grouch Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Yesterday, after spending three days at the Nebraska State Fair a tire on our Toyota Camper blew. My husband called triple A to change the drivers side back tire. Resuming the drive down I80 hubby smelled smoke. After investigating he found the wheel well where the blown tire was on fire. He grabbed our dog and called 911. To make a long story short there is nothing left but a metal frame. We were planning on recovering the furniture next spring and reinforcing the other half of the front bed. It was a lot of fun to drive that camper and see the look on the face of a driver of a big camper. I was following him in an auto doing shopping along the way. We are now trying to remember what was in the camper for insurance purposes. Good by--We will always remember the weekends at the Nebraska Husker football games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 SAD - What caused the fire, was it after the tire was changed? what tires do you have? John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulnptld Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Between this story and the one involving the welder I'm upgrading my fire extinguisher ASAP. Very sorry to hear about your camper. I wonder if the brakes had partially seized? That heat that would generate might explain the blowout and subsequent fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grouch Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 The previous owner put really cheap tires on before selling it. That would be the third tire that blew. We were going to replace all the tires before using the camper again. Temp was in the 90's and he was driving about 60. My husband thinks that the blown tire was so hot that it caught the wood in the wheel well on fire. The insurance company wants to talk to the guy that changed the tire. We felt lucky to find the dolphin 1990 with low mileage and in good condition. I am sure that we will never find another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 I assume it was one of the duals in the rear that caught fire? I've had it happen to me on bigger trucks (flat dually catching fire). One tire goes flat, the driver doesn't know it - it gets hot and fire starts. I don't know if that's what happened to you. I have noticed people on this forum mention not worrying about lacking a spare for a dually since they can drive on just "one good tire." I wouldn't. At ;least, not knowingly. Sorry to hear about your rig. I know if it was mine - there' be no insurance money coming. I've never had anything but liability on any motor vehicle I've ever owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Another issue with dullies, if you use the wrong tire, sidewalls will rub, and this could have been the source of ignition.Again, very sad. Time to check fire extinguisher.John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 What did he put on your rig. Most of these rigs don't have an extra dually spare. Did he switch the spare tire to the dually rim with the bad tire? Are your front tires a bigger size. If so he might have put a tire on that was too big for the dually rim. In that case he might be responsible. be hard to tell now though if it's burnt to a crisp. What a shame. So sorry about all this Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Why wouldn't a 91 Dolphin have a spare tire to fit (front or back) ?? A 1991 ought to have matching front and back wheels. Getting a flat on any dually setup - not knowing it - and driving at highway speeds is a fire hazard. Does't matter if it's a little Toyota or former American truck like a Mack. I've been thinking about putting electric tire pressure monitors in my Minicruiser next time I've got the tires off the rims. It costs around $150 to install wireless monitors in all 6 tires. It's really just the rear I'm worried about. If the front gets a flat - or even gets low - I'd know it right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grouch Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 Hubby says the front and back tires were the same size. Our question is: why did the triple A person that changed the tire not notice some extra heat or something wrong? It was just a matter of minutes before my husband knew that something was burning. By then the fire extinguisher was useless and he needed to save the dog. Hubby said he did not want to stay very close to the unit as he had just filled it with gas and he did not know what would happen to the propane tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Sorry for your lose the good thing is no one was hurt just cant imagine watching my rv burn... second thought I could imagined that after watching family house garage fire burn for 20 mins before fire dept could put it out.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 i have seen a fiberglass body milk truck and a speed boat burn up and yes glass and rubber burn very fast and furious they were both gone in minits. the boat was on a trailer in a shop and there again welding was in volved . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_M Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Grouch, You have a great attitude of moving on! Glad no one was hurt. My toyhome will always be special, I'm in a rv park right now dwarfed by $100,000 motorhomes. I feel like I'm in Beverly Hills. To hell with em! I've wanted to upgrade to a larger motorhome. My daughter insists that we keep this one so she can drive it when she is old enough. This rig already has great memories for her, I doubt it will last till then, but I'll try. These vintage toys bring great memories, probably because you can get to many places that most larger motorhomes cannot. If mine burns it goes out with a bang. I won't be sad, long as no one is hurt. I think my toy has had about 6 owners before me. She has given many owners many happy times, including me. May another toy take you to the games that bring back those sweet memories! Move forward and onward! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron 'n Sue Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Scary! We just had 6 ties replaced. When making decision we were offered 195 x14's instead of 185's and refused them thinking they could be too wide for the dually's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Hubby says the front and back tires were the same size. Our question is: why did the triple A person that changed the tire not notice some extra heat or something wrong? It was just a matter of minutes before my husband knew that something was burning. By then the fire extinguisher was useless and he needed to save the dog. Hubby said he did not want to stay very close to the unit as he had just filled it with gas and he did not know what would happen to the propane tank. In a motorhome fire, the propane tank will get so hot that it will create enough internal pressure to open the pop off valve. At that point, there is a very large whoosh of flames when the gas is released. Then the pressure in the tank decreases to the point of closing the pop off valve and stops the violent burning. When the pressure goes up again, the cycle repeats itself. Rarely does a gasoline tank explode. If the tank is intact and the gas cap remains on, there is actually little danger. Those massive explosions you see on TV and in the movies are just so much fantasy. Years ago the Ford Pinto was prone to explosions when the car was rear ended. That was because the tank was located too near the back of the car. When hit, as in a rear end collision, it usually ruptured the tank, sending gasoline everywhere. Friction sparks from the collision did the rest. Check out some of the RV fires on You Tube and you will see when the propane pop off valves open and close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 the description of a propane tank venting in a fire is totally true i have seen this happen first hand. i was on the scene and turned in the alarm of a forklift on fire. there was a large whosh a two foot flame from the safety vent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1122 Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 I just invested in 6 wireless tire monitors, it monitors PSI and temp. I highly recommend these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 I just got an offer from camping world for $29 installation for anything I buy from them. I may purchase a set of tire minders and take advantage of that $29. I will find out if they are going to charge me for rebalancing the tires after they mount the sending units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1122 Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Please don't spend $29.00 to have the Tire Minders installed, they replace your valve caps. You push a single button on your controller, screw on the valve cap and your done. They are designed so you don't have to rebalance your tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boots Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Hi Folks, Am I missing something, but dual wheels are LOCKED to the same axle, and cannot rotate independantly, so rubbing does not seem to be the issue. I could see it if the replacement wheel was a much larger diameter, enough to rub directly on the wheel well, but rubbing together - not possible. Boots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Look at a radial tire, they have a side wall bulge at the bottom. If you dont have the correct, back spacing/air pressure/or wrong size tire the bulges will touch and rub. After a while you have 2 damaged tires and a big chance of a blowout on one tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefdave Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hi sorry to hear of your loss. My dolphin has a spare wheel thats fits front and rear axle. all my rims are the same. Understand you can fit 195 to duellies without probs. underinflation is cause of overheated tyres a couple of psi can make all the differnce. In your previous posts it looks like reinforced van tyres where replaced by reinforced car tyres. tyre fitters should NEVER make this mistake as they are the knowledgable ones for tyres. If this is the case the tyre fitters should be proscued fined maybe jail pay compension and banned for life in tyre trade. sounds extreme but as a chef in the uk if i am found negilent then i face jail and banned for life to work with food this includes putting tinned food on shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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