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Check your Valve Stems!!!


Headhunter 2317

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Sunday was beautiful and the wife and I packed up and headed to the lake.

When we pulled up in front of the boat to pull her out of the storage unit, I noticed that BOTH tires were completely flat. They were fine 3 weeks ago!!!!!

Please keep in mind that I am 60 miles from Atlanta in the middle of nowhere GA.

As I look closer, I see that BOTH valve stems had split from old age. (5 years)

I had pulled the boat forward out of the slot to be able to get a closer look. BOTH tires had broken away from the rim. The CFO was silent. For once......

I drove her back to Atlanta and gathered my tools. Luckily my neighbor has a big floor jack and some huge jackstands. I called my friend up the road and asked for his assistance. Since he is a regular on the BU, he stepped up to the plate.

We drove back up the boat and elevated the WHOLE thing off the ground with the jackstands. My butt was puckered the entire time picturing my BU slamming to the ground. We got the wheels off and drove another 30 miles back to the Interstate Truckstop/Tire Shop. The tire guy said that they were dryrotted for sure.

We got back, bolted them on and managed to put her away without any problems.

Laid my head down at 2AM.....

The moral to this very long post is "CHECK YOUR VALVE STEMS!!!!!

New tires are getting ordered today.

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I stay on top of those usually but the valve stems were a shocker. Never had a failure in any vehicle ever.

Live and learn. Better than a blowout on the highway.

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So maybe we need a checklist for the first run of the season. If anyone wants to add to the list, maybe we could make it a faq or a sticky in the maintenance forum.

Tires / Wheels

* Check for proper inflation

* Check lugnut torque

* Inspect tires and valve stems for damage

* Check oil bath hubs or bearing buddies

Trailer

* Check for proper operation of coupler

* Check brake fluid level

* Verify brake safety cable retainer clip is in place

* Check for proper brake actuation (backup with lights unplugged)

* Verify back up solenoid is operational

* Physically inspect trailer for damage, pay attention to welded joints, spring perches, etc.

* Check safety strap and safety chain for any damage.

* Make sure trailer guide poles are secure.

* Inspect bunks for damaged carpet or rotten boards

Edited by whiteVLX
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This one caught me by surprise. I found new Goodyear Marathons at www.tirerack.com for 78 bucks each. That's the best price I've seen yet.

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Just swing the trailer on by Les Scwab and they'll come running to check it all out for you. Those up here in the NW (Les Schwab country) will know what I am talking about.

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Def check the lugs, they can loosen really fast. I have had one go off on me 10 miles from my house (where i checked them), but on new trailers especially they can take time to really lock in.

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Did I read this correctly, you drove an hour away to get your boat, then an hour back home to drop off the wife, then back to the boat...and you were hoping for a day at the lake. That SUCKS!!! I would have been pissed if that happened to me. There nothing worse then getting a late start, but not getting there at all is no fun. I am just wondering how you can tel if you have dry rot on your valve stems? I don't think ours do but I am going to check next time I am home. I feel for ya headhunter, that must have been one long and frustrating day!

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The moral to this very long post is  "CHECK YOUR VALVE STEMS!!!!!

New tires are getting ordered today.

Joe, Joe, Joe... :(

Surely if you were thinking, you could have turned this little incident into new rims for the trailer. I mean C'MON MAN! How hard would it have been to attribute the problem to those 'worn out rims' you got on there? I mean JEEZ! Just think of the blowout that was waiting to happen while you were driving down the road? Is a new dining room set worth that risk? FOR THE LOVE OF GAWD, THINK, MAN, THINK!!!!!

You may just have to turn in your man card for this one... Fingerwag.gifLame.gif

Innocent.gif

Edited by SunriseH2OSkier
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I've had 3 valvestems on my 96 F250 go bad. I traced it back to a wheel cleaner I used to use. It worked great, but hell on rubber.

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The stress level was extrordinary during the hour or so she was on jackstands in the middle of a gravel parking lot.....As a matter of fact, if you look to the left at my Avatar, you will see her exact position in front of the storage unit.

I had all of the horrible visuals of her sitting on the ground with a cracked hull and a busted trailer....

The fat lady has not sung yet on my rims. I do like the idea of the damaged wheel...Warped maybe? I can pay off the tire guy to put that down on the invoice......I love this site.

Edited by Headhunter 2317
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The fat lady has not sung yet on my rims. I do like the idea of the damaged wheel...Warped maybe?  I can pay off the tire guy to put that down on the invoice......I love this site.

Now you're thinkin'! Had me worried there for a bit. Thumbup.gif

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CFO is tight on my a%# lately. Just dropped 1200 on a tower so Big Mother is always watching......

I think a good stern safety warning about the rims from an expert would do.

Edited by Headhunter 2317
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Joe,

Be very careful about continuing the use of your old rims. If the tires were flat for an extended period of time it could have stressed the rims to the point where they could experience catastrophic failure. Rims aren't that expensive you may just want to replace them. I've seen it happen too many times and the results are not pretty. Not worth the risk of damaging the boat if the rim comes apart at highway speeds.

How was that? Now put the above portion on the screen for her to read and leave this part off the bottom. ;)

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You may just have to turn in your man card for this one... Fingerwag.gifLame.gif

Innocent.gif

ROFL.gif

White VLX
28 weeks down, 12 to go

Gabriella Simone due on July 7, 2005

Congratulations, I love that you have named her already and it is a great name.

Thanks, we thought the two names went well together.

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