Cat's Eye tire inflation monitor

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Brickman, Feb 15, 2008.

  1. Burky

    Burky Road Train Member

    We run Cat's Eyes on about 600 tractors and on most of the 1500 or so trailers we have. We tried the Crossfire units, didn't like them as much and have settled on Cat's Eyes. They have some potential flaws you have to be aware of. Make sure that you make a habit of checking the connections from the Cat's Eye to the valvestem. I have had them work loose and deflate the tire for me. Only one deflates, since the system does keep the tires separated.

    On tractors with Alum wheels, we take nylon straps and strap the hoses in place to the hubs, which prevents them from chafing and rubbing on anything and prevents the hose from uglying up the aluminum wheels.

    They do simplify daily checks, but you still should gauge things once a week or so.
     
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  3. bunky

    bunky Bobtail Member

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    Jan 9, 2011
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    Hey ESKIMO 6804....I have a friend that has that self inflating system on his company truck and loves it!! My BIG question is how much does the system cost?? I bet a whole lot more than the Cats Eye system does!!!????
     
  4. Flying Finn

    Flying Finn Heavy Load Member

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    Jun 22, 2010
    Ontario, Canada
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    I ran the crossfires on my last Pete. They are internally valved to keep one tire from drawing the other flat upon a blow out. I loved them. Could check pressure at a glance. Easy to test pressures to verify the visual gauge was working. I will definitely set my new truck and trailer up with them. :biggrin_25519:
     
  5. bzinger

    bzinger Road Train Member

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    omaha , ne
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    Anyone here have any recent experience with cats eyes ?
    I'm having them installed on my drives today .
     
  6. mugurpe

    mugurpe Medium Load Member

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    Arlington, MA
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    I won't run a truck without them. worth the price just making it easier to inflate the inside duals without crawling around in snowy icy mud puddles. Being able to quickly see you're good is excellent too. How much does balancing the pressure between the two tires matter? I have no idea but they're worth it for the other two elements alone so if that helps, it's a bonus.

    only drawback is lazy tireguys re-install them in the stupidest ways possible sometimes and you have to re-do it. I'd suggest buying some extra lug nuts for installation. get your wheels set like you would otherwise, mount the cateyes on the brackets provided, then use an additional lug nut to secure the bracket onto the lug. So you've got 2 lug nuts on one lug, one holding the wheel on, the other holding on the cat-eye. makes it a bit easier to manage. get some extra of the spiral cable protector to put on your hoses too.
     
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  7. PE_T

    PE_T Road Train Member

    I have thought about buying them, but honestly the way I inspect my tires, renders these devices unnecessary. The technology I would be interested in, but is very costly, are bluetooth PSI sensors. Prime trucks typically have them on their trucks (only). This technology will alert you when one of your tires is going low. This can help you salvage a tire, especially if you have super singles. Interestingly, I have driven a flat tire on a dual single for over 200 miles, and it was still salvageable. I was also loaded heavy.

    My tire inspection routine is visually inspecting each tire with a flash light at least two times a day. I look for metal objects stuck in the tire, tires showing signs of low PSI when comparing them to the side tire, and for deflated tires that will show a gap between the tire and the wheel rim. Every 2 months or so, I tighten my valve caps as they loosen up a bit from driving vibrations.

    I manually check the PSI every 3 weeks. Most of the minor leaks are coming from bad valve cores or valve stems. Valve cores can be easily replaced by the driver. I have noticed that a tire with 70 PSI cannot be detected visually. It would have to be under 50 before I can see there is something wrong. Also, if you frequently haul fleet trailers, they tend to be plagued with metal objects in the tires. Luckily, most do not penetrate the tires.
     
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  8. bzinger

    bzinger Road Train Member

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    omaha , ne
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    I mostly bought them for better tire wear and even pressures , I run high quality rubber and keep my eye on them ...seldom have issues .
     
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  9. adayrider

    adayrider Road Train Member

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    May 7, 2018
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    Be careful with a tire that has ran flat for an amount of time. When run flat the steel cords bend over and over in the sidewall and become weak. They call it zipper, and when you air it up after fixing it the sidewall will open up on you. It could kill you.
     
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