We just returned from a trip to Disney's Fort Wilderness, and wanted to pass on some info we learned and experienced. Four hours from home on the first day, just north of the NC border in VA, we blew a tire on the 5th wheel (our first flat tire on the trailer). Note that we have (had) the dreaded Chinese tires on our Cardinal. We called CoachNet and they had a crew out to us within 30 minutes (kudos to CoachNet). The crew had our tire changed and we were back on the road 30 minutes after that. The tire lost a chunk of rubber about 2x4 inches, but because of the Pressure Pro system the DH installed (the one I thought was another toy to play with) we were able to get off the road before the tire shredded, saving us a lot of damage.
We called the KOA in Fayettesville, NC, where we planned to stay that night, to ask them to recommend a place to get a spare. When we pulled in, they had a list for us, with a printout of google maps, as well as a number for a service that would come out to the trailer with a spare and mount it right at the campground (second kudo, for the staff at the KOA). Got the spare mounted and we were good to go. Until the next day...
Four hours into our second day, the Pressure Pro signaled a problem on the driver side of the trailer. Yup, another blown tire. Again, CoachNet had a team out to us within a half hour and we were on the road within an hour after the initial warning (kudos again). This time we blew out a chunk of rubber about 4x6, and again the belts held until we got pulled over. We weren't so lucky with the spare this time since it was Saturday night, but the KOA in Kingsland, GA, suggested Camping World in St. Augustine, FL. We called on Sunday, and CW had a tire for us, although they couldn't mount it. At least we had a spare if needed that could be mounted. We made an appointment with them for the following Saturday to get all 4 tires replaced on our way home, and although they were booked they fitted us in (kudos to them). All in all, we were very lucky not to have any damage to the coach, and just a couple of hours lost in the trip.
Lessons learned:
1. Listen to what is written on RV.Net. We read all the horror stories on Chinese tires and didn't heed it.
2. CoachNet is a great service, and have many services we still need to take advantage of.
3. Don't make fun of the DH's toys, they may save lots of aggravation and expense in the long run.
4. Your campground staff is a great resource, be sure to make use of them.
5. Don't sweat the small stuff, and most of it is small stuff. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
BTW, Fort Wilderness is such a great place, can't wait to go back.
Offline
