18 wheels on that semi or 10 ?????????????????????????????????

I blew a Super with only 10,000 miles on it. Michilen replaced it free since it was determined the tire was defective. I blew another on a trailer i picked up. It was low on PSI. I filled it, but clearly it was still leaking. It blew on the way to the nearest truck stop that was about 200 miles away. Surprisingly i didn't feel it at all and didn't even know untill i stopped. (all back roads with no where to pull over and check it) Rim wasnt even damaged and the tire was gone.

So, one blowout was manufacturer defect, the other was low psi. Keep um inflated and they are pretty reliable (assuming you get past 10k miles)

 

Or have inflation system on the trailer. can gain some mpg and makes tire last longer.

 

Yea, just make sure you pay attention to the light that indicates inflation. I got a hole in one once, but the inflation system kept it filled so i didn;t know (had no idea where the inflation indicator light was on the trailer). Picked up my load and went to drive off when i noticed a tire was flat and off the rim. Not running the truck for an hour allowed the auto inflate to empty my tanks and let the tire go flat. If i watched the indicator light i would have known about the problem and kept the truck running untill i got to a truck stop to fix it. Auto inflate is great, but if your not smarter then the equipment your working with it can mask the problems of a bad tire.

 

What was it, meritor or hendrickson.

 

I don't know, automatic tire inflators and pressure monitoring systems, come on. Now I'm for technology to a point, I don't know what I'd do without this wonderful contraption I'm tapping on right now, but tires are your lifeline, and back in the day, you got your lazy butt out of the chair, and actually LOOKED at your tires and kicked or hit them with a hammer. I could tell right away if I had a low tire, just by the sound, and I was one of the first ones to have a glad hand on a 50 ft hose, and aired them up right then and there. Sorry, just an old-timer venting,( Grandpa Simpson) I'll sit down now.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4029257]I don't know, automatic tire inflators and pressure monitoring systems, come on. Now I'm for technology to a point, I don't know what I'd do without this wonderful contraption I'm tapping on right now, but tires are your lifeline, and back in the day, you got your lazy butt out of the chair, and actually LOOKED at your tires and kicked or hit them with a hammer. I could tell right away if I had a low tire, just by the sound, and I was one of the first ones to have a glad hand on a 50 ft hose, and aired them up right then and there. Sorry, just an old-timer venting,( Grandpa Simpson) I'll sit down now.[/QUOTE]

kicking them wont show you a slow leak. Slow leaks dont always make noise either. Best option is auto inflation paired with a pressure monitoring system. Lets face it...even the best drivers cant check pressure while rolling, and you can run over a nail while moving. Auto inflate can keep a small punture at bay untill you make it to a truckstop. You just need to know its in use so you dont shut the truck off before you get to one.

 

no idea, but it had a small led light that shows it was filling

 

I still do that. By the sound of the thunk I know if the tire is down just a couple of pounds or a lot .. Gauging by sound still works and always will. It takes more than one hit with a hammer or tire billy to get it. I prefer hammer. It is something that takes a person a while to learn to HEAR the difference. I hear a difference that needs attention I get the gauge out.

 

Thanks Gordon, I guess I can't blame youngun's for loving their "technology", they really don't know any different,but I was curious as to how that auto inflation worked, and ,to me, it looked pretty complicated, with valves, and "processing units" and that seal through the axle housing.Just like most of that junk today, it's great when new, but I just think of 5 years in the "salt bath" of the mid-west, and trying to get it repaired, as I'm sure those parts ain't cheap. Like these "electronic " motors and fuel pumps, give me a metal rod from your foot feed to the pump any day, and remember the screw on old Cummins fuel pumps, to override the electric shut off, turn the screw, get a pull start, and off you go!

 

By the time you thump it then gauge it you could of just gauged it and seen the accurate number the first time.