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Old 12-24-2015, 11:21 PM   #21
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I don't think this is what Donna meant when she said "automatic." I believe she was referring to the elusive air compressor that didn't require human intervention. Such a beast does not exist.....yet!
Exactly. I hate those dang Schrader valves. Even if the tires are at a perfect pressure, by time I get finished messing with them the tires are half-flat.
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Old 12-24-2015, 11:58 PM   #22
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There are central tire inflation systems (CTIS), which use either special hubs or awkward external plumbing with rotating fittings to connect to tires while they are mounted and turning as the vehicle drives. The usual purpose is to allow inflation to be reduced for specific off-road conditions and then raised again, all without stopping. I first heard of these on the HMMWV (which became the Hummer - later Hummer H1 - in civilian use), but other vehicles have had it. According to that Wikipedia page, it was even available on ordinary Chevy trucks - I didn't know that. CTIS can be set up to maintain tire pressure automatically, and would be reasonably easy (as custom machine shop jobs go) to retrofit to common trailer hubs... as long as they don't have Dexter EZ Lube or a similar feature.
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Old 12-25-2015, 05:29 AM   #23
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Brian, I would expect it would be a rather expensive option/system?
And it would probably have a potential for serious malfunction?
Thanks for the info. I didn't know that technology existed.

I personally don't so much mind checking tire pressure or adjusting the pressure as much as addressing a flat. Removing it, putting on the spare, getting the spare properly repaired (if possible without having to replace), and the swapping the spare again for the repaired/replaced tire, a real PITA. Someone has invented an "automatic" vacuum cleaner, I believe it is called the Roomba? I'm not holding my breath waiting for someone to invent a mobile compressor, the Tire-ba or Wheelba!
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Old 12-25-2015, 06:51 AM   #24
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Senior moment. I meant getting the flat tire properly repaired.
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Old 12-25-2015, 07:54 AM   #25
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Hi: C&G in FL... I can see a potential business opportunity here!!! Run flat ST trailer tires?
What I really needed for Christmas was a leak proof toilet at home... but it was too late to call Santa and I'd probably have to pay triple time and a half for a plumber!!!
Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good site. Alf
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Old 12-25-2015, 08:06 AM   #26
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Hi: C&G in FL... I can see a potential business opportunity here!!! Run flat ST trailer tires?
I'm in!
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Old 12-25-2015, 12:09 PM   #27
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Exactly. I hate those dang Schrader valves. Even if the tires are at a perfect pressure, by time I get finished messing with them the tires are half-flat.
Oooooh, you want these. They were on all the busses and big trucks in Argentina when we were there last summer.
(Yes, these are the kind of pictures I take on vacation.)
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Old 12-25-2015, 02:20 PM   #28
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Oooooh, you want these. They were on all the busses and big trucks in Argentina when we were there last summer.
(Yes, these are the kind of pictures I take on vacation.)
That's a typical externally plumbed CTIS.
Yeah, I take this sort of photo too
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Old 12-25-2015, 02:23 PM   #29
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... I can see a potential business opportunity here!!! Run flat ST trailer tires?
Good idea... if only trailer tire buyers were not known for buying the cheapest possible rubber doughnuts in existence.

On a practical note... if a new car is equipped with run-flat tires, it is required to have a tire pressure monitoring system.
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Old 12-25-2015, 02:32 PM   #30
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Brian, I would expect it would be a rather expensive option/system?
Yes, I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap, and I doubt many trailer owners would find it worthwhile. CTIS was not even normal equipment on U.S. HMMWVs, and Hummers were stupidly expensive, although there's nothing particularly exotic in it.

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And it would probably have a potential for serious malfunction?
More parts and more air connections do increase failure risk, of course. A check valve (so the system could only add air) would minimize unintentional deflation issues, if the only desire is to maintain pressure (rather than deflate and reinflate), making it no worse than the screw-on air pressure monitors discussed here or the extensions often used for the inner tire of dual sets.

... but I'm still not suggesting that many people would want a system like this. I doubt I would put it in a trailer even if I had lottery winnings to fund modifications; manually checking and adjusting air pressure is a good opportunity to check tire condition.

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Someone has invented an "automatic" vacuum cleaner, I believe it is called the Roomba? I'm not holding my breath waiting for someone to invent a mobile compressor, the Tire-ba or Wheelba!
Roombas actually work pretty well in some situations, but are not a complete solution. Probably a good summary of many automated systems.
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Old 12-25-2015, 03:34 PM   #31
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manually checking and adjusting air pressure is a good opportunity to check tire condition.
That is an extremely good point.
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Old 12-25-2015, 05:35 PM   #32
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Where the "inflate on the fly" systems become very useful is traveling back country or beaches where you run into soft sand. Lowering the inflation to the point where you have good traction is soft sand makes it easy to spin the tire off the rim & leads to stability problems at higher speeds once you are back on hard dirt or pavement. Rather than stopping to air up & down each tire from a portable compressor, all you do is push a button on the dash.

I've seen them on custom jeeps & trucks on Nantucket Island when driving on the beach back before they closed most of them...
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Old 01-03-2016, 02:23 PM   #33
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Thanks to Jim's OP, I remembered to take the voltmeter out to the storage yard and also check water levels.

I'm not seeing the point of taking batteries inside when they only lose .01V in a month? Water was good too.
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Old 01-03-2016, 02:29 PM   #34
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Bruce,
You need to come East, no snow and temperatures above freezing. Last week it was 70 degrees and people wearing shorts.
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Old 01-03-2016, 03:19 PM   #35
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Thanks to Jim's OP, I remembered to take the voltmeter out to the storage yard and also check water levels.

I'm not seeing the point of taking batteries inside when they only lose .01V in a month? Water was good too.
Our trailer has been in storage for 2 months now and one of these days I will have to go over there and see where the batteries are at. I toyed with the idea of taking them out but it looked like a pretty big hassle. Plus it wouldn't be a bad idea to take it out on the highway to keep the tires from developing a flat spot. Loren
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Old 01-03-2016, 07:08 PM   #36
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Loren, water was needed immediately in the two new batteries we have and two new others we bought last year. We have added probably a quart or even more total in a couple of times filling in five months.
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Old 01-03-2016, 07:41 PM   #37
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Loren, water was needed immediately in the two new batteries we have and two new others we bought last year. We have added probably a quart or even more total in a couple of times filling in five months.
That really surprises me. I topped ours off before they went into storage and I don't think that they took more than a couple of table spoons. But also every time I checked, they were at full charge. I don't think we ever did pull them down. Loren
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