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Lessons From A Blown Out Camper Tire

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The inspiration for this post about our camper tire blowout comes from real life.

You think it’ll never happen to you.

But there you are.

You find yourself broken down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with a blown out camper tire.

It starts raining. Then lightning. You can’t make this scary stuff up!

It’s what happened to us on our way home from another fun camping trip.

Cue the happy music coming to a screeching stop.

Womp, womp … and you get the scene.

Hopefully, you’ll never find yourself in this situation, but be prepared just in case.

Lessons Learned

Here’s what we learned from from our camper tire blowout: Advance preparation and safety planning is essential so you’re as equipped as possible to handle the situation.

Before there’s ever an incident, know that travel trailer tires should be replaced every three to six years. Our travel trailer was three years old with the original tires on there when we had the blowout.

Up to that point, we had gone on several in-state trips and the tires looked good. We always checked the air pressure in the tires before getting on the road for each trip.

We didn’t have covers on our tires when the camper was parked and maybe the sun’s harsh UV rays had compromised them.

So if you store your camper outside as we do, it’s a good idea to make sure the wheels are covered to protect the tires from the elements.

As we look back, we’re not sure exactly why it happened. We hadn’t overloaded the camper or traveled on rough terrain, which also compromise tires. Maybe we just ran over something.

Proper Tools

Luckily, when we broke down, we had the proper wrench to get the lug nuts off the camper wheel when we were putting on the spare tire.

But we didn’t anticipate that the jack we had wouldn’t be able to elevate the camper high enough to remove the wheel and attach the spare, since we were parked on an uneven, soft surface on the side of the highway.

Below, you’ll see how we remedied that dilemma.

You’ll also find a handy list of tools and pointers if you ever find yourself stranded due to a camper tire blowout.

Also, check out our 26 Handy Camping Tips For Newbies for a safer and easier overall camping experience.

Blown Out Tire

We were driving home along Florida’s State Road 60, approaching a little place called Yeehaw Junction, when it happened.

We couldn’t hear the noise above the music playing up front, but we certainly felt the sickening vibration of a blown out tire and the jarring screech of metal on asphalt.

All that was left was the metal rim, along with the mangled wires from inside the steel-reinforced tire, now stubbornly and dangerously wrapped around the axle and break hub.

We pulled over onto the side of this narrow, two-lane highway where huge semi-trailers blew past at high speeds, swaying the camper from side to side.

One of the dual right-rear camper tires had indeed disintegrated.

All that was left was the metal rim, along with the mangled wires from inside the steel-reinforced tire, now stubbornly and dangerously wrapped around the axle and break hub.

A Blowout Mess

So there we were.

It was early afternoon and we were broken down along the side of the road in possibly snake-infested high grass, beside a water-filled ditch that’s maybe teeming with gators.

They’re either submerged in that murky drain or discreetly sunning themselves along the sloping banks.

Dark rain clouds had gathered and we could hear the distant rumbling of lightning inching towards us.

MacGyver Moments!

Stressful wasn’t the word for the situation.

Although we have emergency roadside towing, we decided to change the tire ourselves because it would be faster and thereby safer, in order to get off the side of the highway as quickly as possible.

Metal shears

We didn’t know how long it would take to get towed from this remote location so we quickly set about putting on the spare tire.

In one sense, we had gotten lucky, because the tire could be changed on the side of the highway with no traffic blasting by.

On the other hand, those afternoon storm clouds had gathered and “we” (basically Hubs) found ourselves trying to change the tire in the rain, as I held an umbrella over him and scanned the high grass for anything that moved.

I soon dubbed him MacGyver because of his cool head under fire and the fact that he had a metal shears on hand to cut through the wires that had reinforced the tire.

Like, who just happens to have a metal shears on hand? Handy Hubs!

He used this shears to clip away the mangled wires, which had to be carefully removed from the break area above the wheel so the electric break wires wouldn’t get cut.

It took a solid hour to cut through all these wires and pull them off.

Houston, We Have A Problem

But now there was another problem, and it wasn’t a little one.

The jack we had would’t raise the camper to where it needed to be in order to attach the spare tire. It kept sinking into the soft grass, rendering it useless.

By now it was raining and there was lightning, so we retreated to the truck to figure out our next move and wait for the lightning to pass.

The kids were occupied with their tablets.

By now it was raining and there was lightning, so we retreated to the truck to figure out our next move and wait for the lightning to pass.

To say I was scared that a car or truck might run into us was an understatement. But under the circumstances, inside the truck was the safest place to be.

YouTube To the Rescue

Enter YouTube and a video that addressed our exact problem: What to do when a jack stand won’t work and you don’t have a tire changing ramp.

The video recommended driving the camper up onto a 4 x 4 piece of wood. That would give the height necessary to take off the old wheel.

We didn’t have a block of wood so we stacked up several leveling blocks and backed the camper onto them.

This lifted the rig high enough so we could get the old wheel off and attach the spare tire.

In a matter of minutes the spare was on and we were back on the road, all shook up, waay behind schedule, but so grateful to be safely out of there!

Tools To Handle A Tire Blowout

Make sure you always travel with the following:

Safety triangles: Have a set of safety triangles on board. You’ll need to put them down straight away so oncoming traffic is alerted to slow down.

Proper lug wrench: Have a t-handle lug wrench that will remove the camper wheel’s lug nuts.

Tire changing block: Carry a tire changing block with you so you can adequately elevate the camper in order to attach the spare tire. If you do have a jack, it may work, but take this with you just in case it doesn’t.

Well-stocked toolbox: It’s wise to have a well-stocked toolbox. You’ll never know what you’ll need once you’re on the road.

Here are some of the essentials, not all of which you need to replace a tire, but they’re good to have:

Small metal shears: Needed in case you have to cut away the metal wires from the steel-reinforced camper tire;
Screwdrivers;
Electrical repair kit;
Flashlight;
Cordless screw gun; and
Tire air gauge. The tire wall will indicate the requisite air pressure for that particular tire.

Four-in-one portable power pack: We use a 12-volt portable power pack. The power pack is equipped with an emergency light, car battery jumper cables, an air compressor and a USB port for phones or computers.

Spare tire: I know it’s stating the obvious. Never travel without a spare tire.

Head flashlight: If you break down at night, it’s good to have hands-free lighting that you can wear on your head.

First aid kit: Keep a good first aid kit to the ready in case of cuts or scratches while changing out the tire.

Before Heading Out

Make sure you have emergency roadside towing. It’s good peace of mind and a sound safety precaution.

As I mentioned, we didn’t use our emergency service because we were broken down in a pretty remote area and we felt it would take too long for a crew to get out to us.

Plus, Hubs was confident he could change out the tire and get us out of there as quickly as possible, which he did.

But I’d recommend having the service just in case.

Before heading out on a trip, always walk the perimeter of your camper and vehicle to inspect them.

Don’t forget to check the following:

Make sure there’s adequate air pressure in the tires and they’re not under or over inflated;
Ensure all lights, including brake and turn signal lights, are working;
Close and lock all doors, windows and storage areas;
Tuck away all fold-down steps;
Lock the extended door handrails back into place flush against the camper;
Make sure your T.V. antenna is down; and
Check that the awning is fully retracted.