Westbound
 

Camping out in Santa Rosa New Mexico tonight. This from just north of Indianapolis where we live.

Today 2 hard lessons. First the GPS can be a liar. After a blown tire I followed the GPS for what was supposed directions to the tire shop. It wasn't. We ended up on a dirt road in remote Texas that came to a dead end after 6 miles of damned near getting stuck. That cost us an hour.
We finally ended up finding a tire shop in Amarillo.

Next screw up. I have never checked the date code on my tires. It turns out all of them were originally on the camper including the spare that had never been on the ground.
I replaced them all since the camper is a 2005. Yup. 18 year old tires.

Bedding down in Santa Rosa New Mexico for the night. Arizona tomorrow.

Santa Rosa!
 

I’m glad you made it to the tire shop! I’m always concerned about tire integrity!

On a happier note, I bet you are enjoying the night sky in Santa Rosa! We lived in New Mexico about 20 years before moving to Tennessee. I loved to sleep in a hammock in our back yard so I could see the stars all night long-so clear and bright!

Also we got our favorite dog in Santa Rosa- a border collie named Snappy Tom!

I hope your trip is wonderful and no more mishaps with the GPS!

Happy trails!

Made it to Fowler Colorado to visit with family. After all new tires a few problems but nothing to stop us. The camper pulls well and handles great. Wind so far is not an issue. The little Toyota Tundra complains a bit on the hills but handles them ok.

Heading for Arizona tomorrow.

Hi Dave,
I cannot find what size Hi-Lo you have...just curious. I have a 2805C Hi-Lo which I pull with a 5.7L Tundra. I have not had issues with the setup. I too have blown a tire and now have an IR gun to check tires at each stop.
Pierre

We have an older Tundra. 4.2 but runs well. I'm 71 years old and have never owned a Japanese vehicle until now and I'm impressed.
A newer bigger Tundra is in the future I'm sure.

yes oh yes check date codes even on new looking tires, the spare on my 99 was original also and because of it's cover, it still had the blue and pink lines on the treads. i will add also to your helpful warning; just b/c tires have deep tread, we still need to check for cracks, was starting back from camping and as usual i was checking tire pressures before the 250 mile trip and noticed a small crack between the deep tread. checked the others and 3 of 4 had cracks too, BUT something i thought odd; no cracks on sidewalls.

Tires
 

Be sure to check your spare tire that is fully inflated.

2 days in Paulden Arizona visiting an old friend from back home at the Gunsite Academy then to the Grand canyon. We are so impressed with the camper. These are so well thought out.

Best vacation of our lives.

Sounds like it's going well (apart from the tires). It reminds me that my tires are about to hit the 5 year mark ... which I "think" is the generally recommended replacement for trailer tires?

Side note - When I did them all last time, i found that the spare was original too. It was 18 years old at the time and stored in that useless spot behind the LP tanks. But I digress - at any rate, it was so old, the mounting bar and tie-down had permanently deformed the tire around them. Oh my.

Yup, I just replaced the tires on my trailer and moved one of the ones on the ground to the spare position, replacing an even older tire. I think having a 5-year old spare that's been stored out of the sun with excellent tread and rubber in good condition is fine.

- Jack