TPMS thoughts
- Thread starter 7ACMike
- Start date
TST offers a great solution. Just make sure you have steel valve vs rubber. The added weight from the sensor's require steel.
Here is a video I did for the internal version from TST. I liked this option for our DRW, as getting to the valve on the inside tire is hard enough...add a sensor and it is next to impossible to access the valve to add air.
Here is a video I did for the internal version from TST. I liked this option for our DRW, as getting to the valve on the inside tire is hard enough...add a sensor and it is next to impossible to access the valve to add air.
Sometimes I wonder if they are worth all of the anxiety they cause. They stop reading sometimes - is it because of interference or did the tire fall off? I still check my tires every travel day and inspect them every stop even with them. They won't do much at all to help if you have a catastrophic tire failure like a puncture when going down the road except tell you you lost a tire - which could be a good thing if you don't check your mirrors often enough to notice. That said, I have the TST that came with my SOB trailer and used the OEM RAM TTPMS sensors on my Alliance. Never a flat, never a valid reason to stop and check on the tires due to a sensor reading (or lack there of). My dad put a LOT of miles on trailers over the years and the only flat he had would not have been saved by the sensor nor any of the resulting damage as he felt it blow and pulled over immediately. I am on the fence on whether I will replace them when the batteries die (they are the TST rim-mounted sensors, so have to unmount the tires and replace the whole thing as the battery is not serviceable on those). YMMV, do whatever feels right to you.
Darrell, I get it. Pulled trailers all my life and my Dad did all his life. I laugh and tell people I didn't know you could buy a PU without a trailer attached until I became an adult! I always do a pre trip walk around every time I leave and at every stop. Never had a back up camera until this new Chevy 2022 Duramax and it came with one but I still use the mirrors. My new trailer won't be here for another month so will review until then. Thanks again, 7acmike
Hi Jim - thanks for sharing this. I will be putting those on my Delta. Soon as I get time to take the wheels off and take them over to Discount Tire.
Mike in North Wales
Well-known member
They may not help with a blowout, but they certainly will let you know if you have a slow leak, and you should be able to do something before it blows.
Another feature is the temperature monitoring capability. If one wheel is running hotter than the rest, or hotter than it did on the last trip, it may be time to check wheel bearings.
When you guys do your pre-trip, and your check at every stop, are you checking pressures and temperatures, or just looking at the tires, maybe kicking them? I'm one of the weird ones who check everthing with a non-contact thermometer when I stop, so the fact that the TPMS handles the tires is helpful.
I, too, never had TPMS on a trailer until the Alliance. I like data. I feel a little better knowing what's going on behind me.
Another feature is the temperature monitoring capability. If one wheel is running hotter than the rest, or hotter than it did on the last trip, it may be time to check wheel bearings.
When you guys do your pre-trip, and your check at every stop, are you checking pressures and temperatures, or just looking at the tires, maybe kicking them? I'm one of the weird ones who check everthing with a non-contact thermometer when I stop, so the fact that the TPMS handles the tires is helpful.
I, too, never had TPMS on a trailer until the Alliance. I like data. I feel a little better knowing what's going on behind me.
Yeah, I can always think of reasons they are good, and someday I will likely get to experience one of them. I have them, so I am well aware of the functions and benefits. What I hate is that there always seems to be a tire or three that are not reading regularly. I have a large triple axle with a front kitchen now, so lots of interference even though I also have the remote reader that is mounted in the front storage area. That is why I wonder sometimes if the juice is really worth the squeeze in my experience. Everyone's situation is different, that's what makes us us.
I’ve had TST 707 for approximately 7years. It does not let you know if the if your tire is going to blow out but it will warn you if the pressure changes or if the temperature changes. It has saved me a couple of times. The most recent I had just left the rv park, checked the pressure before leaving, got about 5 miles down the road and a warning for low pressure alarm. Pulled over and found the valve stem had cracked. The reason I bought a tire pressure monitor was I was pulling my trailer on the interstate and someone pulled up beside me waving like a crazy person letting me know my rear passenger tire had blown out and I didn’t know it.
DanNJanice
Well-known member
I had the same experience happen to me driving down I-5 in Sacramento during rush hour.
Aside from pulling a short narrow trailer with a dually, if you cannot see your tires with your mirrors, I would suggest adjusting them to where you can. It is easier on trucks like mine with 2 sets of mirrors on each side. You still may not catch everything, but I do this with or without TPMS on a trailer. If I have not done it in a little while, I steer side to side within my lane on a highway to catch a better view. But I agree that TPMS might alert you quicker than that, and hopefully before your tire is shredded and your wheel wells are destroyed lol.
Which ones did you spring for?