Best tool to thump a tire

i like to use my right boot

 

24 oz framing hammer with a straight hickory handle...excellent multi-function tool right there. Put it right up there with a roll of duct tape and a can of WD40 on the list of things not to go trucking without.

 

Use the ball portion of a heavy ballpeen hammer you get a very distinctive sound .. I gauge my tires weekly but thump 4 or 5 times a day.. Knock on wood I catch leaks early

 

If you going to thump, you should compare the thump of the inner to the outer. It's much easier to detect a difference that way vs thumping a single tire.

 

I have crossfires (cat eyes) and I still thump with a carpenters hammer. I Iike the claw for grabbing at gravel stuck in the treads. Also handy when dealing with issues on the trailer like opening doors and nails in the floorboards.

 

Oh and like someone else mentioned. I keep my other hand on the tire when I thump to get better feedback.

 

Truckon just didn't want to admit that he used his HEAD to thump his tires.
(I haven't had a chance to abuse truckon in AGES!)

Way back when I was brand new at trucking, I thought I had the "thumping" down pat. Until I had thumped all my tires and about a mile or so later I hear. . .

One good use for the tire thumpers though, is using them for "LUMPER THUMPERS!"

 

A tire gauge the only way

 

I press my thumb in the sidewall, I use a guage if it feels low, or the trip is over 1,000 miles.

 

Wench handle mostly, sometimes ball peen. I get the tire gauge out once a week during my 34hr nap!