TIRED and FIRST TRIP

One thing we always worried about while traveling was getting a flat tire on the trailer.  With tandem axles on the trailer it is possible to get a flat tire and not even know it.  If the flat isn't noticed soon enough it will shred and start throwing chunks of rubber around.  This can cause a lot of damage to the trailer's holding tanks, plumbing, wheel well, even the siding.  We know someone who had $1200 worth of damage from a flat on her trailer.  She didn't know she had a flat until a passing trucker alerted her to the problem.  By then the damage was done.  We were always careful to check our mirrors for tire problems but that isn't very effective in the dark.  Besides, the damage can be done in only a few minutes.  We wanted something that would alert us to a tire problem right away.

The answer was a SmarTire system.  This system consists of sensors that mount on the wheel rims which send radio signals to a monitor in the truck.  Installation requires having a tire shop take the tires off the rims and mounting the sensors in the rim wells.  The sensors are about 3" long and mount to the rim with large hose clamps.  The kit includes counterweights which mount opposite the sensors to maintain wheel balance.  The tire is then remounted and spin-balanced.   The sensors are supposed to last 7 years/90,000 miles on their original batteries.

A word about spin-balancing trailer tires:  The center ("pilot") hole in the standard white steel trailer wheels is not necessarily in the center of the wheel like it would be on a car tire.  It can actually be off-center by a bit.  This causes a problem when trying to spin balance the tire.  Most spin-balancing machines mount the wheel on a spindle which fits through this pilot hole.  If the hole isn't in the exact center of the wheel the tire won't balance properly.  The solution is called a stud mount adapter.  The wheel is bolted to the studs on the adapter which is then mounted to the spindle on the balancing machine.

Anyway... Once the sensors are installed the tires are put back on the trailer.  The monitor is very simple to install .  It goes on your dash or visor and plugs into your cigarette lighter.  You program a few parameters based on the tire pressure you want for the tires.  The system monitors two things - tire pressure and temperature.  Temperature is important for two reasons.  As the tire warms up from driving, the pressure will increase.  The system adjusts the expected pressure based on the actual temperature inside the tire.  The other reason temperature is important is that high tire temperatures are often an indication of impending tire failure.  High temperatures will trigger an alarm on the system.

If a tire pressure falls to a preset level a red light illuminates on the monitor.  If the pressure drops further, an audible alarm sounds.  The monitor tells you which tire is in trouble.

At the time of this report, the system featured on the SmarTire website is the "Generation 2" system.  This system was not recommended for use with our travel trailer.  Their customer service rep recommended we buy their first generation system which is capable of monitoring higher pressures and has a range of 35' from sensors to receiver.  We bought the system from The Tire Rack for $199.  Installation of the sensors and spin balancing cost us another $60 at our local garage.

We just took our first trip of the season, traveling to Sturbridge, MA with our friends Kurt & Dawn and Jason & Lonnie and their kids.  The SmarTire system worked as expected.  One interesting note - Jason and Lonnie have the same system on their trailer.  When we were close behind them their tire sensors interfered with our system, causing false alarms.  We just had to keep our distance from their trailer.

We went to the Outdoor World campground in Sturbridge, MA.  We picked this campground mainly for the indoor pool and jacuzzi, a major plus in springtime New England.  This is a membership campground.  They do allow non-members to try their campgrounds twice without joining.  The price was right at $20 a night.  Although they do take reservations, they do not assign sites.  You pick a site yourself when you arrive.  Although Kurt and Dawn were able to get their hybrid trailer into a very nice waterside site , Jason (who has a 30' TT) and I had a hard time finding available sites that were large enough for our trailers.

When we finally got into a site, there was no room for our van and we had to park it away from us - not something we like to do.  The site was not level, either, and we ended up using two full sets of Lynx Levelers to level our TT .  The experience was further marred when a member pulled into the site next to ours and told us that the campground policy allowed members to force non-members off sites they wanted.  We did not see this policy in writing anywhere, and it didn't happen, but it was a source of some concern for the weekend.  

(On a side note, the member who told us this was camping in a pop-up pulled by a Chevy Tracker .  We own a Suzuki Grand Vitara, which is the same vehicle with a different name badge, and I certainly would not want to tow anything with it.  He said he did OK with his pop-up.  I dunno... It was only his second trip.  I wonder if he'll still be happy with that combination a few miles later?)

On our second night there we were pleased when a neighboring camper brought out his guitar and played music at his campfire.  He had a good voice and the entertainment was nice.  That's when his neighbor, who was right behind our site, took out her kareoke machine and cranked up the amplifier.  Too much!  Too loud!  Not enough talent!  Our son was trying to sleep and she was echoing throughout the campground.  It took two complaints to the campground staff to get her shut down.  According to the members, this was a regular occurance.

On the plus side, the pool and jacuzzi were very nice.  It was the biggest jacuzzi we have ever seen in a campground.  The kids had a great time in the water and it was nice to be able to swim in April in Massachusetts. Another plus: dry firewood for a reasonable price.  Too many other campgrounds sell wet firewood at exorbitant prices.

Overall we would rate Outdoor World Sturbridge as a fair value for $20/night, especially in the spring and fall where the indoor pool is a factor, but I can not see paying close to $400 for a membership there.

We have planned at least one trip a month for the next few months and we'll keep you posted.  Thanks for visiting.

BACK TO STEPH AND DUD'S RV PAGE