You go girl! I am an artist an can completely understand how you need little bits of money coming from many sources to survive or even get going. You are awesome with what you are doing. I am inspired.
Glad you are safe and that you managed to get the tyre replaced. You are not alone with the spare tyre carrier, they are awful to get free. A scary experience for anyone who tows, when i had a flat tyre, i knew nothing about it!! - this is why we now have a TPMS system, on the van So i know hopefully before all the damage is done and the caravan misbehaves on the road. Glad you are safe though. Take care, Dan
I know you recently installed two heavy batteries on that side of your caravan and you have the fridge cupboards and cooker on that side I would transfer the batteries to the other side. I suspect this could have contributed to your tyre problem. UK caravans are not designed to carry a lot of extra weight. Look in your caravan hand book to check this. I have added a lot of extras to my UK caravan including two 90amh batteries. After all the mods I ran the caravan over a weigh bridge and found that I am on the top limit of the tyres I have. So I am now looking at up grading my tyres and wheel rims to handle the extra weight.
Hi Trudgians (long time follower just quietly). What TPMS system do you use? Looking at this for my twin axle Bailey Unicorn Barcelona. P.S. so nice to see you offering support to our very own NZ-Trudgian...Travelling K!
Thank you Dan. Yes, that tyre carrier is more complicated than it needs to be! Good to know about the TPMS system - is it covered in your TyrePal video?
Hi yes it is, thats the most recent video I uploaded, after nearly 2 years of use, highly recommended. Hopefully its available where you are :-) Take care - oh, and put some tape over the gashes in the floor, make sure you get little dirt or moisture in there foam segment of the floor. Dan
Nice that you passed our area and our local hero, Alistair, from Woodville Service Centre, was able to help out. There are lessons for all of us caravaners from your experience. (Must get myself a spare wheel..etc) Luckily I don't move often. Well done you brave one.
In the uk we are advised to change the tyres every 5 years whether the tread is good or not as the tyres on Caravans spend a lot of time sitting on the same spot which eventually leads to them delaminating which certainly could of happened to yours if they are old tyres, certainly get that spare replaced, I wouldn’t be using a 10 year old tyre, I would also immediately see to the damage as that will now be a prone area to leaks and eventual damp in the van which if goes untreated will write the van off
Hi Chris, 10 years was probably too old for those tyres. I suspect NZ is a lot more relaxed and was told they were fine by a couple of specialist, haha. I agree that the spat needs fixing asap as I don't want to risk damaging the van any more.
It is not that the UK is more strict than NZ (there is no UK roadworthiness test for caravans), it is simply good advice that applies anywhere - 6 years is a safe max for a tyre and probably less in hotter climates, and less if you see cracking. Your "specialists" don't know what they are talking about, they are probably only used to car tyres which usually wear out before they age out. Tyres have a date of manufacture code on them BTW, so when you buy new for a caravan make sure they have not spent a few years on the shelf already.
You handled the situation very well. You are very honest in your feelings & emotions and it’s refreshing to see this. Thanks for hard work in putting this vlog together. You’ve become my favorite replacing the Narrowboat Vlogers...
I’ve got the TyrePal system on mine, only a small van but it really does help ease the worry about what’s going on back there. Enjoy all your videos. Thanks
Hi Karen, Wow!! Sorry to hear that you had the caravan type go flat. My son recently had to have all tyres on his car replaced after discovering air escaping from two of them. We had all the tyres replaced to play it safe. You certainly had an interesting adventure there. Thanks for sharing another incredible video. Masterton is one of my favourite places to visit when I have been in New Zealand. I remember visiting Queen Elizabeth Park there watching the ducks in the lake. Very peaceful and relaxing. Glad to hear that you managed to get everything fixed okay. We have the RACV here for roadside assistance. Anyway, take care. Robert.
I really should have changed both tyres earlier! Glad your son spotted the leak before it got too bad. Yes, I enjoyed Masterton too! An undervalued location I think.
When I was in Masterton, they had local bus services running to suburbs to the north, south, east and west. One of the bus routes included a stop at the front door of a home of some well to do people living there. The bus actually ran up the driveway to the front door, stopped to put down and pick up passengers, then drive back down another driveway on the property to the street. I have never seen this happen anywhere else on public transport.
Where are you now ? I am in the Wairarapa and have a stop over site you can park on and a garage full of tools. My wife and I could help you sort some of your mechanical issues out. Those pipes are easy to fix.
Glad you're okay. I am rather new to caravanning and after watching your vlog I am going to practice accessing the spare tyre carrier. Thank you for sharing.
Glad this video has inspired you to avoid future spare tyre carrier issues! And exciting that you have just started caravanning - how have you found it so far?
You are amazing! I love your videos. I especially like all the "fix it" bits you show because they are all things Im sure I too will come across on my caravan journey one day. Ps I have shared your channel with my mum and dad who have just bought a caravan and starting out the caravan life.
@@TravellingK we arent on our caravan travels just yet. Working towards it though 😉. So many caravan options. Thank god for youtube vlogers lile yourself. It helps to learn before we make a big plunge into such a big purchase.
Change out ANY tyre after 5 years, even if it hasn't been used. Particularly spares on caravans. They get forgotten and the rubber perishes with age. Some caravans have the spares tucked away in the most unfriendly spots. Every now and then lube up the bolts and straps holding a spare, inspect tyre and check air pressures. Great vids,...safe travels and keep up the swearing hahahaha. Greetings from Western Australia.
What a day! I know how frustrating it is when you see what’s required to be done but don’t have strength in hands to carry it out! Remember these blokes on Roadside service have done this a 1000 times, so don’t be too hard on yourself 😀
My flat blew a hole in the floor of my caravan when the tyre delaminated! All our tupperware was scattered down the road. I had new tyres and Tyron bands fitted after that incident. Scary stuff! Glad you are OK now.
You are a one very gutsy lady :) Did you notice how many of those drivers thanked you with a toot when you pulled over. None. And then you get a flattie. Ever noticed how many trucks pull over when they are limited to 90. In our motorhoming experience and a lot of miles...very few. Grrr. Keep up the vids and enjoy this part of your life. You WILL look back at these moments and..smile.
The main thing is you are okay. We are in a motorhome and I have a fear of a blowout or flattie. Not paranoid, but its on my mind. We recently fitted wireless sensors to the valves. Dont know your budget but they arent expensive for the peace of mind. Maybe about $250-$300 for 2 tires on your caravan. They tell you the temp and pressure of each 'wheel', any increase in temp or reduction in pressure, one gets an immediate alarm beep on the little controller thats stuck on the dashboard. We often cruise at 100kph (legally) although our comfort speed is nearer 90 when no one around, opposite to cars :), so I consider it a good investment. Admire your brave face in view of some of your experiences. And yes, we also often pull over for them that follow. It does make one feel more relaxed. Enjoy.
I have heard about those sensor. That would help ease the worry. I figure now I have 2 brand new tyres, I should be ok for a while! But might get that one day.
I bought a 16 year old caravan in Yorkshire last year. My first stop was a tyre place. The fitter was able to look at the codes on the tyres to see when they were made. You guessed it: 16 years ago. Needless to say, they were promptly replaced by two new ones. Caravan tyres normally don't wear out their treads. But the carcass or structure becomes weakened with age. With my 2 new tyres I then immediately travelled 2500 kms to the south of Spain. Well worth the small expense of changing them. I have never had a flat on a caravan, so I wouldn't know what it fealt like.
I know this is rather late after the event! BUT you seemed to have coped really well with the stress of the incident. I only just 'stumbled' across your channel recently. Here in the UK, the Caravan Clubs recommend that you should change the tyres on your caravan every 5 years. It's nothing to do with the amount of tyre tread left, but the fact that the rubber deteriorates over time. This is especially so with caravan tyres as they often spend a lot of time just sitting in one place and not rotating, as the caravan is often parked up for extended periods of time. Looking at what was left of your tyre, it wasn't caused by a sharp object, but by the age deterioration of the rubber compound causing the tyre to blow out. My guess is that the tyre was well over 5 years old! Also the under floor damage was almost certainly caused by pieces of the tyre flying off and hitting the floor when the tyre 'let-go'. I've seen truck tyres blow up at speed and they cause an unbelievable amount of damage to the bodywork around them! I'm sure that is exactly what happened with your caravan tyre blow-out. When you had the first blow out the tyre guy obviously didn't understand about age related deterioration of tyres especially those on caravans, and the importance of replacing old tyres regularly. I recently purchased a second-hand caravan here in the UK, it was just 5 years old at the time, and the first thing I did was have all three tyres replaced. According to the manufacture date stamped on the tyre wall, they were almost 7 years old, so they had obviously been sitting in storage, at the manufacturers, before being fitted to the caravan when it was originally built. All the best, Jonathan.
Hi Jonathan. Glad you've found my channel! Yes, I've since learnt about the importance of the tyre age. Strangely enough, it's not really considered in NZ. And you're right about the tyre doing all that damage. Sounds like I was lucky as I've heard a few horror stories since.
Ha.. You're just lucky that the caravan didn't get to swing behind you.... Noticing a flat on a caravan is not so easy..... Just been following your posts and I love them!
Orsome channel have just subscribed . My wife and myself are thinking of doing this in the future so watching your channel helps about as we are in nz in whakatane keep them comming
Following your UK adventures and this popped up ....I simply feel bad for you ...so many troubles ...... dive in and try to fix it !!! : ) Thank You for the ride along : )
Glad you managed to sort the problem out and a lesson to all to be aware of the age and state of caravan tyres rather than just how much tread they have. However, every cloud has a silver lining as I think you may have many more subscribers (me for one) following Dan Trudgeon highlighting your plight on his channel. Looking forward to following you on your travels from here in the UK.
Yes, the age of the tyre is more important than I realised, haha. Definitely a silver lining in this situation and have loved the jump in subscribers from Dan's link! Hope you enjoy my channel and look forward to reading your future comments.
Hi Karen Glad you are okay that could of caused a nasty accident you are amazing with that screwdriver you will sort your caravan out just be thankful it’s a happy ending x
Glad to see you survived this stressful experience! I found out to my cost that if you don’t use something they will inevitably go wrong and not work because they generally rust, cease up or fall to bits. As a rule I now remove the spare wheel carrier every year myself to practice and give any essential fixings a spray of WD40 to keep it clean, I have also had Tyron Bands fitted to all my caravans over the years, as in the event of a blow out or flat tyre it allows you to drive a number of miles (a bit slower of course) to be able to pull into a safe place to change the tyre and also as you’ve found out to your cost it prevents a lot of damage to the underneath of the caravan because don’t forget a road tyre has steel in its construction and this will cause quite a lot of damage. Hopefully you won’t experience this again and I’d definitely recommend Tyron Bands in the future (as used by most traffic Police cars around the world) and don’t forget to change your tyres every 5 years. Best wishes on your future travels.
A good reason to get them - being able to still drive on a flat and not destroy underneath! I hadn't realised these tyres had metal in them before this experience. I am learning that I need to be on top of my maintenance! Thank you.
I have looked at a couple of your videos and must say that your doing pretty well at this caravan caper. I thought that I would point out that caravan tyres should be replaced at a maximum of five years old. They degrade due to UV light, the tread will almost never be the reason to replace a tyre. You can tell how old the tyre is be the number on it. Eg a number of "269" is the 26 Week of 1999. 1414 would be the 14th week of 2014.
Thank you Nick! I did learn after the first flat tyre about the numbering system and really should have changed that second tyre then!! Oh well - always learning😂
Hi Karen, you are very very lucky, the flat tire could have be snatch lot of thing like fridge, mudgard or kitchen furniture, i have already look that here in france. On my caravan the spare tire is in the front chest with the gaz bottles, it's more easy to hang it, because you used to change tire apparently ! Happy to see there are small damage, but be serious to do a good repaired of the wood floor, because it's just near the wheel and when it's wet, water go in the wood are many month later the floor is like a big musghroom and it's the caravan cancer ! See you later. Denis.
Glad you are all safe. You are spot on with the tyre bring old they can still have lots of tried but the sun wreck the side walls of tyre and the tried will come off and the tyre goes down quietly. we have had two tyres do it .
Great that you could get some help with you damaged tyre. What a lot of travellers don’t realise is that even though a tyre can look fine tread wise they can perish and crack internally. The main thing is your safe and still travelling.
Great effort K - yes it can be stressful towing - I have a similar caravan to yours and in the 12 months of ownership have spent 70 nights in it so lots of towing and have learnt not to get too worried about cars behind (I am not being inconsiderate to them) as it can be dangerous or stressful trying to find a place to pull over. NZ has quite a few places for cars to pass and guess what....when we let them pass we come across (numerous) road works or a truck (one of the thousands) and we catch up to all the cars we let passed anyway...... - just cruise :)
I think I am a quiet stresser with worrying about holding people up! But yes, quite a few times I've ended up catching up with the cars that have passed.
Glad you survived and just remember what doesn't destroy you makes you stronger (obviously the tyre didn't get stronger from the experience ;-)...well done for keeping your cool (sort of) and l a sure you have learnt a lot from the experience...safe travels...
If you join the AA Roadside service you get 6 free call outs per year. Also it would pay to put a new tyre onto your spare due to it's age. If you're concerned about the rust on your rim you can wirebrush it and paint it (hammerite or rust converter) before putting the new tyre on. For your grey water you need some pvc pipe cement to reattach the joint as long as the pipe hasn't broken? Love your videos :)
Sounds like a new location for the spare might be a good thought . Loose contact or corrosion on non working bulb that suddenly came back on. Holes in the underneath probably caused by the buggered tyre loose rubber thrashing around. You ought to know that if it's only a little bit in and you need it in further , you should wiggle it in . That goes for plumbing as well.
13:26 that’s smart. New screw holes are much less likely to fail, well done. About the loose pipe, at 9:02 it looks like they were supposed to be glued. You can fix that easily: get some pvc glue, clean the surfaces and glue them together. The other pipe looks loose as well, so maybe check that one out while working on the other one. Good luck!
It fell out of the old screw hole so knew that wouldn't work, haha. I just wedged the pipe back in better but sounds like I need to buy some glue and do it properly, thank you.
Those fittings are designed to be a push fit and not to be sealed or glued. It's a gravity fed system and if it's installed properly, it should be downhill to the waste tank.
An aftermarket TPMS can help you avoid tire problems. In America, pickup trucks are the primary tow vehicle for travel trailers. Some of the manufacturers now provide TPMS sensors that you install in your trailer tires. These sensors are integrated with the vehicle's own TPMS system and will display trailer tire pressure and temperature on the driver information center screen and will immediately alert you to any loss of pressure in the trailer tire.
Whoa! That guard has VERY expensive damage to the wheel arch. All of those panels are very badly damaged and getting that straightened will be impossible. At best you can get them sort of straight and fixed and water tight.. but I wouldn't be worried about the rusty spare or even that bracket for the pipe. If you haven't done so yet, I would seriously get that repaired ASAP so its weatherproof.
Hi :-) what an absolutely amazing thing you do...i'm new to caravaning and watching your vlogs is so interesting, learning things i had never even thought of...well done you, keep doing what you're doing...keeptravelling K :-)
Well....we took my father-in-law camping a couple of times last year, he loved spending the time with us but decided camping wasn't for him so spent £15000 on a caravan...his car cannot tow it, so guess who has that joy lol... The caravan is currently on a seasonal pitch, 2 hours from our home lol...it's amazing and i'm currently in talks with father-in-law to let us tow it around england. A few weeks ago we erected the awning....have you ever thought about a porch-awning? They do make life in a caravan "easier" lol...:-)
That's great! Had to smile that you are the tower. A great way to have a break and if you get bored of the location, it's easy to move to another location! Yes, I am planning to get a small porch awning for winter... think it will be handy for drying clothes and wet shoes.
Hi Sorry to hear about yer tyre trouble, a wee tip for you that I do when towing if you use towing mirrors? I have my towing mirrors for looking behind the caravan and I angle l the cars mirrors down along the bottom sides of the caravan so I can see the caravans tyres so if I notice anything wrong with them I can pull over ASAP?
My towing mirror is too short to see the tyres until I'm going around a corner. Plenty of corners in NZ so I have started making a point of checking while driving, haha.
I think all the Ks you are doing would be less stressful if you where in the AA. End of Feb I am going to UK and joining those guys on the cut but I remember when you went there a few months ago. but where ever you go drive safe, (Glad you got the Tyre fixed) ... John in NZ
I had the same thing happen to me Christmas 2018. The tires had plenty of tread but were 14 years old. All the tread came off and then the tire just shredded to bits. I have now changed both tires as the other side was not in good shape.The wire strains were coming out the tread. I think any people purchasing an overseas caravan should have a good look at the tires.. My wheel trim was also busted and I could not find one from the manufactures in the UK because of age. Built in 2004 Sterling. I have now found replacement copies in NZ, not exactly the same so I will place both sides. Thanks Travelling K
Ahh sorry to hear you had a similar thing happen. I'm curious to know where you got your replacement from? I ended up finding a very similar fiberglass mould.
I pay a few extra $$ with AMI for road side assistance... never used it yet thank goodness.. think I would get 2 callouts per year but honestly Ive forgotten. Worth having it especially travelling on your own xx
I almost feel you meant to add the word 'sense'? And yes, this experience has motivated me to get roadside assistance. Just got a quote through my insurance company.
Hi don’t worry about other cars behind you they will overtake you when the road is clear enough to overtake you have a great time site seeing around the uk 🇬🇧👍
I have learnt it’s different here. I guess we have more single lane roads with the occasional passing lane and people can get a bit silly overtaking a caravan 🙈
I have a old spare the same size as yours under my motorhome, and mine has brand new tread and a year 2000 date stamp. 175r14c are now more expensive than they used to be, I would consider buying 185r14c tyres next time as they are cheaper, and have a greater load rating, so less chance of a blowout, I'm just about throw away my 19 year old spare !
I'm assuming you've checked your wheel bearings for excessive heat when towing...that can also cause tires to heat up and blow out. I'm enjoying your channel!
Glad you're enjoying the channel! How would I check the wheel bearing? I was thinking of putting each side up on the jack and atleast check the wheel is spinning ok... felt like the car was putting in a lot of effort towing over the last few days.
Aw Karen. Worst nightmare. When I watched you struggle with removing the spare wheel on a previous vlog it inspired me to remove my wheel from the Alko Wheel carrier and carry it in the caravan or car when Im on the move. It’s wrapped in a big plastic sack for convenience. What a struggle to get it out when caravan down on one side. Bad design. You coped amazingly.
sorry about your experience - I have a cross country USA trip next week with my trailer (caravan) and hopefully won't have this happen - very dangerous job that gentleman has who fixed your tire with cars passing by.....well worth the charge.
Yeah, he was so relaxed about being right by speeding trucks. I was more nervous than he was, haha. Goodluck with your trip. I'm imagining it's a longer journey than mine has been. USA seems so large!
I remember when you had a flat tyre on the other side. You should've had both of them replaced at the same time. I had a flat tyre last year with our previous caravan. I ended up having to call out my breakdown service because I was unable to loosen the wheel bolts (I didn't have a wheel wrench with me). I was on the motorway at the time and was about 15 miles from home. I had both tyres replaced at the soonest opportunity. Our Lunar caravan is going in for a service in a few weeks and I'm having both tyres replaced at the same time.
If I'd been able to undo the wheel bolts, I could've fitted the spare wheel. It was a good thing that I already had breakdown cover with the RAC so I didn't have to pay a penny. I had a similar problem with one of the rear tyres on the Citroen which I caught on video (it was near to where I had the tyre failure with the caravan). I got recovered to a tyre fitter and ended up replacing both rear tyres. th-cam.com/video/nq80lze7ysw/w-d-xo.html
Gosh, what a night that looked like! Tricking knowing if you should pull over on the side of the motorway or get off it. Now that's an advantage to having RAC!
It was early in the morning before sunrise. I was on my way to work. I didn't realize that the tyre had failed until I'd stopped. I didn't want to be stranded on a motorway hard shoulder so I left at the next exit and found a safer place to stop. I ended up about a mile away from the tyre place where I was recovered to. I didn't want to risk limping there in case I damaged the alloy wheel.
with the correct tools jack etc and extended handles/pipes, you can easily change you wheels on your own. just watch that tyre man or ask someone to show you . keep nut and bolts like the one that lets your spare down sprayed with crc for lubrication and theyre always easy to undo. you are doing quite well from scratch.
Probably doesn't help any know and maybe here in UK it's a different attitude to caravan tyres in that how ever much tread there is on a tyre it's recommended that the tyre is changed every five years. It's the tyre sidewalls that suffer weakness particularly if the van is stood parked for a lot of the time, this weakness is fatal for a tyre a rapid deflation is the end result. But you are so courageous and you take it all in good stead. Well done you.
Thank you Barry - I think I'll be regularly changing tyres every 5 years from now on, haha. They do seem more relaxed about it in NZ. The interior of the 2008 caravan was new looking inside when I bought it so I suspect the caravan didn't get much use - which wouldn't have helped the tyres!
Just behind the T Joint where you was trying to push the pipe in, is a clip. Try unscrewing that then it will free the pipe so can get a better grip to push the pipe back in. Then re screw the clip back.
You did well to control the van but Tyron bands or puncture liquid which stays in wheel at all times would probably have saved tyre. The importance of covering the tyres from sunlight in storage is also invaluable to stop cracking. Secret is to use spare if new after 5 years and fit another new one , less expensive , The five year guide is invaluable but also rotating the tyres in storage to avoid flat spots all helps
When a bunch of folks started having catastrophic (causing damage) blowouts on teardrop trailers with grossly under loaded tires I started looking into it. At that point virtually all ST trailer tires were made in China and came to be called "China Bombs". I switched to passenger car tires and for ten years never had a problem. The standards are more stringent. After these aged out I have recently replaced them with Goodyear Endurance made in the US ST tires.
I also run a tyre pressure management system. Tyredog is its name. Not cheap but sets off us warning if any of the six tyres deflates. Tyres have used by dates. Mine are 10 years from manufacture due to be replaced next year.
Thanks Terry - I'll have a look. Although as soon as you said 'not cheap' I instantly hesitated😂Sounds like my tyres were definitely due to be replaced.
I do a bit of off road driving and manage tyre pressure on the Prado up and down but also it gives you confidence that you can see the actual tyres pressures and if you want temperatures as you are driving - real time. Saved me coming out of the Flinders Ranges with a slow leak caused by over inflated tyres and sharp rocks. An alarm went off as the pressure got below 20psi. A$650 but my tyres are about A$300 each. Yes your tyres were. It is not the wear but the fact that the rubber starts to perish in the side walls from the inside. I also have Premium roadside assist - at my age don't fancy too much hard yaka.
Hi Just came across your tyre blow out vid and watch some of you others they are great. A suggestion would be a cordless impact wrench (which some can double as a cordless drill) for wheel nuts and the like also a lubricant call never seize for your squeaky stabilisers and any other nut/bolt that need undoing.P.S don't get it on your hands stains like Beetroot. Hoping to get to NZ in the near future.
Thank you Mark - yes, a power tool of some type would be handy. People even use them to wind down the stabilising legs! I've just bought some copper lubricant and keep meaning to give it a go. Great to hear you might be visiting NZ soon.
The golden rule with tyres is. Correct pressure settings, caravan tyres usually fail before they wear out. Change them every 3 to 4 years. UV decomposes the rubber.
Hi Karen, what a shame. You may need a plumber to look at that connection. The reason tyres do so much damage is that they are held togethet by hundreds of steel threads. They can be quite sharp and centrifugal force makes them do a lot of damage. You could get the floor fixed with a patch of fibreglass and epoxy or some underseal will protect it until you are ready to make a proper repair. Make sure the area is clean and dry for a few days before you do the repair though.
Steel threads! Ok, now I understand why there're holes in the caravan!!!! Hmm, I've never used fiberglass and epoxy but this could be a good project for a dry patch :) Thank you for the tips!
Travelling K thanks. I also took a look for remote tyre pressure monitors on trademe. They could be something you could look into if you were worried about it happening again. This is the sort of thing you can buy. www.trademe.co.nz/1604922469
Found myself (I was was lost and now am found) telling you how to plug the drain pipe back in. But, I guess you couldn't hear me for whatever reason. I would suggest a tire monitor system. On Amazon for $40 for ?? a good one $300 US. Note: I see the age of this, but its new to me. LOL
I thought you were incredibly calm and cool throughout that whole experience! 😊
Thank you - bit of swearing but calmed down when I knew help was coming.
You are so courageous and you totally inspire me to be braver. Love your videos. Love you 😍
This was something I dreaded happening! But I survived! Glad you're enjoying the videos 😀
Agree. Very brave and courageous
You go girl! I am an artist an can completely understand how you need little bits of money coming from many sources to survive or even get going. You are awesome with what you are doing. I am inspired.
Oh thank you Anita!
You are an amazing person, you handled this so well.
Thank you! An interesting day...
Love your films! I’m learning so many things. I’m new to caravaning so your films help. And I love to see all the places you visit. 😀👍🏼💪🏼
That’s great to hear! Really glad these videos have been helpful. How you have a blast caravanning 😀
Well done. Stay strong and keep living that dream. Good condition tyres are a must!
Thank you Mark. I should be good now I have 2 new tyres :)
Glad you are safe and that you managed to get the tyre replaced. You are not alone with the spare tyre carrier, they are awful to get free.
A scary experience for anyone who tows, when i had a flat tyre, i knew nothing about it!! - this is why we now have a TPMS system, on the van So i know hopefully before all the damage is done and the caravan misbehaves on the road.
Glad you are safe though.
Take care,
Dan
I know you recently installed two heavy batteries on that side of your caravan and you have the fridge cupboards and cooker on that side I would transfer the batteries to the other side. I suspect this could have contributed to your tyre problem. UK caravans are not designed to carry a lot of extra weight. Look in your caravan hand book to check this.
I have added a lot of extras to my UK caravan including two 90amh batteries. After all the mods I ran the caravan over a weigh bridge and found that I am on the top limit of the tyres I have.
So I am now looking at up grading my tyres and wheel rims to handle the extra weight.
Hi Trudgians (long time follower just quietly). What TPMS system do you use? Looking at this for my twin axle Bailey Unicorn Barcelona. P.S. so nice to see you offering support to our very own NZ-Trudgian...Travelling K!
Thank you Dan. Yes, that tyre carrier is more complicated than it needs to be! Good to know about the TPMS system - is it covered in your TyrePal video?
Hmmm, that's a good point Robbie, and it is on the heavier side too. Thank you for your email :)
Hi yes it is, thats the most recent video I uploaded, after nearly 2 years of use, highly recommended. Hopefully its available where you are :-)
Take care - oh, and put some tape over the gashes in the floor, make sure you get little dirt or moisture in there foam segment of the floor.
Dan
Nice that you passed our area and our local hero, Alistair, from Woodville Service Centre, was able to help out. There are lessons for all of us caravaners from your experience. (Must get myself a spare wheel..etc) Luckily I don't move often. Well done you brave one.
Ah I'm not surprised that he's a local hero! So so grateful that he came to help.
In the uk we are advised to change the tyres every 5 years whether the tread is good or not as the tyres on Caravans spend a lot of time sitting on the same spot which eventually leads to them delaminating which certainly could of happened to yours if they are old tyres, certainly get that spare replaced, I wouldn’t be using a 10 year old tyre, I would also immediately see to the damage as that will now be a prone area to leaks and eventual damp in the van which if goes untreated will write the van off
this is good advice - I've been changing mine every 3 yrs no matter what the wear is.....
Hi Chris, 10 years was probably too old for those tyres. I suspect NZ is a lot more relaxed and was told they were fine by a couple of specialist, haha. I agree that the spat needs fixing asap as I don't want to risk damaging the van any more.
It is not that the UK is more strict than NZ (there is no UK roadworthiness test for caravans), it is simply good advice that applies anywhere - 6 years is a safe max for a tyre and probably less in hotter climates, and less if you see cracking. Your "specialists" don't know what they are talking about, they are probably only used to car tyres which usually wear out before they age out. Tyres have a date of manufacture code on them BTW, so when you buy new for a caravan make sure they have not spent a few years on the shelf already.
You handled the situation very well. You are very honest in your feelings & emotions and it’s refreshing to see this. Thanks for hard work in putting this vlog together. You’ve become my favorite replacing the Narrowboat Vlogers...
Oh thank you! That was a challenging day, I must admit.
congratulations on 2000 subscribers, that came around quickly since you hit 1000.
Thank you! Yes it did!!
I’ve got the TyrePal system on mine, only a small van but it really does help ease the worry about what’s going on back there.
Enjoy all your videos. Thanks
I'm starting to be persuaded about this TyrePal system, haha.
nice work TK impressed how you dealt with the flatty, Calm and assured.
Got there in the end :P
Oh my goodness, how stressful!!! So glad you are OK though and roadside assistance swiftly came to your rescue. :)
Roadside assistance was amazing! Such a helpful guy😀
Hi Karen, Wow!! Sorry to hear that you had the caravan type go flat. My son recently had to have all tyres on his car replaced after discovering air escaping from two of them. We had all the tyres replaced to play it safe. You certainly had an interesting adventure there. Thanks for sharing another incredible video. Masterton is one of my favourite places to visit when I have been in New Zealand. I remember visiting Queen Elizabeth Park there watching the ducks in the lake. Very peaceful and relaxing. Glad to hear that you managed to get everything fixed okay. We have the RACV here for roadside assistance. Anyway, take care. Robert.
I really should have changed both tyres earlier! Glad your son spotted the leak before it got too bad. Yes, I enjoyed Masterton too! An undervalued location I think.
When I was in Masterton, they had local bus services running to suburbs to the north, south, east and west. One of the bus routes included a stop at the front door of a home of some well to do people living there. The bus actually ran up the driveway to the front door, stopped to put down and pick up passengers, then drive back down another driveway on the property to the street. I have never seen this happen anywhere else on public transport.
Thanks for letting me on to your site, love the films, I am a solo camper too, in the UK.
Glad you're enjoying the films! Even the ones where things go wrong🤣 Great to hear you're also into RVing.
Where are you now ? I am in the Wairarapa and have a stop over site you can park on and a garage full of tools. My wife and I could help you sort some of your mechanical issues out. Those pipes are easy to fix.
You're brilliant. What a great place New Zealand looks, my type of weather and scenery.
Great to hear Paul!
Glad you're okay. I am rather new to caravanning and after watching your vlog I am going to practice accessing the spare tyre carrier. Thank you for sharing.
Glad this video has inspired you to avoid future spare tyre carrier issues! And exciting that you have just started caravanning - how have you found it so far?
Absolutely love it! I always seem to be looking at and thinking about ways to improve the next adventure. Loving your vlogs; they are so inspiring.
You are amazing! I love your videos. I especially like all the "fix it" bits you show because they are all things Im sure I too will come across on my caravan journey one day. Ps I have shared your channel with my mum and dad who have just bought a caravan and starting out the caravan life.
Glad you are enjoying them and thank you for sharing with your parents. Sounds like you're caravanning too?
@@TravellingK we arent on our caravan travels just yet. Working towards it though 😉. So many caravan options. Thank god for youtube vlogers lile yourself. It helps to learn before we make a big plunge into such a big purchase.
Change out ANY tyre after 5 years, even if it hasn't been used. Particularly spares on caravans. They get forgotten and the rubber perishes with age.
Some caravans have the spares tucked away in the most unfriendly spots.
Every now and then lube up the bolts and straps holding a spare, inspect tyre and check air pressures.
Great vids,...safe travels and keep up the swearing hahahaha.
Greetings from Western Australia.
What a day! I know how frustrating it is when you see what’s required to be done but don’t have strength in hands to carry it out! Remember these blokes on Roadside service have done this a 1000 times, so don’t be too hard on yourself 😀
It would be handy to be stronger though... I asked him if he gets many caravan call-outs and sounds like he get a whole range of vehicles!
Bravo. You did manage the situation very well. Wish all your fans and subscribers were there to help. :-)
Even with my swearing? haha. Once I knew help was coming it was ok - although subscribers coming to help would have been even better😆
Great video and you've now got a new subscriber! Came via Dan Trudgian - looking forward to seeing your back catalogue
That's great to hear! And I look forward to reading how you like the other videos. If you have any video ideas, let me know!
Very sorry to hear about your tyre problems Kate. Hope all goes well now you are travelling on two good tyres.
Thank you Gary. I'm hopefully too!
My flat blew a hole in the floor of my caravan when the tyre delaminated! All our tupperware was scattered down the road. I had new tyres and Tyron bands fitted after that incident. Scary stuff! Glad you are OK now.
Whhhaaaaatttt!! Wow, that would have been terrifying! I'm now glad I just had those two tiny holes! Fair enough you'd get the bands after that.
You are a one very gutsy lady :)
Did you notice how many of those drivers thanked you with a toot when you pulled over. None. And then you get a flattie. Ever noticed how many trucks pull over when they are limited to 90. In our motorhoming experience and a lot of miles...very few. Grrr.
Keep up the vids and enjoy this part of your life. You WILL look back at these moments and..smile.
Thank you Tony! What a day. Some drivers do remember to toot... makes me feel better when I pull over if there's a lot of cars behind me.
The main thing is you are okay. We are in a motorhome and I have a fear of a blowout or flattie. Not paranoid, but its on my mind. We recently fitted wireless sensors to the valves. Dont know your budget but they arent expensive for the peace of mind. Maybe about $250-$300 for 2 tires on your caravan. They tell you the temp and pressure of each 'wheel', any increase in temp or reduction in pressure, one gets an immediate alarm beep on the little controller thats stuck on the dashboard.
We often cruise at 100kph (legally) although our comfort speed is nearer 90 when no one around, opposite to cars :), so I consider it a good investment.
Admire your brave face in view of some of your experiences.
And yes, we also often pull over for them that follow. It does make one feel more relaxed. Enjoy.
I have heard about those sensor. That would help ease the worry. I figure now I have 2 brand new tyres, I should be ok for a while! But might get that one day.
Oh I'm sorry to see and to hear that my friend!!
Take care a lot there my princess
I would like to be there for helping you my princess!!!!
I can't believe you stayed so calm!
haha I didn't feel calm! Much better once I knew roadside assistance was on it's way.
I’m so exhausted watching this - taking my hat off though to you - don’t know how you held it together - I think I would have been in tears 😭
It was an exhausting day! But survivable :) And I had the laziest day the next day to recharge!
Thank you for sharing your scary experience, hope your all sorted know 😊
Thank you Steve. Finally got everything done! Took a while.
I bought a 16 year old caravan in Yorkshire last year. My first stop was a tyre place. The fitter was able to look at the codes on the tyres to see when they were made. You guessed it: 16 years ago. Needless to say, they were promptly replaced by two new ones. Caravan tyres normally don't wear out their treads. But the carcass or structure becomes weakened with age. With my 2 new tyres I then immediately travelled 2500 kms to the south of Spain. Well worth the small expense of changing them. I have never had a flat on a caravan, so I wouldn't know what it fealt like.
16years! Yes, sounds like a good plan to replace them. I’m learning tyre specialists here seem more relaxed with how old a tyre is 🤔
I know this is rather late after the event! BUT you seemed to have coped really well with the stress of the incident. I only just 'stumbled' across your channel recently.
Here in the UK, the Caravan Clubs recommend that you should change the tyres on your caravan every 5 years. It's nothing to do with the amount of tyre tread left, but the fact that the rubber deteriorates over time. This is especially so with caravan tyres as they often spend a lot of time just sitting in one place and not rotating, as the caravan is often parked up for extended periods of time.
Looking at what was left of your tyre, it wasn't caused by a sharp object, but by the age deterioration of the rubber compound causing the tyre to blow out. My guess is that the tyre was well over 5 years old! Also the under floor damage was almost certainly caused by pieces of the tyre flying off and hitting the floor when the tyre 'let-go'. I've seen truck tyres blow up at speed and they cause an unbelievable amount of damage to the bodywork around them! I'm sure that is exactly what happened with your caravan tyre blow-out. When you had the first blow out the tyre guy obviously didn't understand about age related deterioration of tyres especially those on caravans, and the importance of replacing old tyres regularly.
I recently purchased a second-hand caravan here in the UK, it was just 5 years old at the time, and the first thing I did was have all three tyres replaced. According to the manufacture date stamped on the tyre wall, they were almost 7 years old, so they had obviously been sitting in storage, at the manufacturers, before being fitted to the caravan when it was originally built.
All the best,
Jonathan.
Hi Jonathan. Glad you've found my channel! Yes, I've since learnt about the importance of the tyre age. Strangely enough, it's not really considered in NZ. And you're right about the tyre doing all that damage. Sounds like I was lucky as I've heard a few horror stories since.
Ha.. You're just lucky that the caravan didn't get to swing behind you.... Noticing a flat on a caravan is not so easy..... Just been following your posts and I love them!
Yes, it could have been worse!!! Glad you’re enjoying them 😀
A good idea to check the tyre pressure before travelling. Plenty of gauges with a foot pump around, some with rechargable battery
Yes... really keen to avoid that experience again!
Orsome channel have just subscribed . My wife and myself are thinking of doing this in the future so watching your channel helps about as we are in nz in whakatane keep them comming
That's great to hear! You can learn about allll the things that can go wrong😂😂😂And some good parts too😉
Following your UK adventures and this popped up ....I simply feel bad for you ...so many troubles ...... dive in and try to fix it !!! : ) Thank You for the ride along : )
Wasn’t my favourite caravanning day 🤦♀️ But I got there in the end.
Thank you for your lovely videos! keep on trucking girl!
Glad you enjoyed!
Glad you managed to sort the problem out and a lesson to all to be aware of the age and state of caravan tyres rather than just how much tread they have. However, every cloud has a silver lining as I think you may have many more subscribers (me for one) following Dan Trudgeon highlighting your plight on his channel. Looking forward to following you on your travels from here in the UK.
Yes, the age of the tyre is more important than I realised, haha. Definitely a silver lining in this situation and have loved the jump in subscribers from Dan's link! Hope you enjoy my channel and look forward to reading your future comments.
Hi Karen
Glad you are okay that could of caused a nasty accident you are amazing with that screwdriver you will sort your caravan out just be thankful it’s a happy ending x
I am very thankful that it ended so well! And with a bit of time it will be as good as new :)
I know how stressful a flat can be, you did a good job.
Thank you! It's been something I dreaded happening, but good to know it's do-able.
Glad to see you survived this stressful experience! I found out to my cost that if you don’t use something they will inevitably go wrong and not work because they generally rust, cease up or fall to bits. As a rule I now remove the spare wheel carrier every year myself to practice and give any essential fixings a spray of WD40 to keep it clean, I have also had Tyron Bands fitted to all my caravans over the years, as in the event of a blow out or flat tyre it allows you to drive a number of miles (a bit slower of course) to be able to pull into a safe place to change the tyre and also as you’ve found out to your cost it prevents a lot of damage to the underneath of the caravan because don’t forget a road tyre has steel in its construction and this will cause quite a lot of damage. Hopefully you won’t experience this again and I’d definitely recommend Tyron Bands in the future (as used by most traffic Police cars around the world) and don’t forget to change your tyres every 5 years. Best wishes on your future travels.
A good reason to get them - being able to still drive on a flat and not destroy underneath! I hadn't realised these tyres had metal in them before this experience. I am learning that I need to be on top of my maintenance! Thank you.
I have looked at a couple of your videos and must say that your doing pretty well at this caravan caper. I thought that I would point out that caravan tyres should be replaced at a maximum of five years old. They degrade due to UV light, the tread will almost never be the reason to replace a tyre. You can tell how old the tyre is be the number on it. Eg a number of "269" is the 26 Week of 1999. 1414 would be the 14th week of 2014.
Thank you Nick! I did learn after the first flat tyre about the numbering system and really should have changed that second tyre then!! Oh well - always learning😂
Hi Karen, you are very very lucky, the flat tire could have be snatch lot of thing like fridge, mudgard or kitchen furniture, i have already look that here in france.
On my caravan the spare tire is in the front chest with the gaz bottles, it's more easy to hang it, because you used to change tire apparently !
Happy to see there are small damage, but be serious to do a good repaired of the wood floor, because it's just near the wheel and when it's wet, water go in the wood are many month later the floor is like a big musghroom and it's the caravan cancer !
See you later.
Denis.
Thank you Denis. Yes, I think todays task is to temporarily fix the holes in the floor!
Glad you are all safe. You are spot on with the tyre bring old they can still have lots of tried but the sun wreck the side walls of tyre and the tried will come off and the tyre goes down quietly. we have had two tyres do it .
Hmmmm that's good to know. Sounds like you have some flat tyre stories too!
Great that you could get some help with you damaged tyre. What a lot of travellers don’t realise is that even though a tyre can look fine tread wise they can perish and crack internally. The main thing is your safe and still travelling.
Yes, a big learning curve! Hopefully I'm ok now with 2 new tyres.
well done that girl likeing your road trips keep it up blessings
Great effort K - yes it can be stressful towing - I have a similar caravan to yours and in the 12 months of ownership have spent 70 nights in it so lots of towing and have learnt not to get too worried about cars behind (I am not being inconsiderate to them) as it can be dangerous or stressful trying to find a place to pull over. NZ has quite a few places for cars to pass and guess what....when we let them pass we come across (numerous) road works or a truck (one of the thousands) and we catch up to all the cars we let passed anyway...... - just cruise :)
I think I am a quiet stresser with worrying about holding people up! But yes, quite a few times I've ended up catching up with the cars that have passed.
hahahahahaha, this is so funny! (not the tyre) Hadn;t seen this video 'til now. Seeing you swearing is such a CHANGE from your recent episodes! lol
You are cheery even on bad days.
That's actually great to hear! It was definitely a bad day and I wasn't as positive as I usually am...
Glad you survived and just remember what doesn't destroy you makes you stronger (obviously the tyre didn't get stronger from the experience ;-)...well done for keeping your cool (sort of) and l a sure you have learnt a lot from the experience...safe travels...
haha great message! It's made me laugh. The poor tyre... and yes, I now know I can survive a flat tyre!
Omg think you are so courageous love you all the way from Glasgow Scotland 🏴🥰🌈
If you join the AA Roadside service you get 6 free call outs per year. Also it would pay to put a new tyre onto your spare due to it's age. If you're concerned about the rust on your rim you can wirebrush it and paint it (hammerite or rust converter) before putting the new tyre on. For your grey water you need some pvc pipe cement to reattach the joint as long as the pipe hasn't broken? Love your videos :)
This is good to know - thank you. Will head to the hardware store for a wirebrush, paint and pvc pipe cement!
Jeepers that tyre was munted! Thank goodness you were safe!
It was definitely shredded by the time I realised!
I’m amazed you had the ability to film this. I would probably have lost my cool too much
I nearly forgot to!
Sounds like a new location for the spare might be a good thought . Loose contact or corrosion on non working bulb that suddenly came back on. Holes in the underneath probably caused by the buggered tyre loose rubber thrashing around. You ought to know that if it's only a little bit in and you need it in further , you should wiggle it in . That goes for plumbing as well.
It did cause a few fix-it jobs! I eventually moved the tyre to the roof of my car.
13:26 that’s smart. New screw holes are much less likely to fail, well done. About the loose pipe, at 9:02 it looks like they were supposed to be glued. You can fix that easily: get some pvc glue, clean the surfaces and glue them together. The other pipe looks loose as well, so maybe check that one out while working on the other one. Good luck!
It fell out of the old screw hole so knew that wouldn't work, haha. I just wedged the pipe back in better but sounds like I need to buy some glue and do it properly, thank you.
Those fittings are designed to be a push fit and not to be sealed or glued. It's a gravity fed system and if it's installed properly, it should be downhill to the waste tank.
An aftermarket TPMS can help you avoid tire problems. In America, pickup trucks are the primary tow vehicle for travel trailers. Some of the manufacturers now provide TPMS sensors that you install in your trailer tires. These sensors are integrated with the vehicle's own TPMS system and will display trailer tire pressure and temperature on the driver information center screen and will immediately alert you to any loss of pressure in the trailer tire.
I’ve heard of those... could be a good idea
Whoa! That guard has VERY expensive damage to the wheel arch. All of those panels are very badly damaged and getting that straightened will be impossible. At best you can get them sort of straight and fixed and water tight.. but I wouldn't be worried about the rusty spare or even that bracket for the pipe. If you haven't done so yet, I would seriously get that repaired ASAP so its weatherproof.
I eventually got there... UK parts are hard to find in NZ!
man that tyre is fricking mangled!
Hi :-) what an absolutely amazing thing you do...i'm new to caravaning and watching your vlogs is so interesting, learning things i had never even thought of...well done you, keep doing what you're doing...keeptravelling K :-)
Thank you :) Glad this channel has helped! That's great to hear that you've got a caravan too - how are you finding it?
Well....we took my father-in-law camping a couple of times last year, he loved spending the time with us but decided camping wasn't for him so spent £15000 on a caravan...his car cannot tow it, so guess who has that joy lol...
The caravan is currently on a seasonal pitch, 2 hours from our home lol...it's amazing and i'm currently in talks with father-in-law to let us tow it around england.
A few weeks ago we erected the awning....have you ever thought about a porch-awning? They do make life in a caravan "easier" lol...:-)
That's great! Had to smile that you are the tower. A great way to have a break and if you get bored of the location, it's easy to move to another location!
Yes, I am planning to get a small porch awning for winter... think it will be handy for drying clothes and wet shoes.
That looked like the day from hell. Glad you are ok. Interesting video.
It was an exhausting day but I learnt that a flat tyre on the side of the road is survivable!
Hi Sorry to hear about yer tyre trouble, a wee tip for you that I do when towing if you use towing mirrors? I have my towing mirrors for looking behind the caravan and I angle l the cars mirrors down along the bottom sides of the caravan so I can see the caravans tyres so if I notice anything wrong with them I can pull over ASAP?
My towing mirror is too short to see the tyres until I'm going around a corner. Plenty of corners in NZ so I have started making a point of checking while driving, haha.
Hi great to see you.At least the van stayed in a state line you were lucky no big lottery over took you.The Doms.👍
Yes, I've started hearing of other peoples stories and it's made me thankful only this happened.
Very calm and cool what a woman 100%
Made for an interesting day...
I think all the Ks you are doing would be less stressful if you where in the AA. End of Feb I am going to UK and joining those guys on the cut but I remember when you went there a few months ago. but where ever you go drive safe, (Glad you got the Tyre fixed) ... John in NZ
I eventually got Roadside Assistance through my insurer. Ohh have fun in the UK!
IF YOU DID'NT HAVE BAD LUCK YOU WOULD'NT HAVE ANY your troubles are like mine one thing after another keep your chin up great vid x
I have had a few things go wrong, haha. Thank you and hopefully both our luck improves soon!
sounds like a plan x
I had the same thing happen to me Christmas 2018. The tires had plenty of tread but were 14 years old. All the tread came off and then the tire just shredded to bits. I have now changed both tires as the other side was not in good shape.The wire strains were coming out the tread. I think any people purchasing an overseas caravan should have a good look at the tires.. My wheel trim was also busted and I could not find one from the manufactures in the UK because of age. Built in 2004 Sterling.
I have now found replacement copies in NZ, not exactly the same so I will place both sides. Thanks Travelling K
Ahh sorry to hear you had a similar thing happen. I'm curious to know where you got your replacement from? I ended up finding a very similar fiberglass mould.
Travelling K Affordable Caravans in Christchurch. From my research a lot of people have had a similar problem.
That's great to hear - the lady there is lovely!
I pay a few extra $$ with AMI for road side assistance... never used it yet thank goodness.. think I would get 2 callouts per year but honestly Ive forgotten. Worth having it especially travelling on your own xx
I ended up adding call out to my insurance... peace of mind!
I have had one flat while towing. Thankfully on a twin axle so not as bad as your experience. My wife had two on one trip though :-(
Oh sympathy with your wife getting 2 in 2 trip!!
If you struggle use your common ,join a breakdown service
I almost feel you meant to add the word 'sense'? And yes, this experience has motivated me to get roadside assistance. Just got a quote through my insurance company.
I now know one thing I'll definitely be checking in my dummy run next week! All the tyres and how to get it out and change it. Thanks.
Hahah probably a smart idea😋Wish I'd done that!
Hi don’t worry about other cars behind you they will overtake you when the road is clear enough to overtake you have a great time site seeing around the uk 🇬🇧👍
I have learnt it’s different here. I guess we have more single lane roads with the occasional passing lane and people can get a bit silly overtaking a caravan 🙈
That sucks but glad you're okay! :-0
It did suck and I am okay - thank you😂
I have a old spare the same size as yours under my motorhome, and mine has brand new tread and a year 2000 date stamp. 175r14c are now more expensive than they used to be, I would consider buying 185r14c tyres next time as they are cheaper, and have a greater load rating, so less chance of a blowout, I'm just about throw away my 19 year old spare !
Ah good to know! I really hadn’t realised how many different tyre types there are. 19 years is a good length 😀
I'm assuming you've checked your wheel bearings for excessive heat when towing...that can also cause tires to heat up and blow out. I'm enjoying your channel!
Glad you're enjoying the channel! How would I check the wheel bearing? I was thinking of putting each side up on the jack and atleast check the wheel is spinning ok... felt like the car was putting in a lot of effort towing over the last few days.
karen join the AA roadside Assist it can save a lot especially if you had to get your caravan towed anywhere cheers you did well!!! regards Bill
Thank you! Yeah... I'm procrastinating about AA because my monthly bills are already quite high.
No more procrastinating-get AA Roadside Assistant before something else goes wrong.
Aw Karen. Worst nightmare. When I watched you struggle with removing the spare wheel on a previous vlog it inspired me to remove my wheel from the Alko Wheel carrier and carry it in the caravan or car when Im on the move. It’s wrapped in a big plastic sack for convenience. What a struggle to get it out when caravan down on one side. Bad design. You coped amazingly.
You did better than me preparing for a flat, haha. It is a bad design, isn't it!
sorry about your experience - I have a cross country USA trip next week with my trailer (caravan) and hopefully won't have this happen - very dangerous job that gentleman has who fixed your tire with cars passing by.....well worth the charge.
Yeah, he was so relaxed about being right by speeding trucks. I was more nervous than he was, haha. Goodluck with your trip. I'm imagining it's a longer journey than mine has been. USA seems so large!
Well ..that was quite the adventure lil pilgrim ..be prepared..it happens ..adapt overcome conquer.. jolly good carryon pip pips 😁happy trails pilgrim
Hehe nice one. I got there in the end...
@@TravellingK 😁
I remember when you had a flat tyre on the other side. You should've had both of them replaced at the same time. I had a flat tyre last year with our previous caravan. I ended up having to call out my breakdown service because I was unable to loosen the wheel bolts (I didn't have a wheel wrench with me). I was on the motorway at the time and was about 15 miles from home. I had both tyres replaced at the soonest opportunity. Our Lunar caravan is going in for a service in a few weeks and I'm having both tyres replaced at the same time.
Yes, I really should have had both replaced - kicking myself now. Ahhh that sounds like a painful experience for you - and so close to home too!!
If I'd been able to undo the wheel bolts, I could've fitted the spare wheel. It was a good thing that I already had breakdown cover with the RAC so I didn't have to pay a penny. I had a similar problem with one of the rear tyres on the Citroen which I caught on video (it was near to where I had the tyre failure with the caravan). I got recovered to a tyre fitter and ended up replacing both rear tyres.
th-cam.com/video/nq80lze7ysw/w-d-xo.html
Gosh, what a night that looked like! Tricking knowing if you should pull over on the side of the motorway or get off it. Now that's an advantage to having RAC!
It was early in the morning before sunrise. I was on my way to work. I didn't realize that the tyre had failed until I'd stopped. I didn't want to be stranded on a motorway hard shoulder so I left at the next exit and found a safer place to stop. I ended up about a mile away from the tyre place where I was recovered to. I didn't want to risk limping there in case I damaged the alloy wheel.
What a start to your work day! So close... but understandable that you wouldn't want to risk the wheel.
with the correct tools jack etc and extended handles/pipes, you can easily change you wheels on your own. just watch that tyre man or ask someone to show you . keep nut and bolts like the one that lets your spare down sprayed with crc for lubrication and theyre always easy to undo. you are doing quite well from scratch.
I'll agree that keeping them lubricated is a must. And I had no idea what the pin was... now I know.
Probably doesn't help any know and maybe here in UK it's a different attitude to caravan tyres in that how ever much tread there is on a tyre it's recommended that the tyre is changed every five years. It's the tyre sidewalls that suffer weakness particularly if the van is stood parked for a lot of the time, this weakness is fatal for a tyre a rapid deflation is the end result. But you are so courageous and you take it all in good stead. Well done you.
Thank you Barry - I think I'll be regularly changing tyres every 5 years from now on, haha. They do seem more relaxed about it in NZ. The interior of the 2008 caravan was new looking inside when I bought it so I suspect the caravan didn't get much use - which wouldn't have helped the tyres!
Don't feel bad. I don't even carry a spare for my RV and wouldn't be able to change it if I did.
Just behind the T Joint where you was trying to push the pipe in, is a clip. Try unscrewing that then it will free the pipe so can get a better grip to push the pipe back in. Then re screw the clip back.
Perfect, thank you. I was wondering how it was originally put together. Might crawl under there today and give it a go :)
You did well to control the van but Tyron bands or puncture liquid which stays in wheel at all times would probably have saved tyre. The importance of covering the tyres from sunlight in storage is also invaluable to stop cracking. Secret is to use spare if new after 5 years and fit another new one , less expensive , The five year guide is invaluable but also rotating the tyres in storage to avoid flat spots all helps
Sounds like my caravan tyres had never been changed and were 10 years old 🤣
When a bunch of folks started having catastrophic (causing damage) blowouts on teardrop trailers with grossly under loaded tires I started looking into it. At that point virtually all ST trailer tires were made in China and came to be called "China Bombs". I switched to passenger car tires and for ten years never had a problem. The standards are more stringent.
After these aged out I have recently replaced them with Goodyear Endurance made in the US ST tires.
Yikes! I had a tyre talk recently and hadn’t realised how many types there were...
I also run a tyre pressure management system. Tyredog is its name. Not cheap but sets off us warning if any of the six tyres deflates. Tyres have used by dates. Mine are 10 years from manufacture due to be replaced next year.
Thanks Terry - I'll have a look. Although as soon as you said 'not cheap' I instantly hesitated😂Sounds like my tyres were definitely due to be replaced.
I do a bit of off road driving and manage tyre pressure on the Prado up and down but also it gives you confidence that you can see the actual tyres pressures and if you want temperatures as you are driving - real time. Saved me coming out of the Flinders Ranges with a slow leak caused by over inflated tyres and sharp rocks. An alarm went off as the pressure got below 20psi. A$650 but my tyres are about A$300 each. Yes your tyres were. It is not the wear but the fact that the rubber starts to perish in the side walls from the inside. I also have Premium roadside assist - at my age don't fancy too much hard yaka.
Sounds worth it for lots of off road driving and A$300 tyres! Am starting to think I'll at least look into the cost of roadside assistance...
Hi
Just came across your tyre blow out vid and watch some of you others they are great.
A suggestion would be a cordless impact wrench (which some can double as a cordless drill) for wheel nuts and the like also a lubricant call never seize for your squeaky stabilisers and any other nut/bolt that need undoing.P.S don't get it on your hands stains like Beetroot.
Hoping to get to NZ in the near future.
Thank you Mark - yes, a power tool of some type would be handy. People even use them to wind down the stabilising legs! I've just bought some copper lubricant and keep meaning to give it a go. Great to hear you might be visiting NZ soon.
good job K..expensive flat..but what do you do...maybe fix and oil the spare tyre carrier
Yeah, I'm actually really surprised at the cost of replacing that spat or outer cover!
You're something else, girl!
Haha hopefully in a good way 😜
Great video, thanks for sharing
One of my more dramatic videos 🤣
Hmmm, repeating myself, Hmmm, repeating myself, must be getting OLD hahahahaha
If in doubt, duck tape it haha. Sorry to hear about the tyre drama.
hahah, something else broke yesterday and I got the duck tape out😂
The golden rule with tyres is. Correct pressure settings, caravan tyres usually fail before they wear out. Change them every 3 to 4 years. UV decomposes the rubber.
So 10 years was just a little old then 🤣
Hi Karen, what a shame. You may need a plumber to look at that connection. The reason tyres do so much damage is that they are held togethet by hundreds of steel threads. They can be quite sharp and centrifugal force makes them do a lot of damage. You could get the floor fixed with a patch of fibreglass and epoxy or some underseal will protect it until you are ready to make a proper repair. Make sure the area is clean and dry for a few days before you do the repair though.
Steel threads! Ok, now I understand why there're holes in the caravan!!!! Hmm, I've never used fiberglass and epoxy but this could be a good project for a dry patch :) Thank you for the tips!
Travelling K thanks. I also took a look for remote tyre pressure monitors on trademe. They could be something you could look into if you were worried about it happening again. This is the sort of thing you can buy.
www.trademe.co.nz/1604922469
Hmmm ok, thank you. Will have a think about it but might be after a few other accessories!
Fair enough, they're not cheap but I wonder if a motorbike system would work just on the caravan and be cheaper.
True - it's only for 2 tyres!
Great channel...
Thank you!
Found myself (I was was lost and now am found) telling you how to plug the drain pipe back in. But, I guess you couldn't hear me for whatever reason. I would suggest a tire monitor system. On Amazon for $40 for ?? a good one $300 US. Note: I see the age of this, but its new to me. LOL
You are doing fine love. keep on
Thank you!!
@@TravellingK
When tyres shread like that the prices flap around under there and can do massive damage