Cracks in tire rims-

[PAylor]

Hi all,

 

We took delivery in March of 2014 of a Big Horn fifth wheel, straight off the factory floor. We have been very happy with it. We've put lots of miles on it and spend more time on the road than we do in our home.

 

The only complaint we have had with it has been an ongoing problem with the rims. It was a challenge to find the trouble. We had a flat tire after about six months on the road but nothing was wrong with the tire. Finally found it was the rim. The rim company replaced it. When the second rim went out they replaced all four rims. In addition we purchased a additional rim so we now travel with two spare tires. We are now beginning to have trouble with the second set of rims. The company once again has offered to replace them.

 

I'm not a mechanic but this seems to be a bit extreme. My husband is very cautious about maintaining the correct tire pressure. Has anyone else had a problem like this? And beyond replacing the rims (which the company seems to be happy to do) is there anything else anyone can suggest we do about it? It's becoming a major hassle.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Sniper]

We were also having problems with tires going flat. We finally found the rubber valve stems were not up to task, and replaced them all with high pressure, bolt in metal stems. No more problems. This may be something you want to look into.

[jc2]

I agree with the comments in posts #2 & #3. Go with a different rim type/brand and metal valve stems on that size/weight of rv should rectify the issue. Your problems and the companies response is admirable, but sort of reminds me of a certain other companies response to their rv fridge cooling issues that a number of people have been having with units in the 2000-2010 yrs. They obviously have a faulty product and are replacing it with a product of like quality.

[Devilishjim]

Have you weighed your rig to make sure you are under the GVWR ? If so and you are then I would demand heavier rims and if they refuse BBB them No sense in ruining all your tires !

In fact the factory is the one that should be putting right size rims on not the rim manufacturer.

[WeBeFulltimers]

Ask them to issue you a check for the value of the rims and then go buy some REAL rims!

[Devilishjim]

And check your axles ! Bighorn may have put the wrong axles under your rig also. You probably got the 6000# and I believe the Bighorn requires 7000# axles

[bobsallyh]

I'd check to see if the rims are US made. If not try to find a maker Alcoa, etc. that is US made. I had a friend that had multiple problems like you are having. The last tire problem was coming into a cattle chute (Jersey Barrier) when it left go. Got to a nearby tire shop and after explaining to the service guy about his prior problems. The service guy called it right before even removing a wheel. "I bet you have Brazilian made wheels", sure enough! Ordered Alcoa wheels and never had a problem after that. Who is the wheel manufacture and where were they made? This certainly isn't unheard of in the fiver and travel trailer use.

[PAylor]

Thanks for all the replies! Here's some responses-

Definitely not stem trouble. The crack is visible to the eye.

We have 7000# spring and axle.

But the rims were made in China. Don't want to say the company since they have been great about replacing them (although I'm sure any who has owned a Heartland product know the suppliers they use).

They are going to replace all four rims. We are going to trade this unit in after this trip so we'll hold off getting a new make.

 

Thanks for all the input!

[skp51443]

A good bit of the time the cracks you find in trailer rims are caused by the stress of making sharp turns, scrubbing the tires and putting a lot of stress on the rims. You can see if this is possibly your problem by paying attention to your parking patterns and seeing if you are turning the rig enough that the tires are scrubbing instead of rolling. You can also watch the rims and see if they are flexing side to side as you turn.

 

The cheapest solution is to change your parking method to reduce any scrubbing, not always possible but you can work to minimize it.

 

An inexpensive option that can help in situations where you must scrub is to reduce the tires traction, bump up the air pressure enough to reduce the tire/pavement contact patch. Don't go higher than necessary or the rated pressure of the wheel or tire whichever is lower.

 

Replacing the rims with stronger ones and also following the top two suggestions is probably the best but not cheapest solution.

 

 

We had a custom designed fiver that had a problem with scrubbing and wheel cracking due to the axle placement. We tried the first two methods which both helped but finally went with the third which solved the problem.