Flat Tire
Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7411
Printed Date: 28 Apr 2024 at 6:11pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Flat Tire
Posted By: Don Halas
Subject: Flat Tire
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2016 at 11:29am
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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 |
Replies:
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2016 at 11:58am
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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.
------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2016 at 2:17pm
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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. ------------- |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2016 at 6:23pm
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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. |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 06 Feb 2016 at 6:04pm
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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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Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 06 Feb 2016 at 7:41pm
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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.
------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2016 at 8:55am
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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 ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9"> 
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Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2016 at 9:44am
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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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Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2016 at 10:06am
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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 ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2016 at 10:59am
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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 ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9">
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Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 10:17am
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I took the tire to my local Firestone Service Center. They said there's no problem with the tire, the rim has a hole in it.
I'm hoping FR will send a replacement to my home so I can have the tire mounted to the new rim before I travel. I have a warranty service scheduled with the dealer at the end of March to replace the brake lights which fill with water. I can give them the bad rim then. We'll see how it works out with FR. I'll post more if the situation warrants. |
Posted By: Craneman
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 11:41am
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We bought a floor jack @ Walmart with a plastic carrying case 25-30 $ tested it and works great .trick of changing a flat on our pod is getting a jack under the riser when the tire is flat. Problem solved with the floor jack. One benefit of the plastic carrying case is if the hydraulic oil leaks a little it will be contained in the case. Moe
------------- Jo and Gary, 2010-174,2011 F150 
Jo and Gary 2010 174 2011 Ford 150 |
Posted By: Happy Tripping
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 2:53pm
| I guess this must be a stupid question - Why not use the typical scissors jack that comes with the tow vehicle? My TV is 4000 lbs, 1/2 of a 171 is roughly 1200-1300 lbs, and the hitch would take up some of that trailer weight. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 2:56pm
Mostly because that jack is designed to latch or couple with a particular mounting point on the TV.. that point doesn't exist on the pod. ------------- |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 2:57pm
NOT the first holed rim we have heard of. FR has had no issues sending replacements so far as I can recall.. ------------- |
Posted By: Happy Tripping
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 3:41pm
--------- As I say, this must be a stupid question. On my TV the mounting point is an extended rectangle of body metal that fits into a slit in the jack. At first glance, inserting a thin square or rectangular steel plate, that extends slightly above the top of the jack's level, into the jack's slit would then enable the jack to raise the Rpod, lying on the top of the thin steel plate. If properly centered, stability would appear to depend on the contact between the ground and the jack's base, but that will always be true. The only reason I bring this up is that adding a small metal plate to the TV's jack kit is a lot simpler and more compact than adding a second jack, if the TV jack can actually handle the weight. Thank you for your help.
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Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 5:06pm
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" NOT the first holed rim we have heard of. FR has had no issues sending replacements so far as I can recall.. " I spoke to Jessica at FR this afternoon. They will NOT replace the rim without proof that there is indeed a leak. So I will have to buy a replacement to have shipped to me, then take the rim to Stoltzfus to validate that the hole exists and then they will tell FR to credit me. They're also being a little less forward in replacing brake lights filled with water. They say they replaced one of the two BEFORE I took possession of the R-Pod and need proof that both are having the problem. I had a discussion with them in October regarding this. So, right now I'm not particularly impressed with FR's efforts to correct warranty problems. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 7:19pm
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Well.. you have to admit, they need a dealer or personal contact with the issues to cover them as warranty.. Otherwise we would all be calling for "warranty" parts to be shipped to us at home.. the world honestly doesn't work that way. Since you don't have to take the whole trailer, maybe just run the rim/tire to your dealer? maybe bring some pictures of the flooded tail lights..? ------------- |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2016 at 8:21am
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I can understand why they don't want to be sending parts out without some assurance of a valid in-warranty issue. I do however have a couple of issues with this with my situations.
First, I was in Virginia in October at the time we noticed the lights filled with water. I live in Connecticut and the dealer I purchase from Stoltzfus RV is in Pennsylvania. The closest dealer to me in Virginia at the time was 1-1/2 hours away. I had several conversations with Jessica at FR because I did not want to have to drive any distance with no lights and was not sure if they would short under power. At that time she agreed to let me do what I needed to drain the water from them including drilling a hole in the lens. I would then hook the trailer up to test the lights. If the lights failed she was going to send new ones express to me at the campground for me to repair. Otherwise we would handle through the dealer at a later time which is what I am planning on doing. There is evidently an issue with the lights that they are aware of. The fact they replaced one of them on the trailer prior to me purchasing it should not be a reason for them to doubt me, but rather a reason to acknowledge the problem and replace with minimal discomfort to their customer. I would be happy to exchange the rim locally with an authorized agent for the trailer or the rim but there is none. I do not think I should be expected to travel 4 hours without a spare to get it to the dealer for service. I think because this is a safety issue other remedies should be offered. Both of these are travel and safety issues. I'm not worried that the refrigerator is beeping or that microwave doesn't work or that there are cosmetic issues in the trailer. Those types of issues could indeed be rectified by the dealer without concern. I do feel though that I have issues that are safety related and could be considered making the trailer not road worthy. I have no prior issues so I don't see why FR would not be more customer centric and try to resolve this and avoid unnecessary frustration. After all it was the trailer they built with parts they selected. |
Posted By: J&Jcf
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2016 at 4:49pm
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It's to bad the RV industry doesn't have manufactures like Toyota or Honda to force improvement of product like they did with the American auto industry. ------------- J. - 2011 rpod 171 |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2016 at 8:26pm
Comparing the automotive industry to the RV industry just doesn't work, for many reasons, including economy of scale. True fact, Honda makes more Civics an HOUR then FR makes Pods, annually. But there ARE high quality TT's out there, they just cost more money. A 15-17 foot Lance or CampLite costs 2-3 times as much as a Pod, an 15-17 foot Airstream costs 5-6 times as much. But they are better built, with better materials. The Pod is the least expensive TT in it's class. You get what you pay for. It's not perfect. But it gets the job done, and has everything you need. ------------- |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2016 at 10:15pm
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Furpod, Warren Buffet ought to hire you for his advertising team. Straight talk, no bull, and to the point. Just the opposite of what we are hearing during this election year. And by me posting this I am all the way up to 150 + posts.
------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2016 at 9:07am
Don't want to advertise for them, just want people to have an honest view of what they are dealing with. I mean, I want to pay $13K for a new Hyundai, and drive a Mercedes.. but it doesn't work that way anywhere in the real world. I want everything to be perfect, and everyone happy.. but I live in said real world, and know it doesn't always, and in fact seldom, happens. ------------- |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2016 at 9:23am
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Point well taken Mark. Didn't mean it as a slam but rather a compliment. Always enjoy your well thought out posts. Thank you. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: J&Jcf
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2016 at 11:58am
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some people didn't get the point I was trying to make ,but I will try to explain. I was not comparing rv to auto industry. I was stating that Toyota & Honda introduce a better product to the American market which forced the American auto manufactures to make a better product. I have been
RVing for 26 years and met all kinds of RVers(all makes& models; cheap & expensive;motorhomes & travel trailers) and many of them have experienced similar problems & same problems that new rvs have and most seems to do with poor quality control. I am fortunate because I have the skills and abilities to make my own repairs. I bought my rpod Used at a very good price . I personally do not buy new autos, motorcycles , or RVs. I don't take the depreciation hit and I find the vehicles come with problems either way (new or used). I don't experience the frustration of dealing with a warranty that won't be backed by a dealers or manufactures . I feel sorry for the first time rver who buys a product that has problems and ends up frustrated and disappointed. Even if its the cheapest product on the market.also remember : Yugo - cheap,crap,& gone. Toyota corolla & Honda civic - cheap ,good (now better) and still around . I like my rpod,but feel the workmanship is fair at best. I am glad I didn't buy a new one. ------------- J. - 2011 rpod 171 |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2016 at 12:06pm
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I also feel that my point may be misunderstood.
There is a difference in the type of support expected between things for comfort/appearance and things that effect the road worthiness of the trailer. Particularly when the problems are not unfamiliar with the factory. If the trailer is not safe to be handled on the road then FR should either help remedy the problem at the location of the trailer or they should incur the cost of getting that trailer to the service center they chose to do the warranty work. I understand that I bear some of the inconvenience born by a defect, but I think FR should make every attempt to minimize that. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2016 at 1:55pm
To address your concerns directly.. the wheel/tire holds air, correct? It took weeks or months to go flat, as I understand it. It will hold air long enough to get to the dealer, if you have to take the whole trailer. Or of course, you could mount the spare, after all FR provided one in case of need. the tail lights may have water in them, but they should still work.. hook up and see. I know mine did. If they don't, since you are already communicating with FR, e-mail them pictures I guess of the inoperable/flooded tail lights. I am just trying to help get your pod ready for the upcoming season.. before the rush that starts in a few weeks... ------------- |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2016 at 2:12pm
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"I am just trying to help get your pod ready for the upcoming season.. before the rush that starts in a few weeks..."
As am I. Thank you. I just ordered the replacement rim. Again, these are safety issues. I don't want to be driving a trailer 4 hours with a known defect in a wheel. I also don't want to be driving without lights. I wouldn't do either of those things in or out of warranty or even at my own expense. Again, I believe under the circumstances their warranty support is lacking but we'll see how it all plays out. I know I'm doing my part which has included several phone calls, pictures emailed and putting the cost of the replacement rim on the line. |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2016 at 9:16am
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Interesting also that the invoice for the part with sales tax is $107, with no shipping charge listed. The charge to my charge card was over $125 which I guess included shipping charges.
Let's see if they'll be honorable when they credit me for the return of the rim at $125 that I was charged, and not the $107 on the invoice. I paid to have the tire mounted locally and am not looking for a reimbursement but I believe that the shipping charges should be included in my credit. |
Posted By: Craneman
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2016 at 12:23pm
That's the one we bought and tested it twice,works great,comes in a plastic carrying case great in case of a oil leak. Doesn't take up much space, you don't have to get down on your knees to jack the trailer up. ------------- Jo and Gary, 2010-174,2011 F150
Jo and Gary 2010 174 2011 Ford 150 |