getting ready to camp after 2 yrs in storage

[Geronimo John]

I have run Michelin's on all my rolling stock for 52 years.  Never had a problem.  As such, I consider my experience to their products to consistently be top notch.

As such, my comments were pretty explicit.

None the less, eventually my Ollie Michelins will require replacement based upon their condition, not some arbitrary age opinion.  Sadly, as indicated on other posts, I understand that they no longer make LT or ST tires for our OE2 16" rims. 

Are there any brands that offer such quality tires as Michelin, that wear out before they age out, and fit our rims?

GJ

[John_Goodspeed]

I checked my original Michelin tires on my 2016 EII hull 128 yesterday prior to a trip and found tread separation on one tire. I bought Discount Tire certificates when I acquired the trailer so one tire on the new set was free. Michelin no longer makes the model of original tire, but there is another. See photos. 

[topgun2]

12 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

So, parts of our trailer were pre-2016, including tires. I believe that is why we got the BF Goodrich.

THAT explains it.

[MAX Burner]

4 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

I believe that is why we got the BF Goodrich.

Good thing they didn't try saving build costs by installing GY Marathon (China Bombs!)....  HA!   

FYI:  We're running Coopers - first time for us...  So far, so good.

[Mike and Carol]

2 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

Good thing they didn't try saving build costs by installing GY Marathon (China Bombs!)....  HA!   

FYI:  We're running Coopers - first time for us...  So far, so good.

I replaced my BF Goodrich tires with Cooper AT3’s (same that’s on my truck) a couple of years ago.  No regrets.  Mike

[ScubaRx]

2 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

Good thing they didn't try saving build costs by installing GY Marathon (China Bombs!)...

I’ve never known Oliver to purposely select an inferior product in order to save a few dollars. 

[Geronimo John]

Max: 

• I assume you are all talking about the Cooper AT3 tires as Mike stated.  Correct?  
• John G:  Your selection of the Ageis Cross Country is very interesting.

Here are the pictures of the tires mentioned so far:

   

 

 

The Cooper AT3's have a great following and reviews.  I will be considering them for replacement on my F-150 FX4. 

But for Ollie, I have concern that the tread pattern will be more susceptible to tossing rocks than the Michelin Agilis CrossClimate.  

I also like that the Agilis being a commercial vehicle tire.  On Michelin's site they state it is "their most durable tire".

Looks like I need to do some more research.

Thank you for the suggestions!  At least now I know that I do not need to change rims too!

GJ

 

[MAX Burner]

1 hour ago, Geronimo John said:

I assume you are all talking about the Cooper AT3 tires as Mike stated.  Correct?  

Correct - Cooper Discover AT3's...  Ran Michelin Defenders on both my AS and TV back in the day - I'm thinking they're still a good choice for an Oliver.... IMHO

[Mike and Carol]

Cooper AT3’s on trailer and truck:

[taylor.coyote]

I have been running cooper AT3 LXT tires many years. First on my Tundra and now on my F250. They have been great all-around off/on road tires in all conditions but only mediocre running in snow (although the reviews seem to like them more than I do for snow driving) . The only negative is they tend to throw rocks.  Regardless of these shortcomings, they are the best tires I have used for towing on/off road.

In my quest for new trailer tires, I'm considering the Cooper HT3's. This tire is the all-season highway tread 10ply. Does anyone have experience running the HT3's on a trailer?

https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires/discoverer-ht3

 

 

 

 

[LindaShields]

We have michelin's and will see how they look. The trip is only 80 miles RT though I know we need good tires. I hope they pass inspection.

Thanks for your help. We will get started soon to prep for the little trip.

Linda

[SeaDawg]

80 miles round trip is a good shake down tour. Better than driveway camping.

Enjoy the trip. Hope it's at least a long weekend.  Check out all the systems. (As we tell everyone with a new camper.)

Every year, we usually have  some small, or sometimes big, thing that doesn't work. That's the nature of rving, imo. 

You're close to home. Even dead tires will probably make 80 miles round trip. Check the brakes,  and  hopefully you've greased the hubs. If something else doesn't work, well, that's camping. That's why we carry flashlights, portable grill, etc.

Have fun, and let us know how it went.

 

[taylor.coyote]

I thinking you should  likely be good for 80 miles as long as the rubber is still supple and the sidewalls are good unless flat spots don't round out. We have hull number 124 (like your trailer a 2016 production)  with the same original the Michelin tires. We just got home from a 3,000 mile trip. Even after inspections and the tires being in good shape, we will be replacing them based on age before our next significant trip. 

 

 

[Geronimo John]

9 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

I'm thinking they're still a good choice for an Oliver.... IMHO

I was under the impression that they were no longer available for our OEM OTT rims.   ??????

[MAX Burner]

6 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

I was under the impression that they were no longer available for our OEM OTT rims.   ??????

AH!  I did not know that....

[MAX Burner]

12 hours ago, LindaShields said:

Thanks for your help. We will get started soon to prep for the little trip.

If you haven't already done so, consider putting an IR temp gauge on your list of Ollie items to bring along - so you can check tire and drum temps along the way....  just say'n.  A TPMS is another consideration, unless you've already got one.

[topgun2]

12 hours ago, LindaShields said:

We have michelin's and will see how they look.

Unfortunately tires "age" not only from the outside where you can see things like tread separation and sidewall cracking, but, they also age from the inside.  The inside is a bit more insidious in that you simply can't see it!  Heat causes the cords and rubber to slowly give way and all tires are subject to heat over their lifetimes.

I'm sure that there are reasons why the generally accepted guidelines of 5 to 7 years for the aging out of tires has become the norm.  For the money involved, I'm not willing to take the chance on arguing about something that I can't see and I'm not an expert on.

Bill

[MAX Burner]

On 4/16/2023 at 2:01 PM, Mike and Carol said:

Cooper AT3’s on trailer and truck:

I just don't know... there's something cool-looking about having matching OTT/TV tires!

[Geronimo John]

22 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

I just don't know... there's something cool-looking about having matching OTT/TV tires!

I totally understand your perspective.   IF I were to be a salesman, and I wanted to poise my rig at an event, I would wave my magic wand to presto have the most macho looking tires on the market under both.  But before I took The Beast and Ollie on a trip, I would wave my magic wand and go back to purpose designed tires for each of my rolling stock.  🙂

As an engineer I look at purpose and function.  Traction tires, especially those that work well on our 4X4 TV's off road, have different priorities of purpose than our trailer tires.  So, in my minds eye, they likely would not be identical twins.  But that's just my perspective.  

 

[MAX Burner]

1 hour ago, Geronimo John said:

As an engineer I look at purpose and function.  Traction tires, especially those that work well on our 4X4 TV's off road, have different priorities of purpose than our trailer tires.

100% concur, GJ!

[LindaShields]

• Thanks to all of you! We decided that the campground we were headed to would be too cold and snowy for a couple of days of fun. It was at 9000' so we found a place that is about 5500' and will be warmer. It is only 8.5 miles from our house.. hardly a shake down. But if we forgot something (or the weather is icky) we can go home! We are not afraid of cold weather  or snow we have almost always used it in winter condition..though sometimes on the way to warmer places. We will probably be replacing the tires if we go on a longer trip. Linda

[SeaDawg]

16 minutes ago, LindaShields said:

. It is only 8.5 miles from our house.. hardly a shake down

Have fun! Imo, camping in the driveway would be better than not camping at all.....

[Rivernerd]

On 4/14/2023 at 5:58 PM, Steve and MA said:

If it has the original tires from 2016, then they're 7 years old.  Search online for "RV and trailer tire maximum age" and you'll find opinions vary widely, but 5-6 years seems to be the most common recommendation.  Consider replacing them, even if they have plenty of tread.  

Good advice.  But, whether the tires need to be replaced will depend on how much UV exposure they have had.  If the trailer was stored mostly indoors over the 7-year life, and the trailer doesn't have many miles on it, the tires could still be in good shape.  At a minimum, carefully inspect the tires for cracking.  If some is found, bite the bullet and replace them all.

[Patriot]

5 hours ago, LindaShields said:

• Thanks to all of you! We decided that the campground we were headed to would be too cold and snowy for a couple of days of fun. It was at 9000' so we found a place that is about 5500' and will be warmer. It is only 8.5 miles from our house.. hardly a shake down. But if we forgot something (or the weather is icky) we can go home! We are not afraid of cold weather  or snow we have almost always used it in winter condition..though sometimes on the way to warmer places. We will probably be replacing the tires if we go on a longer trip. Linda

Linda,

Have a great time and post up a few photos! Enjoy the adventure!

Safe Travels!

Patriot🇺🇸

[Wayfinder]

On 4/15/2023 at 4:59 PM, Mike and Carol said:

Michelins weren’t used in trailers through 2016, BF Goodrich was standard.  I think they went to Michelin sometime in 2017.  Mike

Actually, and I know mileage will vary, no pun intended, but my #110 still has the Michelin LTs on them and they are dated 2016.  Like some of you said, if they've been protected well and not all the wait was on them and moved periodically, they hopefully look good, on both sides.  Before I leave for the Rally next month I am going to have my neighborhood tire shop take a peak at mine.  Frankly, I've looked hard at them, and you could tell them as new.  But, we'll hopefully get an honest pro tire-guy.

Also @LindaShields I have hull #110.  Very cool that you have #111.  Mine came with twin beds and 320W solar along with Microwave.  It was a demo unit back then from what @Anita Johnston told me.

I'm sure you found your checklists, but here is what I've been using, and recently updated since last weekend's trip.  Still a work in progress.  I've provided both PDF format and Excel spreadsheet, but they were all created in Google Sheets (spreadsheets), so they will import perfectly, well, they should.

Naturally we all have our own way of doing things and we all bring slightly different stuff.

Good luck,

 

Chris Scarff

Oliver Camping - Weekend Packing List.xlsx Oliver Camping - Weekend Packing List - To do.pdf Oliver Camping - Wayfinder Setup List - To do.pdf Oliver Camping - Wayfinder Setup List.xlsx Oliver Camping - Wayfinder Breakdown List.xlsx Oliver Camping - Wayfinder Breakdown List - To do.pdf