Bird
Rest in Peace
Speed may have something to do with it, as does weight and proper inflation. And perhaps the manufacturers are not making ST tires as good as before, but I'd find that hard to believe since they've obviously improved other tires.
I bought a 32' fifth-wheel in the Fall of 1988. It had two 3500# axles, the mobile home type wheels, and bias ply load range C tires. Of course, we were a bit overloaded; living full time in it with generator, washer/dryer, etc. And I failed to weigh it initially, but after ruining a couple of tires enroute to Alaska in 1990, I found that we actually were running with 7,300# on the axles and 2500# on the pin, so technically we were only 300 pounds overweight, but of course some rough roads had an effect, too, broke 2 shock mounts, also. However, Goodyear had just come out with the first radial ST tires; the Marathons, so when we came south again, I planned to change some things. After considering heavier duty tires and springs and talking to the trailer manufacturer as well as Dexter Axle folks . . . well, we just replaced everything from the frame down; new custom built 5,200# axles with the 6000# tubes, bigger hubs and brakes, and D rated Marathon tires, and of course different wheels. That was done in Elkhart, IN. I'm not sure how many miles we put on it in the next year, but we went on to West Virginia, to Dallas, to the Texas Coast, back to Dallas, and the next April to Alaska, then in September back to Las Vegas where we traded the truck and trailer for a motorhome. So we'd driven in Texas heat and I know it was 5 below zero when we entered Alaska from Canada, so we'd traveled quite a few miles, in heat and in cold, usually driving the speed limit and never had a tire problem. Of course when I bought the Marathons, I bought 5 of them, but the spare was never taken off the spare rack.
So I only had good things to say about the Goodyear Marathons, but I was running considerably below their rated weight capacity AND that was more than 20 years ago, so I don't know how much has changed since then, but obviously a few things have changed.:laughing:
I bought a 32' fifth-wheel in the Fall of 1988. It had two 3500# axles, the mobile home type wheels, and bias ply load range C tires. Of course, we were a bit overloaded; living full time in it with generator, washer/dryer, etc. And I failed to weigh it initially, but after ruining a couple of tires enroute to Alaska in 1990, I found that we actually were running with 7,300# on the axles and 2500# on the pin, so technically we were only 300 pounds overweight, but of course some rough roads had an effect, too, broke 2 shock mounts, also. However, Goodyear had just come out with the first radial ST tires; the Marathons, so when we came south again, I planned to change some things. After considering heavier duty tires and springs and talking to the trailer manufacturer as well as Dexter Axle folks . . . well, we just replaced everything from the frame down; new custom built 5,200# axles with the 6000# tubes, bigger hubs and brakes, and D rated Marathon tires, and of course different wheels. That was done in Elkhart, IN. I'm not sure how many miles we put on it in the next year, but we went on to West Virginia, to Dallas, to the Texas Coast, back to Dallas, and the next April to Alaska, then in September back to Las Vegas where we traded the truck and trailer for a motorhome. So we'd driven in Texas heat and I know it was 5 below zero when we entered Alaska from Canada, so we'd traveled quite a few miles, in heat and in cold, usually driving the speed limit and never had a tire problem. Of course when I bought the Marathons, I bought 5 of them, but the spare was never taken off the spare rack.
So I only had good things to say about the Goodyear Marathons, but I was running considerably below their rated weight capacity AND that was more than 20 years ago, so I don't know how much has changed since then, but obviously a few things have changed.:laughing:
