Mounted search and rescue

[ALLEN SNYDER <allendana1@sbcglobal.net>]

Thank you for all the information!  I am diligent about rotation/balancing etc. on all of our vehicles and forget about the trailer except I get bearings repacked/checked almost yearly.  I have heard the replace tires every 5 years  and will inspect them as well since they sit outside and are infrequently used.  Dana

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From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2015 12:19 PM
Subject: [MSAR] Trouble with tires

Continuing a theme I have taken up before:  tire rot can kill you.

Tire rot affects especially vehicles with low mileage, such as SAR
team trailers (comms, ATV, horse), vans and RVs, and trucks that
don't get a lot of use except on SAR missions.  This can be a very
big safety risk.  I now have 4 war stories of my very own to share
with you about this.  First, I am happy to say no one gets hurt.

Six years ago I was towing my horse on I-25 through Apache Canyon
in Glorieta Pass when a tire on the trailer blew out.  Shoulders
there are very narrow, so by the time I could stop in a safe place
the tire looked like a deep fried onion flower.  The trailer was
a 2-axle model so handled okay despite the blowout.  After that I
upgraded all the tires to a grade rated for the loaded weight of
the trailer on one axle.

Two years ago, as I shared with many NM SAR friends at the time, a
not very used but old spare tire mounted in the rear of my truck
burst en route to a SAR mission at higher elevation.  See attached
photo.

Last year I inspected my truck before a road trip.  Tires looked
perfect:  little wear, no visible damage or bulges or cracks.  But
they were 7 years old.  Hm.  I thought about replacing them, just
in case.  Well, less than 30 minutes into the trip one wheel threw
its lead balance and the truck began to shake.  Changing to the
new spare did not stop the shaking.  Uhoh.  By the time I got to
an open tire shop a few hours later all 4 tires had obvious signs
of tread separation.  So the truck got 4 new tires after all.

Today on the freeway, as a pair of motorcycles going 80mph passed
me in heavy traffic, the rear tire on the second bike burst with
a loud BANG and the bike began to swerve and bounce on the flapping
shreds of tire right in front of my vehicle.  That was an Oh Crap!
moment.  The rider wore a T-shirt and no helmet.  Luckily he rode
that bike like a horseman!  He managed to stay glued to the saddle
and stay upright and wobble across the lanes to the shoulder and
stop without any of the other vehicles swerving around me clipping
him.  I don't know how his companion (wife, girlfriend?) kept it
together, watching that scene in her mirror.

When you check your tires, look closely and see how old they are.
Look for any bulges and cracks, including tiny ones, on all sides.
Even if there are no visible signs of damage, consider how much
damage they may have taken.  Are they parked in the sun and wind?
Do they get a lot of freeze-thaw cycling?  Do they stay parked
for months at a time?  Do you drive a lot on bad roads?  Do you
tow a lot?  Are they sometimes over- or under-inflated?  Are they
balanced?  Do you rotate them?  Do they have repaired punctures?

Personally, from now on I will be replacing all tires at 5 or 6
years even if they look perfect.

Stay safe,

    Una Smith
    New Mexico, USA

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