Welcome, Tom and Gloria. We have a very similar model I bought this spring in Mesa, AZ.
There are many tire dealers in Albuquerque, NM. I don't know which ones sell and service 19.5" tires. You should at least be able to find Michelin, Goodyear, Hankook. But, as for Goodyear, you need a Wingfoot shop (div of GY) and none is listed in the state. You will read all sorts of opinions and warnings about certain tires. You'll have to do some research and weigh the cost/availability/reputation etc. Many people are substituting metric sizes. When I had the nearest Wingfoot take care of one tire with a problem recently, they could have sold me new metric tires for my 19.5 wheels, but did not have the old 8 width.

Ooh, another nice Barth and another site member! Search around the site and enjoy an education in motorhomes. I got my Barth in March and this site is awesome. Ask questions, you'll be amazed at the talent and experience hanging out around here.
Jeff, I hate tornados. The one that trashed my plane in 07 was a small EF2, still impressive. Those twisted trees are unreal. That one was indeed a monster. Thank god the Barth was not too close.

Steve,
She was pretty close to it, about 600 feet away the trees were twisted and stripped. I could have hit a 4 iron into it. She probably took straight line winds in excess of 100 to 120 miles per hour. I would not have wanted to be in the motorhome at the time that is for sure. According to the Butterfly theory I was but a wings beat away from having a flying barth. These coaches are just built like no other. We are still having a difficult time as well locating windshields.

Hello Tom and Gloria,
We have Bartha in common, my kids named ours that after their great grandmother (Martha) its kind of stuck. When we first got her she was in rough shape and my 5 year old boy called her barth bag. It took some time but now he caller her The Bartha. I did not like that other name. For tires I just went with the Goodyears. I carry four kids in the coach and just did not want to take any chances or have any problems. They were not inexpensive. I have talked to several people since then that have dynatracs, they have not had any problems with them and they are much more affordable. They will probably be my next set.

Jeff that was way too close...about one wingbeat for sure! Evidently the wind direction didn't catch it and roll it. Those tractors in the pictures look like they had quite a ride. That truck's not too happy either. Wow.

I like Bartha! (much better than barth bag, but some of these coaches do get that way when they sit too long!)

For sure we need to get you the glass first...I'm just looking to replace mine "eventually" Keep us posted and I'll keep checking, too.

I'll be looking for 6 of 8 tires in another year, I was planning to go top of the line for the front 2 and maybe medium grade for the back duallies. My tag axle tires are generic radials but they are only going on 2 yrs old.

Good luck getting Bartha moving again.

Jeff, while the windows are out, you might want to have the shop check the front window frame. On mine it is steel and attached to the aluminum super structure. It can, therefore, rust. A good time to see if it has any rust and repair as needed
Jim

Jim,
A great idea and one I would not even have thought of. The shop would probably have just put in the glass. Another reason this is such a great site. I will make sure to check it out. Thank you.

Jim,

How would you repair a situation like this? I can see some corrosion on mine....might be an issue in the future?


K&E

Welcome to the barthmobile site I think we have a great core group, I have all the friends I know from this site .
lenny

It would depend on the extent of the rust. There are some good products out there that stop rust, and I use the ones made by POR. But if the window frame is rusted through, you would have to have a metal fabricator cut the affected area away, fabricate a new section and weld it in place, all the while making sure the steel frame is isolated from the aluminum. It can be a daunting job and expensive, but cheaper than a windshield falling out.
Jim

chassis saver-NAPA sells it-pretty serious instructions
Tere

Jim,
Thank you again for the tip. As would have it we did indeed have some rust under there. The frame was not rusted through so hopefully we stopped it in time. The shop put a product on it to stop the rust then a primer over it. Both sides were replaced with the gasket and they did a great job. I did not realize how scratched up the windows were. Now it is like nothing is there. The visisbility is fantastic. After the glass it went to the suspension shop for a check up and we we were lucky. Everything underneath was in good shape and lined up for the most part. After 26 years she was only sitting one inch low in the rear. It looked like more. Since we are intending to pull a boat I just wanted it looked at. We are adding one additional leaf to the rear suspension. Now if we can just get to a double digit temperatures around here again the family will be ready to go camping..Finally...

Here are some updated photo's.

Great lookin' coach

quote:

After 26 years she was only sitting one inch low in the rear. It looked like more. Since we are intending to pull a boat I just wanted it looked at. We are adding one additional leaf to the rear suspension.

These help too.....glad I added them......
http://www.suspensionconnectio...escription/to=r.html