Mitch:
Tire pressure should be checked DAILY with an accurate gauge. Kind of hard to take it back to them if you're on the road!
Ever notice that NONE of the commercial truckers use the braided valve extenders and they check the pressure daily? Could it be because they're the source of a lot of leaks?
To check and inflate my inside duals I use a truck chuck. I also use metal stem caps. I have a stem extender that I just screw onto the inside steam, check and inflate as needed. I do not travel with valve extenders on, too great a risk of air leak. I use a nut driver to remove and replace the metal valve cap. I have little or no air loss when I put on or remove the extender. If you want the best system to maintain air pressure in your tires, just check out the latest Motorhome mag. Now that something!!!
bigdaddy & littlemama and "Miss Lucy & Chucky"
'02 Allegro Bay 35DB W22
"07 X Unlimited Wrangler
'05 Harley Trike
Our other coach is a school bus(yes, we both drive)
Another way to help prevent against air lose is to get good metal valve caps with rubber seals in them to help keep dirt and moisture away from the air valve.If there is dirt on them after you air up or check pressure the valve can get stuck open just enough to release air without you hearing it,and hours later your running 25 lbs low or flat altogether.
The Milkman
2001 2500 Suburban 6.0 3.73 Locker. LT Autoride
2001 Sunline T 280SR
'97 MX5
Milkman:
Had that happen to me!! Went out the night before we were to leave, checked all the tires and replaced one missing metal valve cap. Came out the next morning to leave and had one front tire completely flat, even broke the bead loose from the wheel. Now, this was on a 39+' diesel pusher, parked alongside the house with no room to get a tow truck to the front. I called RRR road service, explained the situation to them and emphasized that I needed a heavy truck service rig. Dispatcher said she understood and they would be there within the hour. Well, in just over an hour they showed up with a 12,000 GVWR CAR tow truck (our MH weighs just over 26,000 lbs), no air compressor, and not enough air hose to reach the front anyway. Broke out my air hose, started the main engine and with the tow truck drivers help, muscled the tire on well enough to get it inflated with the onboard air! WHEW!! Finally left a few hours late. The cap gasket had bunched up and pressed on the stem, slowly letting the air out overnight. Now I don't use old caps, if the gasket looks suspect I throw it away.
*This Message was edited on 16-Jun-02 02:07 AM by Deen*
Hey Deen,On your MH do you have a fitting on your air tanks to hook up a outside air line to fill tires or to blow off camping site or fill rafts and the likes?
Yep, that's what I hooked up to as I said in my post. I thought there was no way I could get the tire inflated with the onboard air since the tire bead was broken loose and I would need a belt. Turns out I didn't need that though. The onboard air is only 12 cfm at 100 lbs. and not much of a reserve tank.
I used to work in a tireshop for 12 years, that was 4yrs ago. I DO NOT LIKE the valve extentions as some said before they are prone to cause leaks. The solution to this is to use a new truck valvestem that is about 2-3" long have them installed and before the tire is aired up have the tire tech (We like that name lol) bend the stem so that it faces outward. THIS WORKS GREAT!!! Also the "dual foot" air chucks come with two different depths. This is hard to expain but I will do my best. When you try to put the air chuck on all it does, if your lucky is blow air but doesn't air up the tire.this is because :
1) the air chuck is not staight onto the valvestem.
2) I'll try,the depth of the air chuck, That is the little "foot" that screws on the air chuck is too deep (about1/4-5/16" high) and when you try to inflate you don't get any air sound at all. you can buy a replacement "foot" that is about 1/8" high/thick so inflating is a lot easier. The thicker "foot" is for tiremen when they airup truck tires, this thicker foot can rest on the valvestem with the weight of the hose,almost like a clip-on chuck, and free up the tireman so he can clean rims/studs/check other rims for cracks,etc as they change additional tires.
Hope this gives everyboby a helping hand.Rob Best,...HIT-BY-THUNDER
I want to thank all you great RVers. The information was invaluable.
I have an appointment tomorrow with Discount Tire in National City, CA. to have metal valve stems installed on the four rear duals. $45.00 for all four and labor out the door.
I plan on using extenders to check and inflate the inner tires using a piece if rubber tubing to screw on and screw off the extenders and to replace the metal cap.
On the outside tires I'm installing the 135 degree extenders and seal them with silicone sealer after installation.
This should solve my problems.
I'm also going now to read the threads left by some of you.
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