⚠️ RV DISASTER - CROSS COUNTRY TRIP FAIL - WHAT ELSE COULD GO WRONG? (FULL-TIME RV LIFE)
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- 😫 How many things can go wrong in one roadtrip?!
🚐 Victoria has chosen a new travel nurse contract, and we have 5 days to drive the RV back across the country to….? 👀 Guess you have to make it to the end of the video to find out!
We have generally been pretty lucky on the road- but all that was about to change!
✅ Changed balding tire with belt showing
✅ Replaced shackle link that was hanging by a thread!
✅ Blew the spare and had to leave the RV not the side of the road to go buy new tires
‼️ The worst problem was discovered once we arrived at our new destination, and may keep us off the road for a while 😬
🏞️ Despite our problems, we are excited to call Parker, AZ home for a few months. We are hoping to make the best of the situation- and if you have any advice, please drop it in the comments below!
👋 Hi! We are Thomas and Victoria, and we have been on the road as full-time RV'ers for 3 years. In that time, we have lived in 7 states and visited countless more! We love finding nature’s hidden gems, cute quirky towns and whatever fun activities we can find in the area. We are joined by our Adventure Puppies - Oreo and Barley - in our Kodiak Ultimate travel trailer. We aspire to be both fun and informative, and we hope you get some value out of our full-time RV living experience! Subscribe and follow along with our adventures, mistakes, and mishaps.
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🏞️ Project Good Start: • Project Good Start 2021
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🍁 S4 ALABAMA: • SEASON 4: ALABAMA
🏜️ S5 Back To Arizona: • Back To Arizona!
⛰ S6 OREGON SUMMER: • OREGON SUMMER
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THE RUBBER COMPOUNDS TIRES ARE MADE OF DETERIORATE WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME REGARDLESS OF USE. Tires have a shelf life. If a tire is over 7 years old and never been sold and mounted on a wheel it can't (shouldn't) be sold by any reputable tire shop. This is why they put the date of manufacture on the bead of every tire. A sitting and inactive tire will eventually go flat. Rubber tire compounds are breathable and just do that. Check the bead date of manufacture of your tires and if more than 7 years old and you plan on any extended trips, replace them with new ones. Also remember to pack your wheel bearings with grease and check all suspensions connection for tightness.
We definitely should have been better about maintaining our spare tire. A lesson learned for sure. Thanks for the good info 🙏
Actually the age varies by location. In southern Arizona tires typically last 5 yrs. The tread outlasts the tire. In places like Oregon they easily last 7 years.
Check with your insurance and see what they will cover. Most importantly relax, it’s not a big issue, work it out one piece at a time. I’m talking from experience, on the way home from Alaska, we were in Destruction Bay Canada and broke our frame. We got the frame welded and made it all the way back to Oklahoma. Our insurance covered everything! I see a lot of trailer frames cracking and I’ll tell you why. The frames are designed to hold the weight load however they are not designed to take the twisting side to side motion. Pickups seem to get taller every year which in turn causes the trailers to be raised higher. If you don’t believe me, look at a 70’s model truck and trailer compared to today’s units, they sit much lower. The higher trailers cause more leverage side to side twisting the frame. The solution is cross bracing frame to frame at the axles. I had my frame welded and put in the bracing and it pulls better than new. Once again relax everything is is going to be okay!
Thanks Greg! We remember you telling us that when our frame originally cracked in NC. We appreciate the pep talk!
Questions about travel trailers like yours: 1) I am wondering are trailers actually designed only for shorter trips? 2) Would you say that the suspension should be upgraded before long distance trips like yours? 3) Are stock tires suitable for long term use? 4) What kind of mileage did you get from your tires? Thanks!
At this point we think reinforcing important components is a really smart idea given the problems we have (we are definitely not experts) Granted our trailer has over 60k miles on it in 3 years with 5 cross country trips, which feels like a lot. We change tires every 10-12k miles.
I learned the hard way, when one tire goes, it is time to replace all four tires. Now I might have to consider the spare as well. Safe Travels!
We're honestly considering getting a 2nd spare at this point to be safe. We are now at the point where all 4 tires have been replaced within the last couple months.
Louisiana Road started the spring hanger break. The roads bent the axle on my toy hauler.
Sorry to hear that. They really are pretty bad 👎
Wow! We're sooooo glad you both (make that the 4 of you 😄) arrived in AZ safely! You guys are Amazing in your resilience and togetherness in the face of very challenging adversities! If anyone deserves an RV Sponsorship you both do! Hoping someone from Dutchman RV is following you guys and sponsors you an RV for promoting their product! Congrats on your AZ adventures!
We really appreciate that! It's been challenging but we really do try to stay positive when it comes to things like this! And yeah, where you at with the sponsorship Dutchman RV? 😂
After you get your spring bracket fixed it might be to your advantage by considering 'X Factor Cross Members' from MORyde. It is said that "The crossmembers are bolted on to the spring hangers to reinforce them as well as the frame. They add much needed support especially to the rear spring hanger that gets put through a lot with the torque with sharp corners and reversing." This might be why the bracket broke from the frame - left to right movement while making turns would cause metal fatigue on the left or right rear brackets. Good (if not better) Luck to you both in your travels!
Thank you for the info and suggestion. We're definitely considering additional cross reinforcement. 👍
Here's the scoop. When I bought my used trailer it was 2 years old. The tires looked great. The tech who walked us through the camper before we left said; the campers are shipped from the factory with cheap Chinese tires. They have two names Maypop or China Bombs. So here's the deal they don't go flat; they explode. The thin sidewalls will swell and explode. Tread comes off the sidewalls and trash the underside; wheel wells; trim and siding. The damage can be more than the cost of new tires. I'm a little stubborn and trashed two. Since I have researched a lot about trailer tires. The tires that came on the camper when I bought it were not speed rated at all. My new tires are rated for 86 mph. Not that I want to do that but I feel confident I won't blow one passing someone doing 60.
That's a good idea. We appreciate the info!
Might be time for a new trailer there kiddos!
😩 Don't say that Byron! We love Kodi!
@ProjectRVLivingLost lol if you love them sometimes you have to set them free! Lol what a dumb dating 🤣🤣🤣
I never have owned a trailer, but hopefully will one day, but I have seen enough videos like yours to draw two conclusions. 1. No matter what trailer you have, new or used make sure they have Goodyear Endurance tires on them. Any other no name is just a China bomb tire. 2. Always run a tire pressure monitoring system on them that will alert you to temp and pressure changes that are to high or low so you can avoid a blow out.
Safe travels.
Thanks for the advice! Yeah we've been hearing that term a lot recently. We are strongly considering a TMPS even though we regularly check our tire pressure. 👍
Except for I-10, we refuse to travel on any highways in Louisiana or Mississippi! We live in Florida and either go up and around LA. & MS or take 1-10 across.😮
Smart! Ya'll are playing chess while we're over here playing checkers 😂
Thank you Lord that they made it safe! Angels rid’n with you.
Mom always got those prayers on deck. We love you! ❤️
Piece of advice , get a new spare as soon as it blows, and get 4 new G rated tires if you're going to take long runs. Believe me been there done that..
Thanks for the advice Joe! Yeah this is our 5th cross country trip and things all seemed to go sideways on this one. We are considering even getting a 2nd spare.
You two are young and fun. I have made 7 trips through Pacific West Canadia to Alaska. At least 12 trips across the Continental USA. I have no idea how many weekend/week long 1000+ mile trips. I think I have 13 states left to visit to have seen all of them. SO TRUE on tires. Replace them BEFORE you need to. Always have at least 1 spare. I carry two spares. I have in "Canadia" used both spares and wish I had a 3rd during one trip. Hang in there it gets much easier. I am 56 and I still make trips alone even, three dogs, 32' 5th wheel. After 16 years in the Military my 3 little dachshunds and I are not afraid to drive most anywhere paved and many places on gravel roads. I am on my 2nd RV a 2007 Keystone in almost 30 years. I like the "older ones" a little better as they are built so much better. I remodel it from time to time. It has all modern "niceties" and I can work As internet analyst on the road with wireless internet. Boondocking is so much fun!
Enjoy why you can. I am getting ready for my next trip in April from NC to AZ and back again in 14 days.
Cheers ~Jody (‾◡◝) (❁´◡`❁)
Wow you have a ton of RV and life experience! We absolutely love that! We definitely wish we had bought used instead of new, especially in 2020. A lesson learned for sure.
So True on older is better. I have never worried about frame Flex on my current or previous 5th wheels. I think sometimes of getting a new one and then think no way and we just rebuild it again. My 2007 has about 100K miles on it and still going strong. @@ProjectRVLivingLost
Hope you hit the road runner up! Glad you're safe and enjoy!
Wow back to AZ experience #1 😂 We will definitely be on the lookout for our roadrunner friends!
By the way check the right front spring at the u bolts does not look to good..
On it!
looks like the broken spring hanger/frame was on the axle with the tire blowout. could be the violent action on the axle due to the shredded tire may have caused the frame failure.
Fortunately we noticed the blowout right away so there shouldn't have been a crazy amount of force but who knows
First stop after buying my new travel trailer will be to morryde for their IS system to get rid of those problematic leaf springs. Then back home to coat the entire undercarriage in rubberized undercoating. Either the frame failed for too much force in that section, or from corrosion. I’m going with force. The frame doesn’t look that crusty. Also, invest in a torque wrench if you haven’t yet (I didn’t see one in the video).
Yeah the frame itself is only 3 years old and doesn't have a lot of corrosion. We are definitely not overweight and we didn't notice any major impact. We did actually have a torque wrench amongst our big ole mess of tools on the ground.
I love the idea of a MORryde IS system, especially on 5th wheel's and larger/heavier trailers/toy haulers. I went with the MORryde X-Factor CrossMember's (3) and the MORryde Wet Bolt and Shackles. What kills me is how the manufacturers get away with running the lightest possible axles.
500-plus miles in nine hours is high rollin'
Bad roads take a toll on worn tires and plastic bushings.
Yeah for sure. Some of those roads were kind of brutal for long drive days.
The sad fact is that pull behinds and 5th wheels are absolute junk. The frames are falling apart across the nation all makes. The steal that is being used is chinese junk with tons of impurities and most likely not heat treated properly. My advice is to have a welder come out and fix it, save the receipt for your insurance and warranty claim. Then go find a used Trailer that was built pre 2019 and trade it. If you decide to keep it, buy new springs immediately, they're also breaking in large numbers right at the knuckle where the bolt goes into. while you have the welder fix that, have him look at the A frame up font. Right where its starts to go under the trailer. they have been breaking there also. it would be a good idea to have gussets welded in place there to stiffen that up. An entire suspension upgrade wont hurt. good luck
Yeah we are considering reinforcing several areas. Thanks you for the advice! 🙏
As an Arizona native and am 79 years old I have experienced everything that you went through. I have a 5th. wheel trailer and it is a monumental chore keeping things in road-ready condition. Now days my son has it and is much younger than I. Arizona heat can be brutal on soft thigs like tire rubber, gaskets, bushings and convertible tops. Back east where the metal parts turn to rust in record time out here our paint and upholstery go real fast. Being stranded on the side of one of our very long and vacant backroads in the summer heat can be fatal if you are not prepared. I wish you many more miles and years of travel. Welcome to Arizona. (Parker? Seriously? Don't be caught there in the summer. It's a pizza oven. Be well and God bless.
Yeah last time we spent time in AZ we didn't leave Yuma until June 😩 big mistake. You live in an incredible state and we feel grateful to be back! Thank you for the kind words 🙏
Check out Big Truck Big Rv he just did a nice suspension upgrade while you have that stuff apart again Good luck getting it welded to
Thanks for the info! 🙏
@@ProjectRVLivingLost we just all out here trying to help each other Us traveling Nurse Husbands gotta stick together 😜
It appears that you folks didn't do a whole lot of pre-trip evaluations of your trailer's readiness for the trip. Old, worn out tires, (and only bought three when you should have bought 5) suspension bushings?
As we said, we checked all of our tires before departing and every couple hundred miles when we stopped.
From Freehold? Middletown here
Oh nice! Yeah our RV park was in Freehold.
I wish the Chinese would buy Camping World.
😂
Does that truck have a heater I; it ?
😂 yes it sure does but we were bundling up a lot for these repairs during the Polar Vortex
Work on your audio. Maybe get microphones. And you have a bent axle.
Unfortunately can’t live our life with microphones on 🤷♀️
Bowed axel
That axle is less than 6 months old so not sure that was an issue but we are having everything looked over for sure!
When you put the spare tire on you should have bought another tire you wouldn't have went through all this
We are seriously considering having 2 spares after that trip 😂
Do y’all run a TPMS?
We don't unfortunately. We have thought about it. We do check our tires regularly with a portable pressure gage.
Purple hair looks beautiful ❤️❤️🎉
😀 thanks!
JB Weld
👍 thanks!
Hi
Really Great your CZcams Video But your SEO is very low
Thank you 🙏
ok
@@ProjectRVLivingLost
Get an ORV! You won't have those problems. Just sayin'
Might have to 😂