*Truck and Towing thread........ask your questions here.*

[jbrostek]

I have even considered airbags for the DRW just to help with the frost heaves when towing.

Speaking of air pumps, with the new trailer on G rated tires and the 100psi and more requirement I went looking for something I can use for the truck and RV. I was thinking at first a 2-3 gallon air compressor but that seemed excessive when I have a 60gallon at the house. I ended up buying the Dewalt cordless/corded Inflator. It is reasonably fast taking my utility trailer tires from 30-50PSI in about 6 minutes a side and only took out one bar of a 3ah 20v battery. It also includes a 12v cord and I plan to order the 120v cord. So far I think it will meet my on the road tire needs and wanted to share that with the towing community. So if you are already invested in the dewalt 20v battery system I think this is a good option to have around the house/RV.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

I have even considered airbags for the DRW just to help with the frost heaves when towing.

Speaking of air pumps, with the new trailer on G rated tires and the 100psi and more requirement I went looking for something I can use for the truck and RV. I was thinking at first a 2-3 gallon air compressor but that seemed excessive when I have a 60gallon at the house. I ended up buying the Dewalt cordless/corded Inflator. It is reasonably fast taking my utility trailer tires from 30-50PSI in about 6 minutes a side and only took out one bar of a 3ah 20v battery. It also includes a 12v cord and I plan to order the 120v cord. So far I think it will meet my on the road tire needs and wanted to share that with the towing community. So if you are already invested in the dewalt 20v battery system I think this is a good option to have around the house/RV.

Interesting. Have you used it on the 100psi tires yet? I haven't always had the best luck trying to get the higher psi out of the more portable pumps. If it works, though, this would be a nice have for the truck and trailer. Right now, I use a portable compressor that clips directly to the battery terminals. It works well, but it's a bit of a hassle to use. I'd love the ease of the battery powered version for the trailer tires!

 

[Stratman50th]

My steer tires are 130psi. I have a Porter Cable pancake compressor that goes to 150psi. It is a struggle to get as high as 125 and it takes forever. I'd love to find something that works putting the air in without fighting what wants to come back out!

 

[jbrostek]

I have done 70 on my truck fronts. I am planning to do the 110 for my RV tires this week as I prepare for first camping next week. I will let you all know how it goes.

@Stratman50th I had the same issue when I had my bus. However, I stored it at my friends shop then so I had no issues if I needed air before hitting the road since he has a 100 gallon scroll compressor running at 160psi.

 

[Stratman50th]

I had the same issue when I had my bus. However, I stored it at my friends shop then so I had no issues if I needed air before hitting the road since he has a 100 gallon scroll compressor running at 160psi.

I would invest in whatever it took to do this easily. The capacity doesn't have to be 100 gallons, but the compressor has to be able to push in past the pressure already in the tire trying to get out. I'll take suggestions.

 

[Teamubr]

I have done 70 on my truck fronts. I am planning to do the 110 for my RV tires this week as I prepare for first camping next week. I will let you all know how it goes.

James,

I don't think you need to go to 110 psi. I put Sailun load range G tires on my trailer 2 years ago and ran them up to the max, 110psi. They were so hard, things were breaking inside the trailer and the ride in the truck was terrible. I emailed Sailun to get recommendations and they sent me the chart below. They said the psi for the tires is based on the weight on each tire. My trailer is about 14,500 lbs with about 2800 of that on the pin, so around 12,000 lbs on the axles. That is 3,000 lbs per tire. The chart says that is 75-80 psi for the tires I have. I lowered them to 80 and they tow great (much better than load range E). The sidewalls are still much stiffer that load range E tires and the just "roll" much better, even at the lower psi.

The chart also had a nice footnote for the tires I bought that says they are rated to 75 mph. Most ST tires are much lower than that.



j

 

[jbrostek]

The new trailer is 16k dry with a 3k pin. I will likely need to stick around 90-100 since I have 7k axles anyway. I still need to hit a cat scale one day and see where my weights are. Either way I wanted something that could get to the max pressure if I ever needed them.

Next up is for me to remove the westlakes, it is on the list but the truck repair pushed the timeline back. They will be replace by next spring at the latest.

 

[jkh36619]

James,

I don't think you need to go to 110 psi. I put Sailun load range G tires on my trailer 2 years ago and ran them up to the max, 110psi. They were so hard, things were breaking inside the trailer and the ride in the truck was terrible. I emailed Sailun to get recommendations and they sent me the chart below. They said the psi for the tires is based on the weight on each tire. My trailer is about 14,500 lbs with about 2800 of that on the pin, so around 12,000 lbs on the axles. That is 3,000 lbs per tire. The chart says that is 75-80 psi for the tires I have. I lowered them to 80 and they tow great (much better than load range E). The sidewalls are still much stiffer that load range E tires and the just "roll" much better, even at the lower psi.

The chart also had a nice footnote for the tires I bought that says they are rated to 75 mph. Most ST tires are much lower than that.

View attachment 561830

j

I have Sailuns as well. Great tire. I run mine at reccommended pressure with no problems. I sure would be nervous at running them 30lbs low. You start getting into sidewall stress issues.

 

[jbrostek]

Would you get into sidewall stress if you are within pressure spec for the weight? I would run a little higher then min spec, but if the manufacturer recommends this why wouldnt you?

 

[Teamubr]

Would you get into sidewall stress if you are within pressure spec for the weight? I would run a little higher then min spec, but if the manufacturer recommends this why wouldnt you?

Not according to tech support at Sailun that sent me the weight/psi spreadsheet. He said I should actually be running between 70-75 psi. That is lower than what I ran on the load range E tires I had. The Sailuns do not squat at 80 psi and they "roll" and handle much better. The trailer also has almost no bounce when you are walking around now compared to the old E load tires. I attribute that to the increased stiffness on the side wall.

j

 

[Teamubr]

If I was looking for 6 tires. 275/70R22.5 Load Range H (or J), what would you recommend? The Goodyear seems to be the go to, but they must be lined in gold, given the price. Michelins are also really pricey. Toyo, Kumho and Sumitomo get good reviews.

j

 

[tripleb]

Has anyone traveled Hwy 74 west out of Bryson City, NC to Chattanooga pulling a FW or TT ? If so, is it a descent road or is it just better to go North to I-40 to Knoxville and head South.

 

[Stratman50th]

If I was looking for 6 tires. 275/70R22.5 Load Range H (or J), what would you recommend? The Goodyear seems to be the go to, but they must be lined in gold, given the price. Michelins are also really pricey. Toyo, Kumho and Sumitomo get good reviews.

j

I've had Firestones on the rear for going on 8 years. I'm going to replace them with the same
FS 560 Plus 12R 22.5
$540 each including mounting.
I had a long talk with the manager of the place I get tires about different brands etc. The one thing he said was people think that Michelins are the best tire made. They are good, and he loves to sell them to people, but you're paying for the name and that they're regroovable. RVers never regroove their tires because they age out before they wear out.
Toyos are good and so are Sumitomos.
I put Bridgestones on for steer tires. They were very expensive because they were an oddball size.

 

[Teamubr]

I put Bridgestones on for steer tires. They were very expensive because they were an oddball size.

What size tires are on your coach?

j

 

[Stratman50th]

What size tires are on your coach?

j

The steer tires are 385/65 R 22.5

 

[Teamubr]

The steer tires are 385/65 R 22.5

WOW!

Those are BIG. Carrying a bit of weight on the front axle?

j

 

[Stratman50th]

WOW!

Those are BIG. Carrying a bit of weight on the front axle?

j

18k. The 6 on the drive/tag are "normal" size truck tires. I'm afraid if I have to replace the steers on the road since they were hard to find. The highway tread was the tough part. There's warehouses full of that size with the knobby tread for off road.

 

[tiggerdad]

WOW!

Those are BIG. Carrying a bit of weight on the front axle?

j

Oooo!

 

[PaHunter]

If I was looking for 6 tires. 275/70R22.5 Load Range H (or J), what would you recommend? The Goodyear seems to be the go to, but they must be lined in gold, given the price. Michelins are also really pricey. Toyo, Kumho and Sumitomo get good reviews.

j

I have had Kumho on my jeep for the last 3 years and they have been good. The shop recommended Toyo.

 

[jbrostek]

If I was looking for 6 tires. 275/70R22.5 Load Range H (or J), what would you recommend? The Goodyear seems to be the go to, but they must be lined in gold, given the price. Michelins are also really pricey. Toyo, Kumho and Sumitomo get good reviews.

My last set on the rear of the bus where hankook. The steers where continental HSR2 as they where replaced first and that was the best deal the local truck tire shop offered.

I am still debating if I replace the westlakes G rates this year or wait for end of the season. I know on my last RV I tried to go 3 years with the same tires and that proved disastrous. Maybe before Disney in July I will swap out.