Just been to visit the van in storage, and noticed no van has been put on axle stands. I move our van every few weeks about half a rotation of the wheel so it's not sitting on the same spot all the time. It is rare to see anyone else at the storage moving their van. Is moving the van a requirement to stay safe ??? or with modern tyres is there no need to bother ???
Tyres and Storage
- Thread starter Gumbo
- Start date
Whilst a tyre will get a flatspot if standing for a long time under load, this will soon iron itself out after driving a few miles. The worst that can happen is that the caravan will shake slightly until the tyres regain a perfectly round shape. It is only to avoid this temporary flaw that people rotate tyres. Rotating tyres is therefore not vital, but just makes for a smoother ride until the tyres are round again. You can be sure that dealers don't move their stocks around on their parking lots. With the present slump in the market, quite a few cars and caravans will be standing around for months at the dealers before they are sold and will consequently also have temporary flatspots.
I usually rotate the wheels not just for the flatspot possibility, but also to ensure that the wheels were not sticking anywhere. The drums will rust up anyway, but it made me feel better.
However, this last year i have used a set of curved pads under the tyres. These are supposed to prevent flatspots. I am not convinced whether they actually do any good or not, but the were only a tenner to buy and they at least stop gravel getting into the tyre treads.
However, this last year i have used a set of curved pads under the tyres. These are supposed to prevent flatspots. I am not convinced whether they actually do any good or not, but the were only a tenner to buy and they at least stop gravel getting into the tyre treads.
Gumbo.......All the other owners do not realise the safety implications and you do!
Keep rotating, if the vans are parked too close to use axle stands, which would be even better.
The importance of this safety precaution is proportionate to the age of the tyres.
The older the tyre the more important it is.
Lutz is rich ...... he only keeps his vans 5 minutes!!!
Keep rotating, if the vans are parked too close to use axle stands, which would be even better.
The importance of this safety precaution is proportionate to the age of the tyres.
The older the tyre the more important it is.
Lutz is rich ...... he only keeps his vans 5 minutes!!!
Hey Gaff, that was below the belt - I for one have every respect for Lutz's very sound advice and would agree with him absolutely on this one (and I ain't rich!)...smiley thing...
Perhaps you can enlighten us what the safety implications are. As you correctly say, the age of the tyres is a safety issue, but how does rotating the tyres come into the picture?
Are we mixing up the term rotating opposed to just moving the van so the wheels move through 180 degrees !!!!!!!!!
I was referring to turning the wheels half a turn. By the way, I keep my caravan a bit longer than 5 minutes! I've had my current one for 16 years and it has always stood stationary during that time when not in use, without rotating the wheels. (I'm on my third set of tyres since new)
Just moving this on a bit.
Are caravan tyres subject to a Law like Tread Depth ie like cars ?? I never thought about TIME but my wifes car has only done 24000 miles in 6 years and the tread is still legal. I have never contemplated changing them because of the time they have been in service !!!! should I ???????/
Are caravan tyres subject to a Law like Tread Depth ie like cars ?? I never thought about TIME but my wifes car has only done 24000 miles in 6 years and the tread is still legal. I have never contemplated changing them because of the time they have been in service !!!! should I ???????/
I don't know whether the law on tread depth applies to caravans as well (I presume it does). However, most caravan tyres have perished long before they are worn that far. The sun's ultraviolet rays and ozone cause haircracks in the rubber and if these propagate too far they can be a real safety hazard. For this reason it is recommended that caravan tyres be replaced every 5 years (in Germany, 6 years max. is a legal requirement) even though, at first sight, they may appear to be good for a good few more miles.
Lutz.....
My reference to 'rich' and '5 minutes' was a wind up!!
If this Forum and the friendly moderators will allow .....
I will post this link to The Camping and Caravanning Club data sheet.
It is the ultimate guide ....
http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/Documents/Wheels and Tyres for Caravans and Trailers.pdf
My reference to 'rich' and '5 minutes' was a wind up!!
If this Forum and the friendly moderators will allow .....
I will post this link to The Camping and Caravanning Club data sheet.
It is the ultimate guide ....
http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/Documents/Wheels and Tyres for Caravans and Trailers.pdf
The information in that Caravanning and Camping Club data sheet is very sound. Just a couple of notes that I would like to add which are particularly applicable at this time of the year. The data sheet makes no mention of the requirement to fit winter tyres in some European countries during the winter months, even if there is no snow or ice about. Secondly, although it is true that 1.6mm is the minimum permissible tread depth throughout Europe, tyres with less than 4mm tread depth count as summer tyres, even though they may be marked as winter ones.
every winter i put van on axle stands cover brake drums with plastic and blow tyres up two 36 psi and leave in my workshop mind you got plenty of room very large garden and drive never had any probs do same with car transporter trailer
Uisng your van is the best way to safeguard the tyres as the rotation of the wheel ensures that the chemicals within the tyre compound do thier intended job which is to resist ageing and cracking. Static tyres will not keep these anti aging agents moving within the compound. Although being highly loaded compared to car tyres its stil sound practice to change. My tyres on a Bailey are just 5 years old and are being changed today.
Using the caravan only ensures that the environmental influences that cause ageing and cracking are distributed more uniformly around the tyre. It doesn't affect any additives that may be present in the rubber compound to prevent ageing.
Gumbo, my wifes car only does about 3 k / year and I have in the past found side wall cracks apearing after about 5 years, the ruber also seems to go hard. So car or caravan I would consider 5 years a max. Don't forget all tyres have a manufacturing date stamp on them its worth checking. (week number / year).
Agree, after 5 years it is asking for trouble to kep the tyres going. and when a caravan tyre fails it not onlt lets you and the van down, but has been known to rip great holes in the caravan floor. tyres more than 5 years old are a liability.
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