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FATMANAR · 06-30-2010, 06:25 AM

On my last outing I ran over a piece of recap from a truck tire. Traffic was heavy and I didn't have any choice but to run over it. Well, it wrapped around my right rear duels and would not come out. I had to drive 14 miles on the sholder of the road till I got to an exit with a tire store. Two big guys pulled and pulled until they removed the 4.5 ft. hunk of rubber. The only damage done was the wiring to the clearence light over the wheel well. The tire company in Vicksburg didn't charge me anything for the service and I wish I could remember the name so I could post it. I did tip the guys 30 bucks for helping me get back on the road. I can't believe how much recap rubber we saw this trip.

Route 66 · 06-30-2010, 06:38 AM

Glad you didn't have much damage as those highway "alligators" can cause a lot of damage.

FleetMan · 06-30-2010, 08:41 AM

FYI. If the "alligator" has sidewall and or tread casing steel ply material in it, the failure was a casing failure, not simply a recap tread coming off failure. Causes usually are because of low tire inflation, overloading, overheating and resultant blow out. Another cause is poor quality control at a recap shop where casings which should have been detected and rejected are capped and sold.

RustyJC · 06-30-2010, 09:09 AM

As those of us who ran the Goodyear G614 RST tires on heavy 5th wheels know all too well, not all "gators" are from recaps. These tires had a bad habit of shedding the tread due to design/manufacturing defects, often with catastrophic damage to the RVs, even when the tires were properly inflated and not overloaded.

Thank goodness I no longer run them on our 5th wheel!!

Rusty

Izzyblueye · 07-01-2010, 08:31 AM

I have sure had my problems with road alligators. Several times I was behind the truck as it blew. No chance to get out of the way. They start picking up velocity under the m/h and exit usually right on the front of my toad. So far I have not had any major damage, but I know of guys that have lost generator exhaust, gas lines, sewer connections and broken toad windshields from road alligators. The cause is not so important, as just getting the h--l out of the way.

FleetMan · 07-01-2010, 08:43 AM

To expand on Rusty's comments above but another tire brand. I ran the General AmeriSteel 500 AS, 235/85R/16, as original equipment on many of the small vehicles in our fleet. Virtually no problems with the tire until we tried to stretch tire life down to the legal minimums of 2/32" tread depth. The tread would seperate from the casing with regularity. Replacing those tires before reaching 4/32" tread depth solved the tread seperation problems with that particular tire.

TandW · 07-01-2010, 08:52 AM

If one has contact with 'gators or other road debris, a quick test of breaking ability is in order. Good luck!!

powerboatr · 07-01-2010, 01:23 PM

ouch
we had one go through our headlight, grill and window in ga one summer

it was horrible
and the summer time it seems them gators tend to come out more and sun themselves in your path.