up and the gentleman suggested moving the left front wheel over to the right rear so that we would have two operational wheels on the same axle!







Sometimes you just need another set of eyes to look at a situation. Since the wheel studs were sheared off, we had to move the whole drum assembly from the left front to the right rear. This was accomplished fairly easily by removing the dust cap, cotter pin, castle nut and then the drum. Now we had wheels on the rear axle, both sides. We hooked up my truck again, I had unhooked it thinking the trailer was going to be towed with a dolly setup of some kind, and double-checked our work.

One CDF person walked on each side of the trailer monitoring the wheels for any signs of stress. They were followed by the CDF fire truck, and two CHP cars and then the CAL-TRANS sign truck all with lights flashing. Quite a parade! I drove along @ 3 mph for about a 1/3 mile to a possible pullout. It was not a good spot. Ultimately, I had a CHP escort for 3 miles (at a whopping 10 mph) up to a vista point turnout and thatâ€™s where we parked the trailer for the night. My brother-in-law, my sister and I ended up sleeping in the trailer that night just to make sure no one messed with it. I finally crawled into my sleeping bag at 1:30 am.

Saturday we worked on the repairs. My brother-in-law and I put the trailer fully up on blocks and removed all 4 drums. We decided to replace all 20 wheel studs since we had no idea why the first wheel failed. We never did find that wheel and tire combo. Iâ€™m sure the second wheel failed because it was the only one holding up the load on that side. It took the better part of 6 hours and about a dozen auto parts stores to finally come up with 20 wheel studs. We even stopped by Dan Gamelâ€™s RV superstore and the parts department didnâ€™t even carry wheel studs!!! A small trailer shop in Cottonwood, CA named Halco Trailer Works removed the old studs and pressed in the new ones. They also came up with new grease seals, and dust caps.

We finally had all the parts we needed and headed back to the trailer, now some 40 miles away. We made the repairs in about 45 minutes, I even had high temp wheel bearing grease so we repacked all the wheel bearings while we were at it. We used the spare and put back on the 2nd wheel that had come off. Our one remaining concern was that the bottom of the U-bolts that hold the axle to the leaf springs were ground down pretty far. However, they were still attached. We stopped about every 10 miles to check their condition and they held together just fine. The one wheel that came off that we did find had a slow air leak, but I was able to inflate it periodically using my trucks on-board air compressor.

We finally pulled into our original destination @ 5 pm on Saturday. We cooked dinner and enjoyed each otherâ€™s company. Sunday morning we did the breakfast thing and drove into Lassen park for a 2 mile round trip hike. Trying to salvage something from the weekend! We left the campground for home @ 3pm. We finally made it safely home by 7:45pm. I only needed to air the tire up once at about the halfway point.

I need to call the dealership today and order a new fender along with 4 new U-bolts and the related hardware. Iâ€™ve already spoke with Americaâ€™s Tire Company and they are ordering two new rims and two new tires for me. I can do the remaining work myself. Thankfully, allâ€™s well that ends well. It sure could have been a lot worse.

*A huge THANK YOU* to the following folks for staying with me and coming up with solutions:

*Marty Mills*: CAL-TRANS, he just jumped right in and helped with the repairs.
*Ed Hersom Jr*: Sergeant for the CHP. Stayed with me and provided protection from the rear with his patrol car for the agonizingly slow 3 mile drive to the vista point.
*CHP officer #2*: I did not get his name but he helped with the trailer repair and finding safe turnouts to let traffic by.
*Jason Morris*: CDF Captain and his crew who were the first to arrive and stayed with us for over 3 Â½ hours. They provided Gatorade for us to drink and even called personal friends to try and find someone to help with the repairs.
*Eric*: Halco Trailer Works who even offered to drive up to the trailer some 30 miles away to help with the repairs if we needed him. He also installed the wheel studs and grease seals.

All of these folks went above and beyond to make sure we were safe during this entire ordeal and helped with the repairs in one way or another.

I have since called Keystone and they gave me the number for Al-Ko in Elkhart Indiana. I explained what happened and they asked me to send some sample of the wheel studs for hardness testing. He also explained that when the new rims and tires were installed, the tire shop may have over torqued the lug nuts. I am currently trying to find the manufacturers torque specs for my rims.

Here's a link to some pictures I took of what happend.

What a weekend!


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## FridayYet?

That's an amazing story.
I'm glad everyone was safe.

I'm not sure I could have made all the repairs that you did.
This is another great reminder to check the torque on the tires .

Thanks!
Mike


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## H2oSprayer

WOW, what a story. I happy to hear that everyone was okay and that you were able to find the needed assistance to get you back on the road. You see, there are still a few good people out there!!


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## N7OQ

I;m so glad everyone os ok and nothing worst happened. We has a similar experience with a tent trailer.

We had been camping a Bucks lake and we had just had the tires changed before the trip. On the way home we were on a back road that goes to Lake Oroville HWY 162 I think. There was a guy behind that kept flashing his lights but he was staying way back so just though he was having electrical problems. Well we finally go to a straight stretch and the guy came up beside us and yelled something about out trailer tires so we came to a stop by a country store. When I got out I noticed the tire was being held on by only one stud and it was about to go and the rest were gone.

I disconnected the trailer and headed into Oroville and tried to find some studs and lug nuts. My studs thread into my hub and no one had them, (it was a Sunday) but at a Kragen Auto I guy noticed that he threads were the same a a Volkswagen. The VW lug nuts are a one piece stud and nut so I went back and they worked like a champ. Got us home OK then I bought a new hub, tire and rim.

I found out that this happens a lot with trailers after a wheel is removed and replaced. Now I check and recheck all the time and if a wheel has been off I tighten it after about 20 miles and again at every stop.


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## Kenstand

Whew!!!

Thanks for sharing your adventure weekend tale. It is great everyone is safe and that so many good people were there for you.

I admire your savvy at making those repairs in a terrible situation. Good job.


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## Fire44

That is quite the story....glad that everything worked out and no one was hurt.

And a hats off to all that stopped to help.

Gary


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## California Jim

Un...believeable. Glad you and the family are OK.

Jim.


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## ED_RN

Glad to hear you were all ok, the trailer was still servicable and you able to still spend some enjoyable time with your family. 
Had kind of the same thing happen. Changed the tires on my tent trailer to make sure the trip went ok. One of the valve stems blew out of the rim just after we entered Seqoia. Much easier fix. Just put he spare on with the 10 year old tire and made it through the whole trip.


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## Oregon_Camper

Wow...that is truely an amazing story. Glad everyone was safe.


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## egregg57

My Hat's off to you. Outstanding job of keeping control of a very bad situation! And a good story for those to read who wonder..."what if"?!

Glad you and your family are safe and all is okay!

Eric


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## Moosegut

Wow! That is amazing. I'm glad everyone was safe. It could have been much worse, as you know. You were fortunate that the TT didn't sustain more damage. And that fire could have easily gotten pretty bad. It was good you got to it when you did. We're heading out Thursday night for an extended holiday weekend. Now, I'll be checking my lug nuts before I go.

Scott


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## MaeJae

Thank God that everything turned out OK!

MaeJae


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## CamperAndy

Good ending. I lost a tire when I first got the trailer and it still towed straight and true. Had to be flagged down and told about the problem.

Arm chair quarterback here but it sounds like the studs were over torqued. Now I have to go check mine!!!


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## PDX_Doug

WOW Herb! You really know how to show a girl a good time! Kind of wasted on your sister though.








That was quite a story! I'm glad all turned out well, and you were able to salvage as much of the weekend as you did. Maybe next trip, you can try for a little more relaxed getaway!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## bentpixel

Glad everyone is safe. 
Makes me want to save my pennies for one of those tire pressure monitors.


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## Kenstand

Herb,
Could you tell if the lugnuts came loose or were they over torqued stressing the studs until they cracked? Were any lugnuts still attached to the breakaway wheel?

Just curious.


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## mswalt

What a tale! I'm sure glad it wasn't me.......And I'm glad y'all are OK and survived to tell us about it.

I commend you for remaining calm and handling the situation as you did.

May your next trip be "uneventful."

Mark


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## Herbicidal

Kenstand said:


> Herb,
> Could you tell if the lugnuts came loose or were they over torqued stressing the studs until they cracked? Were any lugnuts still attached to the breakaway wheel?
> 
> Just curious.


First of all, THANKS everyone for your care and concern! I learned quite a bit during the whole ordeal. I now see how easy it is to lube the wheel bearings.









Regarding lugnuts and torque, I did not find a single lug nut and all the studs have that "sheared off" look. I contacted AL-KO asking if they were interested in examining some of the studs. They said yes. I'll be shipping examples of the broken ones along with ones that were still intact. They will perform a hardness test. The gentlemen at AL-KO suspects that the lug nuts were over torqued. So I have been trying to find out from the aftermarket wheel company what the recommended torque is for this application. They just responded via e-mail and said "_Thank you for your inquiry. We suggest that you set the torque to the amount that is recommended by the trailer manufacturer. Typically the amount is 100ftlbs._" I remember at America's Tire Co. when they were putting on the new rims and tires they were discussing the amount of torque and they agreed it was 100 ft lbs. I saw them start the lugs with an air gun, but then finished tightening them with a torque wrench. I would have really liked to have found the first rim and tire that came off to see if the tire had a blow out or did the studs just fail.

I have also ordered a replacement fender skirt from the dealership for $57.60. However, Keystone no longer makes my color fender skirt! So, I have an olive color one on order. Maybe I can paint it to match. We'll see. I'm also trying to get 4 new U-bolts, nuts and the lower plates that holds everything together. America's Tire Co has ordered new rims and tires and it appears they are going to replace them at no charge.

I'll let you know what the results of the hardness test are when I hear back from AL-KO. In the meantime, I have another camping trip scheduled for Oct. 20-22nd. I have a torque wrench and you can sure bet that I will be pulling off all 4 wheels and re-torquing them myself!

Thanks again everyone.


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## willie226

What a story! Glad no one was hurt and thank God for all those who helped you. It is nice to know that there are still good people that will help you out there when traveling. Good luck with you repairs

willie


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## California Jim

I recently had to re-attach the trailer wheels and followed the instructions given by Keystone on that DVD they mailed out. I doubt that ANY tire shop would actually follow the 3 step process, but here is what Keystone / ALKO suggest:

Step 1 20-30#
Step 2 55-60#
Step 3 110-120#

After that they also reccomend stopping and checking torque at 10,25, and 50 miles. This is all obviously written by liability lawyers who are unconcerned with the practical application.


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## PDX_Doug

I was just going to ask what the infamous DVD recommended, as I used mine for a door stop (Side note: Keystone Lug Nut DVD, NIB, For sale, Make offer). My dealer suggested 90-95lb-ft on my alloy wheels, so I keep them torqued to 92lb-ft.

Herb, if the first tire blew, I don't think those studs would have been likely to shear, unless you lost both wheels at the same time. And since you only found one. It is interesting that the second tire did not blow though. I would have guessed that the tire would fail before the studs.









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Herbicidal

Yeah, I'm thinking I will go with something in that range, i.e. 90-95lb-ft of torque since these are alloys as well. The tire/wheel combo I did find on the side of the road does not hold air overnight, so something happened to it. Could be a damaged bead or a slice. I'll take it in and have the tire shop figure that out.

I'm not real happy that the studs sheared, they are grade 8 afterall. For that reason alone, I thought it wise to replace ALL the studs at the same time. The new ones are grade 8 also.

California Jim - I'll try that process up to the 90-95lb-ft range when I have all the replacement rims and tires.

Thanks Willie.


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## CamperAndy

Once you lost the first wheel the second one on that side would have been over loaded (unless it was a 15" D rated tire) and could have a cut in the side wall inside the tire.

If the nuts were loose then there is almost no chance you would have lost all the studs. The only way is a MAJOR over torque or really soft studs.


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## tdvffjohn

I agree with Andy. The wheels you put on, were they aluminum or steel?

You handled the whole situation real well









My money is on air gun overtorgued, instead of a torgue wrench

John


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## Herbicidal

tdvffjohn said:


> I agree with Andy. The wheels you put on, were they aluminum or steel?
> 
> You handled the whole situation real well
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My money is on air gun overtorgued, instead of a torgue wrench
> 
> John


They are aluminum.

Thanks for the compliment. I tried to keep a level head and not freak out too much.









The new ones are 15" tires, but are travel trailer specific. I agree that once the first wheel came off (unknown as to why, most likely over torqued lug nuts) the load became too much for the 2nd wheel and off she went. I did a visual check in Red Bluff which was about 25 minutes before the failure, and there was nothing obvious such as loose lug nuts or a wheel out of alignment. With over torqued lug nuts I don't think I would have seen anything wrong.

It will be interesting to see what the "hardness" test by AL-KO reveals about the studs.


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## tdvffjohn

I have known of other lug failures with aluminum wheels including a friends car . They are easier to over torgue, but I do not know why. You are correct, you would have seen nothing. Al Ko will also be able to tell if they were stretched by overtorqing.


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## Reverie

Wow! What a story. I would hope we can all be as collected as you were. I am impressed first of all by you being able to stop that mess in a straight line. Putting out the fire was also heads-up. Finally, dealing with it to not let it ruin your weekend totally, that was great.

Just a thought from a fellow Tundra driver (and fellow TundraSolutions member), it sounds like you were able to let the truck handle the problem. Would additional wheelbase have made any difference? I ask these questions because of all the negative talk I hear from people concerning the towing abilities of our trucks.

Reverie


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## Herbicidal

Thank you for the compliment Reverie. I honestly don't know about the wheelbase length. A shorter wheelbase could have made it alot more challenging. From what I remember of those rather exciting 5-10 seconds, the Tundra handled it very well. Even though my truck is lifted about 7 inches higher than stock. I also attribute the safe handling to proper setup of the weight distributing hitch. No failure in the hitch or related hardware. The Prodigy brake controller worked like a champ with the the remaining wheels on the trailer. There really was no drama in getting it all stopped. Oh, except for the shower of sparks shooting out the right side of the trailer!!! Quite the visual at night.


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## socialstudiesmom

Wow. You handled everything amazingly well, and I'm glad there were some nice, helpful people around when you needed them. Thanks for sharing. You probably have saved one of us from a similiar mishap.


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## OVTT

Great job, glad your okay!


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## shake1969

Horrific! Although it sure could've been much worse. I'm glad everyone is okay.

I had a wheel come off a Honda Accord one time when the aluminum wheel broke apart. The nuts were still on the studs once I got her to a stop.

Good job at the repair.


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## Sluggo54

"I have also ordered a replacement fender skirt from the dealership for $57.60. However, Keystone no longer makes my color fender skirt! So, I have an olive color one on order. Maybe I can paint it to match.

I'll let you know what the results of the hardness test are when I hear back from AL-KO. In the meantime, I have another camping trip scheduled for Oct. 20-22nd. I have a torque wrench and you can sure bet that I will be pulling off all 4 wheels and re-torquing them myself!"

Man, you do know how to have a good time.

Inasmuch as noone can see both fenders at the same time - no big deal! Might be fun to leave them different colors and see if anyone ever notices. For years, I drove a car with one style wheelcovers on one side, and a different style on the other. No one, not even the guys at the tire store, ever mentioned it.

Torqueing them yourself can't hurt, but if they have already been over-torqued, the damage is done. Check the installer's work by setting your torque wrench 5-10 lbs HIGHER than spec, and see if the nuts move. If they do, back them off and seat them properly in stages. If they don't move - start pounding on tire guys' heads.

OTOH, I would think that for you, they would do it all by hand, no air wrench. I would!

Sluggo


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## RizFam

How frightening, sorry this happened, & glad no one was hurt.

Tami


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## Herbicidal

Thanks again folks for your care and concern. I do appreciate it. Hopefully this will not happen to any of you.



Sluggo54 said:


> Man, you do know how to have a good time.
> Sluggo


You don't know the half of it!


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## Mgonzo2u

I'm very sorry you had this experience.

I am also impressed that you are having the equipment tested for obvious reasoning.

What I gained from your story is that I NEED TO BUY A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO KEEP IN MY SUV (and one for our 2nd car) for cases like this. I obviously have one in the TT but I have ignorantly never carried a fire ext. in my vehicle. This story has forced me to see the light.

And for that, I thank you.


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## Herbicidal

You are quite welcome! I hope that everyone comes away with _*something*_ from my experience that makes all of us better and safer travelers while on the road. I can't say enough about being prepared.

By the way, I was provided a link to these folks: Doran tire pressure monitoring system. I'm looking at the 4 wheel version (it's toward the bottom of the web page) which runs about $390. It's totally wireless and reports back on the 4 tires individually. Yea, it almost $400, but with what I have invested in my _*family*_, truck and the Outback, it's a small price to pay. It certainly would have alerted me when the first wheel came off!

The Doran system has received high praises from one of my fellow Tundra and travel trailer owners.


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## PDX_Doug

I just found this pdf on Keystones web site regarding proper torque setting of the wheels. This is of course for the OEM wheels. If you have switched to alloys you will have to reduce the amount according to the wheel manufacturers recommendations.

Lug Nut Torque White Paper

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Herbicidal

Thanks Doug! I just printed out a copy.

Today after work, America's Tire Co gave me two new replacement rims with tires plus a 3rd brand new tire for the rim/tire combo that I did find all at no charge and the previous warranties carry over to all the new tires. So now I have a complete set of 5 matching rims (one slightly scuffed, but otherwise OK - will be used as the spare) and 5 brand new tires with the exception of about 250 miles round trip on 3 of them.


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## Reverie

Herbicidal said:


> Thanks Doug! I just printed out a copy.
> 
> Today after work, America's Tire Co gave me two new replacement rims with tires plus a 3rd brand new tire for the rim/tire combo that I did find all at no charge and the previous warranties carry over to all the new tires. So now I have a complete set of 5 matching rims (one slightly scuffed, but otherwise OK - will be used as the spare) and 5 brand new tires with the exception of about 250 miles round trip on 3 of them.


That was more than I thought they would do. That is great.

Reverie


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## need2mellowout

Mgonzo2u said:


> What I gained from your story is that I NEED TO BUY A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO KEEP IN MY SUV


I thought the exact same thing. Learn something new everytime I read these forums.

Glad everyone is OK. A scary situation in the day let alone at night. You really kept your composure congrats


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## Herbicidal

need2mellowout said:


> What I gained from your story is that I NEED TO BUY A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO KEEP IN MY SUV


I thought the exact same thing. Learn something new everytime I read these forums.

Glad everyone is OK. A scary situation in the day let alone at night. You really kept your composure congrats
[/quote]
Thank you!

I replaced the fire extinguisher in my truck this past Saturday. I bought it from Wal-Mart for @ $10 (Kidde brand). If I can find a good place to store a second in my truck, I will. I double checked the one in our Outback to make sure it's fully charged, and it is. We carry one in our mini-van as well.

You just never know what's around the next corner.


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## Herbicidal

Herbicidal said:


> By the way, I was provided a link to these folks: Doran tire pressure monitoring system. I'm looking at the 4 wheel version (it's toward the bottom of the web page) which runs about $390. It's totally wireless and reports back on the 4 tires individually. Yea, it almost $400, but with what I have invested in my _*family*_, truck and the Outback, it's a small price to pay. It certainly would have alerted me when the first wheel came off!
> 
> The Doran system has received high praises from one of my fellow Tundra and travel trailer owners.


I just placed my order for the 4 wheel system with the optional suction cup mount. $400 out the door with free shipping and no sales tax. Hopefully I'll get it before our next trip.

I'll start a new thread about it after I've had a chance to use it.


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## PDX_Doug

Herb,

I will be looking forward to your reviews of this system. It looks like the sensors just screw onto the valve stems. Is this correct? Or will you have to remount the wheels with the sensors inside? Also, do you know what kind of indication the display would give if you actually loose a wheel?

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Herbicidal

Hello Doug,

from what I understand, yes, the sensors screw onto the valve stems. You inflate the tires to the recommend psi, then screw on the sensor. They say it's about the size of a quarter. The neat thing is you can easily move the system from one vehichle to another. Nothing needs to be "hard wired". Here's a quote from the web site:

*"The monitor receives this signal and instantly compares the current tire pressure reading with the automatically set pressure level. When the Doran PressurePro Sensor sends a signal to the monitor detecting a 12.5% drop in tire pressure, both a visual and an audible signal are transmitted. With a flashing tire position light, an audible beep, as well as the flashing tire pressure, the operator knows which tire(s) is/are in need of attention. If the tire pressure drops to 25% below the automatically set pressure level, the operator will receive a rapid audible 'beeping' sound and a faster visual 'flashing' on the monitor*."

Here's a link to the install instructions. On the right side of the web page is a 'How it works' link which is where I copied the above info from.

I believe that if a sensor comes off, either by itself or with a wheel attached







you are also alerted. I could be wrong about this, but if the unit "knows" there were 4 sensors to start and now it's only reading 3, I would like to think some kind of warning would be displayed. I just can't find confirmation of that on the web site.


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## Herbicidal

I finally found a few minutes to post 4 pictures I took of the repairs and so forth. Here's a link to my photo album that contains the pictures. I'm still waiting for the replacement fender skirt to arrive, but that's really just cosmetic. The trailer worked just fine this past weekend and I racked up about 400 trouble free miles.


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## aplvlykat

Herb, sorry to hear about your mishap, glad everything worked out OK. This is a little late but I will post it for everyone's FYI. After doing some homework on the Al-KO axles I found that the 3 leaf springs are rated for 1375#/spring. So 1375 x 4 = 5500# total you add in the transfer tounge weight of 500# and you get the 6000# the TT is rated for. I also found that the axle can be upgraded to 4-leaf 1750# springs. So again 1750 x 4 = 7000# plus 500 tounge weight for a total of 7500#. The AL-KO service rep. told me that they are 4 leaf, 1750# rating and are 25 1/2" long x 1 3/4" wide and will fit with existing hardware and not exceed the axle max rating or have any effect on the brakes. 
One of these days I am going to upgrade to these springs they can be bought on the internet or locally for around $20.00 each. Again it is most likely to late and you have it back togethere but if you don't you may want to upgrade while you have it torn down. Kirk


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## klash

Herb and family:

First, glad you are all well. The rig can always be fixed.

I admire your ingenuity and resourcefulness. When I was in the Navy, I would have
killed for a dozen like you in my engine room repair crew.

Well done also to all those Good Samaritans who came to your assistance.

I also carry a large fire extinguisher after reading another story years ago, about a motor home
towing a dingy started a BIG fire in Idaho.

I have a 2005 Sydney Edition 28FRLS fifth wheel and bought it here in Canada. Last spring I received a CD with instructions on how to retorque wheel nuts according to factory specs. I went out and bought myself a torque wrench that would go up to 135 foot/lbs, a 1/2" drive 6" socket extension and the appropiate socket. I usually check torque every 1,000 miles when we are on the road.

I hope all your future trips will be more fun.

Bernie Klashinsky


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## Herbicidal

aplvlykat said:


> Herb and family:
> 
> First, glad you are all well. The rig can always be fixed.
> 
> I admire your ingenuity and resourcefulness. When I was in the Navy, I would have
> killed for a dozen like you in my engine room repair crew.
> 
> Well done also to all those Good Samaritans who came to your assistance.
> 
> I also carry a large fire extinguisher after reading another story years ago, about a motor home
> towing a dingy started a BIG fire in Idaho.
> 
> I have a 2005 Sydney Edition 28FRLS fifth wheel and bought it here in Canada. Last spring I received a CD with instructions on how to retorque wheel nuts according to factory specs. I went out and bought myself a torque wrench that would go up to 135 foot/lbs, a 1/2" drive 6" socket extension and the appropiate socket. I usually check torque every 1,000 miles when we are on the road.
> 
> I hope all your future trips will be more fun.
> 
> Bernie Klashinsky


Thank you as well Bernie. I just picked up the fender skirt replacement from the dealer today at lunch. I'll put it on this weekend. Other than a few remaining bumps and dings, she's just about as good as new







and I'm alot wiser to boot.


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## Herbicidal

I sent AL-KO examples of the sheared wheel studs along with a couple of the original intact ones. According to UPS tracking, they received the package two weeks ago. I included a letter of explanation, etc. and to date I have not heard back from them. So I decided to call. The lady I spoke with this morning said they do have the package but have not yet evaluated the parts.







She thinks perhaps in another week or so. I'll post again after I hear back from them on their analysis.


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## 7heaven

Herbicidal, Wow, great job on the recovery and repairs! Have you had the axles checked to make sure neither of them got bent in the mishap? One of our axles was bent and caused very uneven wear on one of our tires. Fortunately, we caught it in time.


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## Herbicidal

7heaven said:


> Herbicidal, Wow, great job on the recovery and repairs! Have you had the axles checked to make sure neither of them got bent in the mishap? One of our axles was bent and caused very uneven wear on one of our tires. Fortunately, we caught it in time.


Thanks 7heaven! No, I have not. I am taking the Outback into the dealer this coming Saturday for an unrelated issue. I'll see if they can examine them while it's there. Thanks for the suggestion.


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## Herbicidal

Herbicidal said:


> I sent AL-KO examples of the sheared wheel studs along with a couple of the original intact ones. According to UPS tracking, they received the package two weeks ago. I included a letter of explanation, etc. and to date I have not heard back from them. So I decided to call. The lady I spoke with this morning said they do have the package but have not yet evaluated the parts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> She thinks perhaps in another week or so. I'll post again after I hear back from them on their analysis.


Well I finally received a response:

"_I have been instructed to notify you of the findings on the wheel studs that you sent in. The hardness check was fine. As this is not a manufacturing defect and we are unable to consider this for warranty. Thank you_"

I asked if they had determined WHY they had failed and received this response:

"_All I can tell you is that usually it it an issue of torque, either too loose or too tight. And sometimes it can be a rim issue also. The studs should be torqued to the manufactures specification, and with a torque wrench. I hope this help._"

Not really any new info. I guess I was hoping for a little more detail. Oh well.


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## skippershe

For arguments sake, if they WERE torqued to manufacturers specs, then why did they fail? The words "usually" and "sometimes" still don't tell you what happened.

I'm sure that was not the answer you were looking for. Are you going to accept their findings and go on or try to fight it???

I'm rooting for you!
Dawn


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## PDX_Doug

Herb,

Well... Not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure. But probably to be expected. Fortunately, it sounds like the other parties that have been involved in picking up the pieces (i.e.: America's Tire Company) have been more than fair, so I guess it all evens out in the wash. This would probably be a tough one to prove one way or the other in court, so I guess I would just chalk it up to experience and move on.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## cookie9933

Regarding the question of the wheel studs "hardness" (or lack of) causing the shear failure, other material properties are as important. The steel must have the correct tensile strength, which is not the same as hardness.

Bill


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## tdvffjohn

Can you ask them to see a written copy of the report and evaluation







from the authorized and experienced lab.


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## Herbicidal

skippershe said:


> Can you ask them to see a written copy of the report and evaluation
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> from the authorized and experienced lab.


Tempting, very tempting!


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