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Old 04-23-2014, 07:27 PM   #1
rclark
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When should you check tire pressure on 5th wheel

Looking for opinion about checking tire pressure. I will give my ideas and solicit opinion from the board. I always check the tire pressure cold prior to taking the 5th out for a trip. I find the pressure to be down only about 2-3 lbs on each tire. five is stored in pole building when not being used, which is about 8 months out of the year. We headed out in Nov last year and returned home in mid March. I have read that tires will lose that much pressure in a month and must be checked regularly.

I do not find this to be true, I have checked the pressure on every trip I think the only pressure I lose is from checking the pressure. I religiously check the wheels and tires for heat, and visually look for problems on most every stop we make.

I lost the tread on a tire this winter, but it did not blow out and pressure was still reading 82 lbs prior to removing to replace with spare. In retrospect I should have replaced the tire with a spare when first began to feel a little hot. I only traveled about 15-30 miles after I first noticed the heat before tread came off. I would have avoided $3,000 damage to 5th wheel. Bought the 5th wheel new Jan of 2013 and had traveled about 5,000 miles when tread came off. I think the belt broke and led to the tread coming off.

Is just checking for heat in lieu of checking pressure a viable way to monitor your tire pressure??
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Old 04-23-2014, 07:38 PM   #2
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I check tire pressure before getting on the road. Before a trip, each morning before hitting the road while traveling, and before I head home. I always feel the tread, sidewalls, and bearing covers as soon as we make a stop. I have never found anything that I would call out of the normal but I am sure that if one tire feels hotter than the others I would look into it further. I'm a little OCD about tire pressure.
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Old 04-23-2014, 08:18 PM   #3
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Have the TST sensors on mine. Prior to our last failure of our last Marathon this past December, I noticed that the pressure was good, but the temperature had climbed quite a bit. Turns out, this tire had a dramatic ply separation over one half of the tread. I couldn't believe it when I changed it out for the spare, how bad this tire looked. Wish now I had taken a photo of it. It's great having not only pressure monitoring, but also temperature monitoring.
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Old 04-23-2014, 08:24 PM   #4
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rclark -
Even though you check the tire pressure before each trip, there is always the possibility, as you have found out, of tire failure during the trip. Many members have invested in a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) which will provide you with two readings before and during the trip: tire pressure and tire temperature.

There have been numerous threads about the benefits and types of a TPMS for your tires and I haven't read a single post that has anything but positive comments about this system. Perhaps investing in one yourself might be a consideration. I recently purchased one and it has been a valuable source of tire information while going down the highway.

A few members also carry a digital thermal/temperature "detector" which, when placed near a tire will give you a readout of its temperature. These will give you an indication and warning of any tire that is unusually hot by comparing the temperatures of all tires. People use them when pulling off the road at a rest stop, refueling or getting a bite to eat.
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Old 04-24-2014, 02:28 AM   #5
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I basically check while parked in my shop, the day before I leave the house. Not before every trip, but at least every other trip....

I pay particularly close attention the first few trips of the year.... And if the temps are 95-100-105+ (which has been a lot the last 2 or 3 summers).
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Old 04-24-2014, 10:03 AM   #6
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I check tire pressure and wheel lug torque before every trip and every morning during the trip I recheck the tire pressure. At every "rest stop" I use a digital thermometer to check the tire temp, the wheel bearing temp and the brake drum temp. It takes about 2 minutes to do all 8 wheels (truck and trailer) and I leave the truck idling while checking them so it will cool down a bit. After that, I do my "rest stop" and walk around the trailer checking windows, awning, bumper, hitch, etc before climbing back in the seat. When we leave the rest area, I feel comfortable that everything is OK as we head to the destination.

My reason for checking tire pressure every morning DURING the trip is because I never know if I've rolled over a nail, screw or cut a tire and may be losing pressure from tire damage. It only takes a couple of minutes and I've never found a tire low from "normal leaking" but I've found several "low pressure tires" over the years from damage or puncture.

Here's the digital thermometer I use. I keep it in the driver's door storage pocket along with my tire pressure guage. It's almost always on sale for about $20 and with a 25% off coupon, the final cost is around $15. It's really cheap insurance IMHO:

http://www.harborfreight.com/infrare...ter-93984.html
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Old 04-24-2014, 12:52 PM   #7
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I was checking my tire pressure before every trip. Last Sept. I picked up a new 5th wheel. When I got home one tire was down 24 lbs. I think I picked up a screw at the dealership. I took it to a local tire shop & had it repaired.
Now I have a Tire Minder TPMS. I unscrewed one of the sensors to test it & I got a warning within a few seconds. I have heard horror stories of blown tires that cause thousands of dollars of damage.
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Old 04-24-2014, 01:43 PM   #8
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Most people reading the various internet forums about RV trailer tires know just how important it is to maintain the proper air pressure in you trailer's tires, all the time.

So, what is the proper tire pressure? For Original Equipment (OE) tires you can find the proper tire pressures on the trailer's certification label, tire placard or in the trailer's owner's manual.

The first check of tire pressure should be made right after or just before you buy the trailer and put it on the road. After that it would be wise to check your tire pressure before it's moved each day on a camping trip. Remember to always check the air pressures when the tires are cold - after setting for at least three hours.

If or when your trailer is parked somewhere for periods longer than 30 days you should check the tire pressures at least every 30 days and air to the correct pressures if needed.

Don't fool around with the tire pressures for your trailer. It will just get you behind the 8 ball.

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Old 04-24-2014, 05:31 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CWtheMan View Post
Most people reading the various internet forums about RV trailer tires know just how important it is to maintain the proper air pressure in you trailer's tires, all the time.

So, what is the proper tire pressure? For Original Equipment (OE) tires you can find the proper tire pressures on the trailer's certification label, tire placard or in the trailer's owner's manual.

The first check of tire pressure should be made right after or just before you buy the trailer and put it on the road. After that it would be wise to check your tire pressure before it's moved each day on a camping trip. Remember to always check the air pressures when the tires are cold - after setting for at least three hours.

If or when your trailer is parked somewhere for periods longer than 30 days you should check the tire pressures at least every 30 days and air to the correct pressures if needed.

Don't fool around with the tire pressures for your trailer. It will just get you behind the 8 ball.

CW
So I always check tires before it's on the road but if I buy a infrared temperture laser gun. What's the dangerous temperture we are looking at before a possible tire failure? Is there answer here, or just another toy I need to buy.
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Old 04-24-2014, 05:39 PM   #10
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OP what brand of tires were they?
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Old 04-24-2014, 07:34 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by randy69 View Post
So I always check tires before it's on the road but if I buy a infrared temperture laser gun. What's the dangerous temperture we are looking at before a possible tire failure? Is there answer here, or just another toy I need to buy.
Randy,

I've never seen any specific documentation to identify what temperature to be concerned with. I'm sure it depends as much on length of time at a specific temp as it does the actual temp and the calculations would get to be difficult to achieve when at a rest area.

What I do is look for any significant difference from tire to tire, hub to hub and brake drum to brake drum. I've always seen "some difference" especially between the "sunny side" tires and the "shady side" tires. Usually that's about 10 or 15 F. Most often, the tires on the same side are within 5 F of each other. The drums and hubs are hotter, but also within a few degrees of each other. I think the "key to monitor" is that if one tire or one wheel are significantly hotter than the rest (say 50 degrees or more) then it's time to find out why. So long as all of them are "close", go "rest yourself" and get back on the road.
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Old 04-24-2014, 08:14 PM   #12
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Randy,

I've never seen any specific documentation to identify what temperature to be concerned with. I'm sure it depends as much on length of time at a specific temp as it does the actual temp and the calculations would get to be difficult to achieve when at a rest area.

What I do is look for any significant difference from tire to tire, hub to hub and brake drum to brake drum. I've always seen "some difference" especially between the "sunny side" tires and the "shady side" tires. Usually that's about 10 or 15 F. Most often, the tires on the same side are within 5 F of each other. The drums and hubs are hotter, but also within a few degrees of each other. I think the "key to monitor" is that if one tire or one wheel are significantly hotter than the rest (say 50 degrees or more) then it's time to find out why. So long as all of them are "close", go "rest yourself" and get back on the road.
Now that does make since. Thanks , I guess I need to buy another toy to play with.
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