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Have You Done Any Mods? |
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offgrid 
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Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
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 Topic: Have You Done Any Mods?Posted: 29 Jan 2023 at 10:25am |
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I don't think there is any legal restriction on the use of LT tires on a travel trailer. I couldnt find anything like that in a quick Internet search. If someone has found such a restriction please share it.
Barring that, I think you can use LT tires on a TT if they are properly inflated, meet the load rating on your trailer sticker, and are mounted on wheels that also are properly rated. I'm sure many tens if not hundreds of thousands of LT tires are in trailer use, including ones put there by the OEMs. The reverse isnt true, ST tires are limited to trailer use only so you shouldnt mount those on your pickup truck. I agree with the other posts though that question why you would want to use LTs on a trailer, other than cuz they look cool. Due to more aggressive tread patterns (for drive wheel traction) and lower sidewall stiffness (for passenger comfort) the LTs will also have higher rolling resistance. STs don't need and aren't designed with either of these things in mind. They are designed to carry load while using as little fuel as possible. That's what you need on a travel trailer. I guess maybe if you really felt you needed better braking action for your trailer in snow or mud maybe you might opt for LTs on a TT, but good luck to you if you are counting on your trailer brakes and tires to keep you from sliding down that mountain.... |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Marvin
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Joined: 21 Jan 2023 Location: Gig Harbor, WA Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 7:10pm |
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Yes to all that and I'll add... the best attorney that presents their case. I'm always reminded of the justice stature with the blindfold.
Lovely country where you are at.
BTW... I use to be a photographer for Insurance claims, and law enforcement at one time early in my life. |
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Marv
2019 RP178 Highly Modified 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Turbo Charger |
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Marvin
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Joined: 21 Jan 2023 Location: Gig Harbor, WA Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 7:00pm |
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Your on.
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Marv
2019 RP178 Highly Modified 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Turbo Charger |
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gpokluda
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Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: East Idaho Online Status: Offline Posts: 510 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 6:39pm |
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@LA, no argument with your points which is why, as I stated earlier, I will be staying with ST tires on our new trailer. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation today. You both have a great evening. If we are to ever meet, the first round is on me.
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Honda SCL500 |
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lostagain
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Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 6:28pm |
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Marv, if you go with the tire manufacturer's recommendation, you'll be in a strong position. On the other hand, thinking as a devious defense lawyer, if you run LT tires on a trailer and end up in a lawsuit because of a tire issue, you can be sure the trailer manufacturer will claim that the LT tires they mounted on the trailer were fine and that it was all your fault. Sadly, in the legal business, the blame game runs wild and everyone get dirt thrown on them.
I'd be delighted to cross paths for a visit. We left the far west smoke for the green east coast, but my heart is still in the forests of the west. By an odd set of circumstances that I won't go into here, I was born in Seattle but went south to CA at a very young age.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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Marvin
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Joined: 21 Jan 2023 Location: Gig Harbor, WA Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 6:10pm |
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Thanks Fred for that information. Sounds like the bottom legal line is... go with the MFG's recommendations. That way I only have to worry about what I do on my own.
Again... Many thanks for your input... hope I never run into you (sorry I could resist, pun intended).
In realty I hope we do get to meet up sometime out there. You ever get to the NW look us up we know all the great places (that goes for everyone here)? We will just be doing local outings now. |
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Marv
2019 RP178 Highly Modified 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Turbo Charger |
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lostagain
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Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 5:49pm |
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If you use load range D ST tires the max pressure is 65 lbs. If you use higher load range, there is no requirement that you max out on the pressure as long as you have enough air in the tire to have the tread pressing evenly on the pavement and the side walls adequately supported.
Marv' it's not an issue of being "legal" or "illegal," but rather an issue of making your self legally liable if something goes wrong. You can put any tire on a trailer that you like, but if you have an accident, someone like me -- before I retired -- would end up defending you at the request of your insurance company for negligence and the company would probably pay a lot of money in your behalf, only to squeeze it out of you later as your loss history would be a lot worse. If it was incredibly gross negligence, then there could be liability for criminal negligence but you'd need a different kind of lawyer than the tort defense practice I had. gpokluda, there are all kinds of engineers just like there are all kinds of other professionals. I wouldn't have my gastroenterologist do a heart valve replacement on me and have high expectations of a successful surgery. ... and I probably wouldn't like the approach to my heart s/he might attempt. I used to defend tire companies and worked with some very capable engineers whose specialty involved tire design. Those are the kind of engineers I'm talking about. A software engineer or electronic engineer may not really fit the bill. I doubt any real tire engineer would recommend using LT or P tires on a trailer carrying the weight of the typical travel trailer, even the light weight ones. As for dealers and travel trailer companies putting on LT tires for show, the'll need a pretty good lawyer to wiggle out of the law suit when the tire engineer says the tire makes the trailer defective and the rules of product liability are applied. If one sells a defective product and someone gets hurt, there is strict liability. The difficulty for the plaintiff's attorney is proving the defect, as opposed to driving 90 with a trailer on a bumpy road, was the cause of the crash. If I were a corporate lawyer for FR or another trailer company, which thankfully I'm not, I'd caution against putting LT tires on trailers. If they want the gnarly look, get some of the Westlakes I linked to above, and charge $500 more for the trailer. |
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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lostagain
Senior Member
Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 5:49pm |
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If you use load range D ST tires the max pressure is 65 lbs. If you use higher load range, there is no requirement that you max out on the pressure as long as you have enough air in the tire to have the tread pressing evenly on the pavement and the side walls adequately supported.
Marv' it's not an issue of being "legal" or "illegal," but rather an issue of making your self legally liable if something goes wrong. You can put any tire on a trailer that you like, but if you have an accident, someone like me -- before I retired -- would end up defending you at the request of your insurance company for negligence and the company would probably pay a lot of money in your behalf, only to squeeze it out of you later as your loss history would be a lot worse. If it was incredibly gross negligence, then there could be liability for criminal negligence but you'd need a different kind of lawyer than the kind of practice I had. gpokluda, there are all kinds of engineers just like there are all kinds of other professionals. I wouldn't have my gastroenterologist do a heart valve replacement on me and have high expectations of a successful surgery. ... and I probably wouldn't like the approach to my heart s/he might attempt. I used to defend tire companies and worked with some very capable engineers whose specialty involved tire design. Those are the kind of engineers I'm talking about. A software engineer or electronic engineer may not really fit the bill. I doubt any real tire engineer would recommend using LT or P tires on a trailer carrying the weight of the typical travel trailer, even the light weight ones. As for dealers and travel trailer companies putting on LT tires for show, the'll need a pretty good lawyer to wiggle out of the law suit when the tire engineer says the tire makes the trailer defective and the rules of product liability are applied. If one sells a defective product and someone gets hurt, there is strict liability. The difficulty for the plaintiff's attorney is proving the defect, as opposed to driving 90 with a trailer on a bumpy road, was the cause of the crash. If I were a corporate lawyer for FR or another trailer company, which thankfully I'm not, I'd caution against putting LT tires on trailers. If they want the gnarly look, get some of the Westlakes I linked to above, and charge $500 more for the trailer. And
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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Marvin
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Joined: 21 Jan 2023 Location: Gig Harbor, WA Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 4:36pm |
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So let me see if i get this straight... your an engineer and your telling me this. Ok.. I bit.
Thanks for the information. 65 it is.
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Marv
2019 RP178 Highly Modified 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Turbo Charger |
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Linda&Gino
Newbie 
Joined: 04 Jun 2017 Location: New Mexico Online Status: Offline Posts: 32 |
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Posted: 28 Jan 2023 at 4:12pm |
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@Marv, Forest River recommended 65psi in the LT tires. They strongly discouraged 80psi because the wheels on the Rpod are not rated at that pressure. Furthermore, when we had the tires installed at one of the tire shops that serviced RV dealers, they would not install an 80psi tire valve for the same reason. The standard tire valve found on most passenger cars, pickups and travel trailer is rated at 65psi max.
@LA, ask an engineer anything and you will usually get a lot of explanation but nothing definitive. I know because I work with engineers everyday and I, myself, am a recovering engineer.
 FWIW, I don't think any of us plan to travel in bad weather, but sometimes it happens. |
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gpokluda
2017 Rpod R179 SOLD! 2022 Escape 5.0 TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 EB3.5 Triumph T120 Bonneville |
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