Runaway Tire!

[Deere Dude]

Going through town to a campground after a 100 mile run on the interstate pulling a big 5th wheel I kept hearing ticking type sounds. Was beside a semi so thought it was from him. Another 3 miles in the campground still heard the ticking sound. Just before the last turn to the campsite I inspected the camper wheels and they seemed okay. I came to the dually and popped off the wheel liner covers from all 4 corners.

I almost crapped a brick when I saw the left rear wheel nuts were hanging on by about 3 threads each. Every one, all 8. The only thing keeping them on seems to be the cover. I got the tire wrench and snugged them up to the wheels, moved ahead and redid it. Kept doing that until all were tight. Should have jacked it up but this seemed easier. The reason this happened was I just spun the nuts on with an air wrench, didn't torque them and didn't recheck after 50 miles. That my friends could have been a major disaster if I was on the interstate going 75 another half hour.

Another lesson learned.

 

[ruffdog]

Several years ago on the nearby interstate, a semi lost a set of duels, they went through the median, they bounced and hit the top of the windshield of a pickup going the other direction. The whole top of the cab was crushed back. They ended up safely driving into the ditch and stopping, with the huge RV they were towing. Scary stuff.

 

[two_bit_score]

I had just left my dooryard when I heard a "thud." Looking behind me I saw my spare tire lying in the road. It hadn't just come off; the bracket holding it under the truck had broken. If it had happened 2 hours later I would have been going down the interstate through Bangor and most likely would have resulted in a serious crash.

The truck was 3 years old, and that was the last time that I used the spare tire holder.

Where did you keep the spare after that?

 

[PILOON]

I had just left my dooryard when I heard a "thud." Looking behind me I saw my spare tire lying in the road. It hadn't just come off; the bracket holding it under the truck had broken. If it had happened 2 hours later I would have been going down the interstate through Bangor and most likely would have resulted in a serious crash.

The truck was 3 years old, and that was the last time that I used the spare tire holder.

Same happened to me, heard noises coming from the rear and discovered that I was dragging my spare tire on the road.

Today many manufacturers have solved the spare tire problem.
They don't provide one!
Instead they give you a can of air and or maybe a 12 volt compressor.

 

[4570Man]

Same happened to me, heard noises coming from the rear and discovered that I was dragging my spare tire on the road.

Today many manufacturers have solved the spare tire problem.
They don't provide one!
Instead they give you a can of air and or maybe a 12 volt compressor.

Not a bad solution IMO. The chance of the user being able to change it, getting the ridiculous toque tire store lug nuts off, the wheel not being stuck to the hub, and the spare tire not being flat are pretty slim.

 

[Industrial Toys]

That force is incredible for what was probably not a large tire. I can't even imagine a super-single coming along with your name on it.

 

[4570Man]

That force is incredible for what was probably not a large tire. I can't even imagine a super-single coming along with your name on it.

I saw his post on another forum and attempted to calculate the force. At a 120 mph closing speed ( which probably wasn’t that fast here ) a 50 pound tire would have 24,000 foot pounds of energy and a 200 pound truck tire would hit with 95,000 foot pounds. A bouncing tire in the windshield would be bad news.

 

[orezok]

A number of years ago we were pulling our camping trailer to a remote campsite in the Redwoods. The spare tire was mounted underneath in front of the axles on a winch similar to a pick up. We turned off 101 and headed up this narrow road that kept our speed to 25 or so. We get to the final turnoff to the campground which we had been to before and stopped at the turn off.

The final .4 miles was a one lane road with redwood trees in some places only 6 clear of either side of the trailer. There were no shoulders or turnouts if you met someone coming the other direction.

While I was scouting out the road to see if anyone else was on it, a guy stops and asks if we lost a tire. I look under the trailer and the spare was gone. The steel cable that held it broke.

The tire somehow managed to stay completely flat while it slid under the axles. Fifteen minutes earlier we were doing 55 on the freeway and if the tire had caught an axle it might have been a disaster.

 

[civilian]

Around the turn of the century, we had a GM plastice van. Spare tire mounted underneath behind the rear axle. In a parking lot we loaded all our bikes and camping gear in it and slammed the rear hatch. I hear a thunk. Looked underneath and there is my spare tire on the ground. We just had a high school junior friend of my daughter drive the van to us, some 200 miles. Lucky for all of us, the spare came off when it did.

Another story. I have a Tundra that came with steel wheels. Bought a set of used tires and aluminum style wheels. Took them to a tire store to swap them out. Couple days later I start hearing clicking noises. So when I get home I look and two wheels were missing some lug nuts. And the holes are wallowed out of round. Opps! Call the tire store and talked to their after hours repair man. He came out and inspected and we decided to have it hauled back in to fix the situation. Me not knowing and the rookie tire guy not knowing, the steel wire lug nuts should not be used on aluminum style wheels. One wheel had to be replaced.

One last story. One of my dad's semi drivers called to report loosing a set of duals off the rear axle of the trailer. Fortunately he was coming to a stop on the off ramp when he saw them pass him down in the ditch. He got the duals back up to the road side and realized the lock nut came off the bearings. Both tires and brake drum came off the axle. I had to go down and chain up the axle, get the tires and drum in the trailer and send the driver on his way. The trailer was basically empty. Jon

 

[Jstpssng]

Where did you keep the spare after that?

In the bed of the truck. It's a PITA, but at least it's there when I need it.

 

[Jstpssng]

Not a bad solution IMO. The chance of the user being able to change it, getting the ridiculous toque tire store lug nuts off, the wheel not being stuck to the hub, and the spare tire not being flat are pretty slim.

I was staying in a motel when a Canadian woman checked in who was traveling from New Brunswick to Quebec in her new BMW convertible.
She'd had a flat going through a construction site and had to wait nearly a week for the new tire to come in.
If my $60,000 sports car left me stranded because I couldn't get a tire, I wouldn't own it for very long.

 

[Looking4new]

Around these parts if a wheel comes off AND you get caught by the cops the fine could get as high as $10,000.oo

 

[civilian]

Around these parts if a wheel comes off AND you get caught by the cops the fine could get as high as $10,000.oo

OUCH! Jon

 

[Dftodd]

I saw one come off an office trailer that was being hauled to a job site. It was on a 2 lane highway between yeehaw junction and melbourne Florida.

Tire came off and hit the other lane as a Pontiac fiero was going by. Hit the front bumper of the car, V'd it in pretty good, then shot about 30ft in the air. I slammed on the brakes so I could keep an eye on the tire. Tire came down in front of my truck, then continued bouncing out through the brush.

Truck kept going, never even realized they lost the tire.

I called highway patrol to give them a description of the truck and trailer. They caught him just before the turnpike in yeehaw junction.

 

[Quebecguy]

All these stories of runaway tires reminded me of a time I was hitch-hiking on the 401 between Toronto and Montreal back in the seventies. Coming towards me a few hundred feet away while I stood beside the highway was a semi trailer rig when all of a sudden there was a very loud bang and that semi gave a violent shake and let loose a big cloud of dust. Not knowing what had happened I kept my eye on the semi and started for the ditch and the field beyond. The semi kept going and was past me when I saw a large tire/wheel following him down the highway. The tire went by me going about 45 mph as the semi was slowing to a stop on the shoulder well down the highway. The tire continued rolling down my side of the highway before altering course and crossing the median of the divided highway. It came up on the other side and a couple of drivers managed to swerve their cars around it before a lady driver smacked right into it head on. I guess she was so shocked to see something like that coming at her she didn't know what to do so just plowed right into it. After I got back up on the shoulder and started walking it wasn't long before I got to the now parked semi. All of its tires and wheels were in place except for the spare which I guess had been attached somewhere under the trailer. It must have come loose and somehow got under one or some of the other tires setting it up for its roll down the highway. One never knows what may happen out on the road!

 

[sklunk]

I was on the opposite end of one of these:

A buddy of mine wanted to borrow my car hauler to bring a vehicle from a few hours away. He mentioned there were a few guys going in a few different trucks. The vehicle was for his son-in-law who I knew didn't have a working brake controller on his truck. I told my buddy "do NOT let your s-i-l pull this trailer without brakes".

Guess what -- he did. I found out after the fact. They made it 3 hours down the major freeways and were 5 minutes from home when he broke 2 wheels studs and one of the wheels came off and went rolling down the road. Luckily it didn't hit anybody but did take out somebody's mailbox and some split-rail fence.

He obviously took care of the mailbox and fence and offered to cover costs of repair to my trailer. I made sure he paid for new wheels studs, new brakes, new tires, and a full inspection on the trailer. And I haven't let him borrow it since!!

 

[two_bit_score]

I was on the opposite end of one of these:

A buddy of mine wanted to borrow my car hauler to bring a vehicle from a few hours away. He mentioned there were a few guys going in a few different trucks. The vehicle was for his son-in-law who I knew didn't have a working brake controller on his truck. I told my buddy "do NOT let your s-i-l pull this trailer without brakes".

Guess what -- he did. I found out after the fact. They made it 3 hours down the major freeways and were 5 minutes from home when he broke 2 wheels studs and one of the wheels came off and went rolling down the road. Luckily it didn't hit anybody but did take out somebody's mailbox and some split-rail fence.

He obviously took care of the mailbox and fence and offered to cover costs of repair to my trailer. I made sure he paid for new wheels studs, new brakes, new tires, and a full inspection on the trailer. And I haven't let him borrow it since!!

Sorry to hear about the misfortune. Glad you got the trailer back to normal and nobody was injured.

Question I have may be dumb but what has having a brake controller go to do with the studs breaking off?



.

 

[Streetcar]

Jstpssng
I had a Ford fusion as company car when they first came out. Got nail in sidewall, replacement tire took a week to get as they use odd tire size

 

[sklunk]

Sorry to hear about the misfortune. Glad you got the trailer back to normal and nobody was injured.

Question I have may be dumb but what has having a brake controller go to do with the studs breaking off?
.

Maybe nothing but the trailer and it's load were definitely too heavy to be legally pulled without any brakes (the brakes on the trailer were in working order but without a brake controller they couldn't be activated by the truck pulling the load). And in PA it's not the operator of the trailer who is responsible -- it's the owner! That's why I warned him not to use his son-in-law's truck!!

 

[Deere Dude]

Maybe nothing but the trailer and it's load were definitely too heavy to be legally pulled without any brakes (the brakes on the trailer were in working order but without a brake controller they couldn't be activated by the truck pulling the load). And in PA it's not the operator of the trailer who is responsible -- it's the owner! That's why I warned him not to use his son-in-law's truck!!

That will teach him to borrow a trailer with bad studs.