FWGuy's Trip Report - This Ain't Yo Momma's Trip Report

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

I agree with most of what you said about the tires and do pretty much the same things as you. But I do go faster 65-75 mph, speed limit is 75 in Texas and you get run over if you go that slow. I have had a blow out though on our last trailer which I always thought that trailer was to heavy. But I was only doing 65 mph when I had my blowouts on it. Like you I was running max pressure 65psi and the tires were only 3 years old load range D. And after the first blow out 30 miles later the one next to it blew out. I will say blow outs on the side of the highway hundreds of miles from home in the middle of no where are not fun and no matter how much prep work you do you can't account for that small chunck of something that destroys your tire. After 3 blow outs on good tires in 2 years ( 2010 trip blow out on truck 2011 trip 2 blow outs on the trailer) I am paranoid about blow outs when pulling the camper now.

At the risk of sounding like Larry..... If you are running ST tires they are rated to 65MPH max, so speed can be an issue with them. I believe Goodyear claims you can over inflate their Marathon tire by 10PSI and it will increase the max rated speed on the tire but I don't know if that is the same for all MFG's. I studied tires long and hard before upgrading the tires on our 5er and ended up moving from a 15" ST load range D to a 16" LT load range E so I gained some capacity, and have an LT tire that I could pick up a matching tire if needed at almost any tire store.

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

The Family Portrait:

I like to get a family portrait at the Fort. I broke out the tripod and got set up. I will say, it was not easy and there was limited success due to my inexperience with the timer feature on the camera and two very active puppies.

Here is the first:

And number 2:

And 3:

Number 4:

5 was as good as it got:

That is just a fantastic sequence of pictures!

[LONE-STAR 370]

At the risk of sounding like Larry..... If you are running ST tires they are rated to 65MPH max, so speed can be an issue with them. I believe Goodyear claims you can over inflate their Marathon tire by 10PSI and it will increase the max rated speed on the tire but I don't know if that is the same for all MFG's. I studied tires long and hard before upgrading the tires on our 5er and ended up moving from a 15" ST load range D to a 16" LT load range E so I gained some capacity, and have an LT tire that I could pick up a matching tire if needed at almost any tire store.

When I buy new trailer tires me and my dad have always bought Marthons and they have been great. What blew out on me were the no name tires that came with the trailer. My neighbor switched to LT load rang E also and still had blow outs. From my understanding LT side walls aren't made to flex like trailer tires. Plus Wal-Mart now stocks Marthons so tires aren't to far away.

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

Food is pretty much the only thing that will motivate them.

Me, too.....

[caveat lector 181]

FWG posts are a hoot and always interesting.

My opinions are (probably not worth reading):

Tires = unless they come up with a viable solution made from carbon fiber and titanium, they are going to blow. Do your best to minimize the variables and prepare for the eventuality. When it happens, try to keep your cool. If I never happens, thank your lucky stars.

Camera self timers = I find that the more expensive the camera! the less chance of success I have to make all those extra buttons work

Keeping your dogs in frame for 5 shots = your skills are epic here. I could put a bowl of my pups favorite treats center frame, and they would pick it up and carry it stage left before the 2nd shutter snap. Nicely done sir!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

... I could put a bowl of my pups favorite treats center frame, and they would pick it up and carry it stage left before the 2nd shutter snap.

 

:rofl2:

 

Sounds about right!

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

:rofl2:

 

Sounds about right!

 

I thought your mob were more the 'grab it on the run' type.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

more like grab it AND run

[ftwildernessguy 778]

MK SMB:

In fact, it sucked so bad this is the only photo I have from there:

Why, do you ask, does FWGuy say MK SMB? Well, first of all, upon arrival what do you see? A beautiful castle beckoning you down a turn of the century Main Street? Nope. A hideous crane by the castle at the end of a street with a freakin Starbucks on it. Total loss of magic right from the start. I think the last 6 times I have been there, there has been a stinkin crane by the castle. At least Main Street wasn't covered by a sheet. Anyway, make the most of it, FWGuy. After all, you get to ride some of your favorite attractions. Like Space Mountain. What? Space Mountain is closed? Crap. There's always Big Thunder Mountain. What? Big Thunder Mountain is closed? Crap. Well, there is the new Fantasy Land Expansion. Just walk past the ugly construction walls with the cheap cartoons on them and into what can only be described as a cheap looking HO train layout. Not even the gift shops were good. In all fairness, I did like the restrooms. And as I stated on another thread, the Ariel ride was cool. The queue was really neat, with the portholes and that little crab guy collecting stuff and the talking pigeon. Ursula animatronic was good, but if Disney stays true to form it will be broken within a year and they will put in a strobe light. I did like the circus part, but there isn't much to do there. Lunch at Cosmic Rays was good as usual. Man, that Sonny Eclipse never fails to produce a quality show. How come that Animatronic can go year after year but the damn Yeti only worked for a couple months? My wife likes COP so we got on. Damn thing got stuck on the last scene for 20 minutes just cycling thru. You know the one, where Grandma blows the hell out off the video game with the bad graphics and Dad blows up the stove and Grandpa never does get his root beer but Uncle Orville crosses the generations still trying to get some privacy in the bathroom. I was about ready to rip up my chair and throw it thru the exit door. I have had enough COP for the next 8 visits.

Pirate parade was okay. Still worrying about those kids disney sold into slavery. Gotta remember to call Cinderella. Main Street popcorn has gone low salt. Good for me, but somehow lacking. Not sure I like the idea of the parking lot being renamed for villians. We drove the truck because the weather was calling for thunder storms and they cancel the boats when that happens. I did not feel like waiting for a bus with 800 wet, sweaty people who forgot to shower this month.

Hate to ruin this for you ladies, but neither Gaston's muscles nor his hair is real, he wears eye makeup and I am pretty sure he is gay.

Some of the HM interactive queue was not working. Disney does not care. After all, it worked when it opened for a couple months. What do you want?

They got rid of the Davy Jones projected on the waterfall effect on Pirates. I like the mermaids but it is a wasted effect unless you are looking for it and most guests don't even know about it.

So much for MK.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

By the way, next time you ride the People Mover, take a look at how SM is falling apart. Paint peeling, chunks of the building missing, rusty sections. Really, guys, would it hurt to wire brush the thing and repaint it?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

That Ariel picture never ceases to make me vomit.  And her ride SMB too, despite what you may say. 

 

If we had gotten stuck 20 minutes in the last scene of COP I would have been buying INC some sort of bauble.  Or some expensive alcohol.  Probably both. 

[ftwildernessguy 778]

That Ariel picture never ceases to make me vomit.  And her ride SMB too, despite what you may say. 

 

If we had gotten stuck 20 minutes in the last scene of COP I would have been buying INC some sort of bauble.  Or some expensive alcohol.  Probably both.

I think even FWGirl had enough COP after that fiasco.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

I did have a couple Lime-a-ritas back at the camper. That helped.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree about MK.  If MK didn't exist, I doubt we would go to WDW.  EPCOT, DHS, and AK just don't hold enough interest for us to make the investment in a trip.

 

While we like the other parks, they are just "icing on the cake."

 

EPCOT =  a few thrill rides and simulations of countries that have hardly changed since EPCOT opened.  The best part of EPCOT is MouseGears.

 

DHS = been there, done that.  Beauty and the Beast is great to see every few trips.  Also Indiana Jones and Lights, Cameras, Action!  Except for the Osborne Lights, which I could view every day and still love them.

 

AK = a couple of nice Broadway-style shows which are great to see every once in awhile.  A couple of great rides ... Dinosaur and Kali.  We don't do EE.  Safari and walking trails are good, but we have a great zoo within an hour of us.

 

MK, our great love ... we could go there every day and be blissfully happy just walking around, people watching, and window shopping.  Of course all our favorite rides and parades are there too.

 

But don't get me wrong.  On our upcoming 17-day trip we'll visit EPCOT 4-5 times for touring and dining.  We'll go to DHS for a couple of half day visits.  We'll visit AK a couple of days.  The rest of our park time will be spent in MK!

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Our very first trip to WDW we spent 3 days at MK.. Of course, that's all there was at WDW. But everything worked and there werent any construction cranes or canvas coverings. Now it seems every time we go, half the MK is closed for rehab. I havent gotten a good, unobstructed picture of the castle in years. Disney used to close maybe one main attraction for rehab at a time. But this visit, 2 out of 3 mountains closed? Really?

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Our very first trip to WDW we spent 3 days at MK.. Of course, that's all there was at WDW. But everything worked and there werent any construction cranes or canvas coverings. Now it seems every time we go, half the MK is closed for rehab. I havent gotten a good, unobstructed picture of the castle in years. Disney used to close maybe one main attraction for rehab at a time. But this visit, 2 out of 3 mountains closed? Really?

 

I understand your frustration!

[Beckers 1,136]

I think even FWGirl had enough COP after that fiasco.

So maybe your 20 mins of suffering will spare you the next few visits and going on COP?

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

The hill really isn't that bad. It just slows you down.

I am going to continue with an editorial. You can skip this entry if you want, but if you do, you will be missing out on some solid FWGuy advice for life on the road.

As a disclaimer, I am not Larry so I am by no means a tire expert. I base my philosophy on over 30 years of towing a trailer with no catatrophic tire failures (knock on wood). Also, I am not endorsing any specific product, nor do I receive any money from the company I will talk about.

We saw relatively few RV's on the road this trip. I blame the stagnant economy and high gas prices. I did, however see two cases of catastrophic tire failure. Both on 5ers. One passed me easily going 80. About 10 miles down the road, he was pulled over with a blow out. Now I don't know if you have ever seen what a steel belted radial tire can do to a fiberglass TT when it blows, but it rips the hell out of the side of the trailer. If it blows inside, since most of our trailers have the tires within the coach itself separated by some plywood, it rips the hell out of the interior. A lot of people blame Chinese tires. I will tell you this, I have been running Chinese tires on my trailer for the last 5 years without incident. I will be swapping them out next year because I don't like to run trailer tires for more than 5 years, but that is just FWGuy's rule.

So why does FWGuy think blowouts happen? I believe it is a couple of things. Overloaded trailers, excessive speed, and underinflated tires. The guy I saw was flying. I think these 5ers are near capaciity for weight before the owners put all their crap in them, and they should probably be running a higher load range tire, but I don't know for sure. I wonder how many check their tire pressures before they leave and again periodically on a long trip. Tire manufacturers say catastrophic failure is preceeded by a drop in pressure and an increase in temperature. An underinflated tire will run hot. Not good.

So what can you do? Well, first don't overload. My trailer weighs in around 7200lbs loaded. More if I am carrying a tank of water. I run load range D tires. My trailer has a large carrying capacity of 2300lbs. I have seen trailers with a lot less wiggle room. Weigh your trailer. Next, I keep my tires at the maximum inflation recommended by the trailer manufacturer. It is on a label on the trailer, mine is on the drivers side front. Keep your speed down. I never go over 60mph, and usually keep it at 50-55mph. Yeah, it takes me longer to drive to the Fort, but I get there without incident. Monitor temps. I have an inexpensive infrared thermometer I got at PepBoys and check the wheel temps at every rest stop. But the most valuable tool I have invested in is the following:

http://shop.tsttruck.com/product.sc;jsessionid=583AB909E4B25A94EAD3327FAF25A84C.qscstrfrnt04?categoryId=1&productId=11

It scolls through all the tires and gives me a readout on the pressure and temp of each tire. An alarm goes off if the pressure goes over or under a set limit, and also if the temp goes over a set limit. It was pricey, but it is constantly monitoring the truck and trailer tires and the peace of mind is well worth the cost. Mine has replaceable batteries, and after 3 years I just replaced them this year at a cost of 11 bucks.

In the Army, much planning goes into convoy movements to ensure safety. I spent many years as a mobilization and movement officer so I know a little about this. What we do with our trailers is the same, only on a much smaller scale. Take some time and check your tires. Oh, torque the lug nuts to spec, too. And keep your speed down. Carry on.

 

Lots of good info here. If people would also practice this there would be a lot less failures. 

 

My 5'er scales out at a little under 13k lbs on just the double axles. I wouldn't run Chinese tires at that load, though. I did pull off a nearly perfect looking set of 5 year old G-rated Goodyear's and replaced them with the same tire to the tune of $1,200+. That stung a little, but piece of mind is priceless. I run a TST tire monitor too. I also try to keep the speed about 65. I prefer to be passed than be doing the passing constantly. 

[thecplusplusguy 7]

And now, the Voices of Liberty:

http://youtu.be/z6MRilgBy4o

I have to wait 8 months to see them.  I'm happy I saw them, but now I'm sad I have to wait.   (

 

Dan

[ftwildernessguy 778]

I need to add to my MK report. FWGirl kicked my ass on Buzz.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

That Ariel picture is just wrong.

[fortpartyof4 108]

That Ariel picture is just wrong.

 

At least she has clamshells on…….

 

My boys have begun to take note of various mermaid statues in the last few months.  Saw several back in FL, obviously.  There's one near our new home (in rural PA?  don't get it but..) that they particularly enjoy due to the lack of clamshells.  Gotta love adolescent humor.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men:

I started planning this trip months ago. When you start, you think "Man, I'm gonna be at the Fort for 8 days! I can do this and this and this...." Then the next thing you know, you're setting up camp, putting up the screen house, getting the bikes out, taking that first trip around the loop and over to the Meadows to see what new merchandise they have. All full of excitement and anticipation of what lies ahead. Then bam. You're taking down the screen house, packing up the bikes, and hooking up the trailer and you didn't do half of what you thought you would. Despite the rain, some disappointments (minor), and a few setbacks, it was a great trip. After all, a bad day at the Fort is better than a good day at work any time. Here are a few highlights I did not mention:

Met some great people who I already knew. You know who you are. The Fiends we know thru this electronic medium but have never seen face to face. Gary stopped by one night for some last minute instructions in making the Kimchi dog and to try to lose the Southern accent and acquire a Korean one. Sorry, Gary, I tried. I caught Curtis and his wife setting up one of their campers in the 1600 loop and had a nice chat with them. Andrew stopped by twice - once just before we were leaving. He gave me one of these

Without a doubt, the best souvenir I have ever had from WDW. Thanks, TCD. But I missed a lot too. Tried to meet up with Tom in the 600 loop, but that wasn't in the cards. Missed Lou a couple times, too. And I had hoped to meet up with Al, my comrade in arms, but alas, that did not happen, either. I regret these close encounters that never were, but we will meet another time, I'm sure. As I get older, I find that it isn't what you buy and bring home from a vacation that is important, but the experiences you have and the memories they make. Thanks to everybody who made this trip for me. Thanks to everybody who read my comments, some tongue in cheek and some not. Thanks for the memories.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Bravo!

 

Good job, FWG!

 

I wish that I could have taken you up on your Kungaloosh offer, but I'm a weekend warrior, and I had stuff to do.  You're right about how fast time flies at the Fort.

 

Glad you like that little piece of rusty metal. 

 

TCD

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

Bravo! Enjoyed the TR very much!