I mentioned here before, that around every other time I take my Y2K RV out, I get a blowout.
Today, I got 19 miles from home and I hear a big "BANG!" from the rear. At the exact same time, my TPMS goes from a green light to read showing 0 PSI for the inner right rear tire. I was on I-80 West Bound, just pass Auburn, in Loomis, CA. But it was a safe place to stop, the freeway was wide there at Exit 110 in Loomis. Wide enough to work on the right side. If on the left side, I would not have done the job myself. But with one good tire on the right rear, I could drive the RV to a better place to work on the left side, if such was necessary.
In the two hours or so I was there, not even one cop came by on the busy freeway. That seems to be the norm these days. They all just hide somewhere to bust speeders.
I have the stuff to change the tire myself, but I figured I would rather have AAA do it, in my old age (73). So I first give them a call. They changed everything since when I called them on NYD for my Jeep. For the worse, of course. Now it is not even possible to talk to a real person. I got a recording that said they would send an IM to my cell that I will need to reply to if I want service. So I tried to reply, and my cell says "no internet". Not sure why I got that message, but I didn't want to fool around with that anymore.
So then, I use my Spot Messenger, which works by satellite. They call back my cell around 15 minutes later(they say they arrive even if they cannot reach the person my phone--they only call to get info., such as is it a motorcycle or motorhome). But at least it's a real person. But I decided to cancel the call, as I already started to do the work myself and I have everything necessary to get the job done, including an unused two-year-old spare tire. I have an impact wrench and all that stuff that I can use with my genny.
It is a hassle and took me a couple of hours. I have to unload the electric motorcycle to get to the spare easier and make the motorhome easier to jackup (less weight in the rear). But I did get the job done.
The blowout did no damage to anything, unlike two years ago, when I lost all my exhaust pipes on the road near Gila Bend, AZ.
The date on the tire with the blowout was 0317. A bit on the old side, I guess. I had so many blowouts in the rear that I do not keep track of the dates, they are all mixed. All the tires looked like new, but I know that doesn't mean much.
While I have better air compressors with me, the portable one I use for motorcycles will easily fill on RV tire to 75 LBS and fairly fast too. But it's only good for one RV tire and then the battery needs a recharge. My spare only had 45 psi in it, I filled it up to 75 psi with the little portable air compressor shown below.
-Don- Turlock Rest Stop, CA
