How to Eliminate RV Tire Overloads

RVs are large vehicles that owners often will load with everything including the kitchen sink. The enormous amount of weight and pressure on an RV's tires can cause serious damage to the tire. In fact, the leading cause of RV tire damage is overload. It's important to prevent tire overload to save yourself money and keep you and your RV driving safely, so follow these steps.

Instructions

1. Know your RV. The best way to prevent tire overload is know exactly how your RV distributes weight and what kind of load the vehicle and the tires can safely withstand. Read your RV's manual carefully and, if you need further information, contact both the RV and tire manufacturer.

2. Check the tires. Proper tire maintenance is a reliable way of preventing tire overload. Make sure the tires aren't damaged and are inflated to their prescribed levels. Check tire pressure regularly and before long trips. Make sure the tires are cold when you check the pressure.

3. Weigh the vehicle properly. Even if you find that the gross weight of your RV is well beneath that of the vehicle's maximum, the RV might still suffer tire damage. You need to weigh each axle end of the RV separately to determine that each tire is under an appropriate load. While this might take extra time and work, it will save your tires from overload.

4. Distribute the weight properly. Even if you're a thousand pounds under your vehicle's maximum weight, if the majority of the RV's weight is on one side of the vehicle, then the chances of tire overload are greatly increased. Make a chart that itemizes all the object in the RV and their weight (and don't forget people) and spread the weight around the vehicle to prevent overload.