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Old 11-23-2022, 08:06 PM   #19
PreCambrian
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Four Winds 22E
State: California
Posts: 125
THOR #27561
I had a similar experience. I was going to include it in a post about our first RV trip but I will substitute this reply for that. On our second day out we had a flat on the inside driver's side dual. The good thing about the flat was that I found out that I have a TPMS on the Ford E350. It popped up immediately that I had low pressure. We were on Highway 101 about 45 minutes south of Eureka, in the mountains. Called State Farm Roadside assistance, no one could make it to the next day. Called AAA (even though we didn't pay the extra for an RV). They recommended several different places (where we would pay out of pocket). One of them was basically two blocks away. No one would come. We called another company which basically must be some type of dispatcher who searches around for a fee. They wanted $750. State Farm said that they would pay it. This $750 company didn't show up for three hours, I kept calling and then they said no one would be available until the next day. I believe that the few services in the area are just shopping around until they can get the most dollars possible.

I didn't have a jack or a lug nut wrench (I couldn't get it to budge with my breaker bar and socket) so we stayed overnight at an RV park that luckily was nearby. I got up very early, filled the flat dual with my VIAIR RV compressor (the auto shutoff feature was definitely worth the price), and creeped along at 40 mph until the pressure would drop to 40 psig. I then would stop, fill it up, and continue. I did this four times to go 30 miles to Fortuna where the Les Schwab Tire Center fixed my flat for free (it was a nail or screw which I could see while I was filling up the tire). The Les Schwab Tire Center used a Harbor Freight 12 ton pneumatic over hydraulic bottle jack to lift the RV. I bought one a little ways down the road along with an "X" style lug wrench to give me plenty of leverage on the lug nut in the dished part of the wheel. The pneumatic over hydraulic jack keeps you from having to lift the vehicle while you reach under it. I use my VIAIR for the pneumatic part. It lifts slower than at the Schwab Tire Center but it works. I might have to drive up on a leveling block in order to fit the jack under the jack point if I have a flat in the front.

I noticed that the Schwab Tire Center had service trucks so I asked them if they would have come up to fix my flat. Yes they would have at $139/hr. Since they were about 30 minutes away it probably would have been one hour travel and maybe 1.5 hours to fix the flat (I also carry a spare). Next time if the roadside service doesn't come I will call a tire center. If that doesn't work then I will change my own tire.

I asked the Schwab Tire Center why they fixed the flat for free. They said that they wanted my business in the future. I will go out of my way to buy my next set of tires at a Schwab (I won't drive all the way to Fortuna).
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