It was bound to happen, and yesterday, it did
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25797)
United States
June 19, 2023 7:19am CST
Shortly after we left the RV park yesterday, a car pulled up beside us at a stoplight and told us one of our trailer tires was going flat. I immediately pulled over and discovered she was right.
This discovery was an unpleasant surprise, to say the least. Whatever was causing it to go flat must have happened after leaving the campground, as I had inspected the tires before pulling out, something I always do.
After realizing what was happening, I eased the trailer up to a convenience store parking lot where we could park safely from passing traffic and analyzed the situation. You may not know this, but campers are no longer sold with jacks and lug wrenches due to the number of times people raised one side too high and tipped over their rigs. Yeah, I know, right. And, alas, my truck jack, sturdy as it is, was not up to the task. Neither was its lug wrench. It was too big for the lug nuts on the camper wheel. Our camper is equipped with a spare tire.
A situation like this is why we belong to a roadside service company. We dialed the number, and they assured us help was on the way. Twenty minutes later, they called back and said they were still trying to find someone who would come out. Another twenty minutes passed, and they were still looking. Then another twenty.
Evidently, no garage or towing service in the entire Grayson, Carroll County area was willing to send out a truck on Father's Day to lend us a hand. Pray you never need help if you break down anywhere near Woodlawn on Galax, Virginia, on a Sunday or holiday.
When the roadside service company finally found someone, the garage that agreed to send someone out was in Jonesville, NC. The tech who came to help us had to drive from Statesville, NC. This, of course, was a long drive. A very courteous, polite, professional, and knowledgeable young man did arrive, had the tools to take care of the problem for us in under 10 minutes, and we were ready to get back on the road. I tendered the young man a generous gratuity for having come all that way for us, enough for him and his significant other to enjoy a nice dinner out once he got home and washed up.
All told, we spent 5 hours in that convenience store parking lot. Thankfully, it wasn't very hot, and we had internet.
The lessons I learned from this are: 1-keep a jack and lug wrench of the right specs in the camper, and 2-while the people of south-central VA might not be willing to help me out in such a situation, I can always count on a fellow Tar Heel. The song I linked to tells fits this story.
Have you ever been stranded on the side of the road and wound up waiting hours for help to arrive?
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9 people like this
9 responses
@DaddyEvil (174370)
• United States
19 Jun 23
Nope... Even on a Sunday or holiday AAA has had someone who could get to us and fix our problem within an hour of our call. But we're also only driving a car and not pulling a camper.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
19 Jun 23
The last time we tried to use AAA, they wouldn't even begin to help us unless we went online and filled out a ticket. The area we were in had spotty cell service, and using their website via our phone was impossible. The associate on the phone kept repeating that they could offer no help until we filled out the online ticket. We no longer have AAA.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (174370)
• United States
19 Jun 23
@DWDavis I called them last Winter. The talked to me and sent the truck out. I didn't have to go online or fill anything out before they came to me. Then, they didn't even ask for my card or ID. They just fixed my tire, I thanked them and everybody left.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
19 Jun 23
@DaddyEvil It seems you got a much more cooperative agent than we did.
1 person likes this


@snowy22315 (208846)
• United States
19 Jun 23
Not really, have always gotten help from AARP Roadservice or AAA. Stories like that, make me happy I don't have a camper or trailer.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
19 Jun 23
I should check into what AARP has to offer as far as roadside assistance for RV owners. The service we use specializes in helping people driving motorhomes or pulling campers. I can't blame them because the garages and tow truck companies in that part of VA refused to come out. I just hope those businesses know that they are now low on the list of who the company will call.
@Jenaisle (16568)
• Philippines
19 Jun 23
That was a long wait. It's good you have somewhere to park safely while waiting for help.
We were once stranded on a sideroad because the engine bogged down, but since we had company (it was a family vacation) and we were a convoy of cars. the men all cooperated to get the work done. They knew what they were doing, so within an hour, we were on the road again, well on our way home.
1 person likes this


@FourWalls (86652)
• United States
19 Jun 23
Thank God, no. My problems have always happened at home or a parking lot.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (135690)
• Marion, Ohio
19 Jun 23
That would be a huge pain. Glad someone finally got there to help. He deserved a big tip
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
19 Jun 23
The most frustrating part of the whole incident was that had I had the right jack and lug wrench, I could have done it myself in just a few minutes. That's why I am putting them into the camper before our next trip. In the meantime, I plan on putting 4 new tires on the rig. If one gave out, the rest might not be far behind.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
19 Jun 23
@wolfgirl569 I will check, but it was blistering on the sidewall. That tells me it was starting to lose integrity. The tires are 5 years old and have a lot of miles on them for trailer tires. We were going to replace them after this season anyway. It just looks like we'll be doing it early than planned.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (135690)
• Marion, Ohio
19 Jun 23
@DWDavis Both of those are good ideas. Check if that tire picked up a nail or something first.
1 person likes this

@RebeccasFarm (91299)
• United States
19 Jun 23
Glad you got a decent fellow ..that was a blessing.
Yes stranded and lucky I was..long story.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222310)
• United States
19 Jun 23
What a huge bummer. I can't believe they had to send someone from Statesville. That's a long way away. I'm so sorry this happened to you; but next time you will be ready. No, knock on wood, we have never been stranded by the side of the road.











