Advice Please

[AncasterDuo]

We had a 154BH, a 2012. When we traded, the dealer's inspector went right to the bathroom floor and said "floor's soft here", and we took a beating on the trade. Back in 2016 when we bought it, we were told that part of the floor is built differently, over the black tank, so we never concerned ourselves about the softness.

Reading here about water damage, I would say get the entire floor checked while you have it apart, and make sure underside protection is intact. My feeling is, the underside is just OSB with a poor protective coating, and susceptible to road splash.

[JFlightRisk]

Chances are it was transported in the rain, for at least part of the trip from the factory to your dealer. Just an educated guess.

[Spaceguy85]

Originally Posted by norty1

With a Tpms you won’t be able to say I didn’t know the tire was blown!

I have to say I disagree with this statement. Back in 2019, we were coming back from a camping trip with our 2018 Coachman Popup. The left tire (Chinese Tire) blew, but nothing from the TPMS UNITL, we stopped to find out why the camper was pulling to one side. Opened the door, and then, the TPMS went off. The side of the camper was torn up due to the tread flapping the sides. So, not always is the TPMS your friend. Yes, we still use TPMS on our Jayco, but, really, I always triple-check all tires before, during, and after each trip. I also look at the tread in case there is uneven wear. Hopefully, I will not go thru that again.... As far as dampness could be that when the tire blew, it might have broken one of the water lines.. Since I have been thru this before, I feel your pain. Have a good shop look at it to see if they can find where water would come in. Hope you get her fixed up soon, and enjoy the camper again.

[RickandBecky]

Our TPMS has saved us on two different occasions while pulling our fifth wheel. First time—screw jabbed into the inside sidewall and slowly leaking air (tire had to be replaced before we could leave home). Second time, we were on the road and I noticed the pressure was dropping on one tire. Before I could pull off the road, the alarm started beeping. Both times could have been a worse experience without the TPMS on our trailer. Ours has never been messed with by thieves, but if they do, will buy a replacement and keep camping!

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

So sorry to hear about the tire damage and the water issue.

Tire monitors are no doubt good for early detection of problems, but I have not used them. I use heavier than stock 215/75/14 GY Endurance tires and replace them every three years with 30,000 - 36,000 miles on them. I inspect and monitor them closely. I can see both tires in my mirrors and I check them often. So far so good.

Best wishes for a really good and fair repair of your rig and a solution to the water problem. It's got to be discouraging, but I hope you come out of it with new enthusiasm and, in time, a story to tell.

[RichCarter]

Originally Posted by Camp4two

A Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) on your TT tires likely would have warned you ahead of time. Invest In a TPMS.

I second the suggestion for a TPMS. Even if you don't get an indication until the tire is flat, you don't want to be running down the road on only one tire. I had a blow-out several years ago. I never had a hint of the problem until someone pulled up along side of me on the highway and pointed at my camper. We pulled over to find the bad tire. We had apparently towed for some distance with the flat. Pieces of tire had torn off and the side of the camper was black from rubber dust and melted rubber. I can envision a situation where the thing would have caught on fire. A similar thing happened to friends of ours this past summer. Like us, they had no hint of a problem. If the second tire had failed, I don't know what the outcome would have been. My guess is it would have been ugly.

We pulled over, expecting to mount the spare. The lug wrench from my truck was a different size than the lugs on the TT. I had no way to change the tire. We had to call a tow-truck to come and assist ($$$). I now keep a folding 4-way lug wrench in my truck.

Hearing my friends story got me thinking. Not wanting to risk another failure, I bought a TPMS on amazon. There are several available. We chose a Welluck TPMS based on cost and features. There are several similar. I wanted the repeater box so I could be sure to receive the signal. The distance from the TT wheel to the receiver box is about 30 feet. Without the repeater, I'm not sure the system would be reliable. I mounted the repeater box in the pass-through storage area next to the light control box. For our TT, the control box is behind a small access box on the front wall. I wired power for the repeater to my running lights wire that connect to the control box. The standard color for this wire is brown, white is ground. You want the repeater to be on only when the tow-trailer is attached and the lights are on. Installation was simple following the attached directions.

I've only used the thing for one season. I've read complaints about the sensors being unreliable. I suspect that the batteries don't last. I plan to change them at the start of each season. The unit I bought came with six sensors. If one fails, I have two spares.