ChuckW
Active Member
- Mar 6, 2009
- 1,487
- Boat Info
- 2007 RoadKing Tri-Axle Trailer towed by a 2013 Yukon XL K2500
- Engines
- 496 MAG Bravo III
Well, we completed our usual haul down to FL for April break. And as usual, it was full of fun....
First, this year we have a new '10 Suburban. See the notes on the tow vehicle experience here, http://www.clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29123, if interested.
As with one of my hauls last year, http://www.clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20400, the Carlisle trailer tires continue to fail one by one.
We are running through SC at about 72MPH when I hear the "pop". I don't say anything, but immediately my wife turns to me and says, "did a tire just blow?" Yes, honey I say as I begin to pull over. However I'm thinking I'm impressed that she is now getting "in tune" with the whole experience of towing and is "aware" of things.
So I pull over and sure enough one of the last 3 remaining Carlisle tires is blown. I have one Carlisle as a spare and one on the other side at this moment. I've been switching over to Goodyear Marathon's one by one and have not had any issues with those so far. So I remove the blown wheel, install the Carlise spare and we are back on the road in 30 minutes. I'm getting good at this tire changing thing. :smt013
So as we start out, my wife says, "shouldn't we find a place to get a new tire for a spare just in case?" Sure, if we can find a place along 95 that won't take us out of our way. It's now 4:30pm on Saturday, what are the chances of finding a new Goodyear Marathon trailer tire in an odd size ready to go sitting on the side of 95 in front of us I say? :huh:
So I charge my oldest son with the task of finding Goodyear Tire shops along our route using his mobile phone's browser and we begin calling. First one I call doesn't have it, but they show 1 tire remaining at a partner site a little further south. I said I'd take it, but when do they close. Well they close at 6pm, it's 4:30 and they are about an hour south of us. So we have time right?
About 30 minutes later, another pop. The spare I just put on now blows. I have no spare and am forced to run on 2 tires on the right side (tri-axle) at 35mph until the next exit. I pull off and find a gas station and drop the boat, wife and oldest son to babysit the boat. Then I high tail it to the tire shop (I was passing everything, even the cops) and arrive to the tire shop 15 minutes before they close. They put the new tire on my rim and I head back north to where I left the boat and wife and son...:smt101:smt101:smt101
Put on the new tire and off we go with still no spare, but at least 6 good ones on. However, due to tire failures we are now 2-1/2 hours delayed on our journey. We drive as far as I can into the night. Midnight approaches and we are still 3 hours away from home in FL. So we spend a second night in a hotel and finish the trip in the morning.
We arrive by 11am and I immediately wash the boat (gotta get all the road grime off) and prep for launch. By 1pm we launched the boat. My two boys and I spend the afternoon burnin' fuel as it was raining and the girls wanted to stay high and dry back at the house. No pics, as this was a time for no technology, just me, my boys, the boat and some great memories as we cruised our beloved waters here in FL on a very rainy day, listening to 70s on 7 on Sirius. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Wouldn't have it any other way!!!
First, this year we have a new '10 Suburban. See the notes on the tow vehicle experience here, http://www.clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29123, if interested.
As with one of my hauls last year, http://www.clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20400, the Carlisle trailer tires continue to fail one by one.
We are running through SC at about 72MPH when I hear the "pop". I don't say anything, but immediately my wife turns to me and says, "did a tire just blow?" Yes, honey I say as I begin to pull over. However I'm thinking I'm impressed that she is now getting "in tune" with the whole experience of towing and is "aware" of things.
So I pull over and sure enough one of the last 3 remaining Carlisle tires is blown. I have one Carlisle as a spare and one on the other side at this moment. I've been switching over to Goodyear Marathon's one by one and have not had any issues with those so far. So I remove the blown wheel, install the Carlise spare and we are back on the road in 30 minutes. I'm getting good at this tire changing thing. :smt013
So as we start out, my wife says, "shouldn't we find a place to get a new tire for a spare just in case?" Sure, if we can find a place along 95 that won't take us out of our way. It's now 4:30pm on Saturday, what are the chances of finding a new Goodyear Marathon trailer tire in an odd size ready to go sitting on the side of 95 in front of us I say? :huh:
So I charge my oldest son with the task of finding Goodyear Tire shops along our route using his mobile phone's browser and we begin calling. First one I call doesn't have it, but they show 1 tire remaining at a partner site a little further south. I said I'd take it, but when do they close. Well they close at 6pm, it's 4:30 and they are about an hour south of us. So we have time right?
About 30 minutes later, another pop. The spare I just put on now blows. I have no spare and am forced to run on 2 tires on the right side (tri-axle) at 35mph until the next exit. I pull off and find a gas station and drop the boat, wife and oldest son to babysit the boat. Then I high tail it to the tire shop (I was passing everything, even the cops) and arrive to the tire shop 15 minutes before they close. They put the new tire on my rim and I head back north to where I left the boat and wife and son...:smt101:smt101:smt101
Put on the new tire and off we go with still no spare, but at least 6 good ones on. However, due to tire failures we are now 2-1/2 hours delayed on our journey. We drive as far as I can into the night. Midnight approaches and we are still 3 hours away from home in FL. So we spend a second night in a hotel and finish the trip in the morning.
We arrive by 11am and I immediately wash the boat (gotta get all the road grime off) and prep for launch. By 1pm we launched the boat. My two boys and I spend the afternoon burnin' fuel as it was raining and the girls wanted to stay high and dry back at the house. No pics, as this was a time for no technology, just me, my boys, the boat and some great memories as we cruised our beloved waters here in FL on a very rainy day, listening to 70s on 7 on Sirius. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Wouldn't have it any other way!!!
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