Your RV tires: the weakest link

During my time in the Army I was in charge of some very large maintenance operations. We would go on countless recovery missions to upright vehicles that rolled over, or to tow a sixty-ton M1 tank back to the maintenance facility. We would inspect and re-inspect the riggings, looking for the weakest link, before attempting to recover these vehicles. Since retiring from the military my passion has been with RV’s and once again I realized the importance of the weakest link lesson.

Every weight rating on an RV is based on the weakest link in the system. The tires on your RV are by far the most important and most neglected link in the system. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard people say that the tires on their RV were defective, or my tires only had 12,000 miles on them when I had a blowout. In the majority of cases the truth of the matter is that tire maintenance has been neglected. The only thing between your RV and the road surface is your tires and the air that is in them. This is the weakest link.

What are some of the leading causes of premature tire failure?
• Overloading the tires
• Under inflated tires
• Ozone and UV rays
• Age of the tires
• Rotating tires

Tire failure can be extremely dangerous and can cause extensive damage to your RV. There are no guarantees, but by practicing good tire maintenance you can feel much safer and secure that the weakest link on your RV will do its job while you’re out exploring this wonderful country we live in.




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