Hitting tires with hammer? Wtf

Gauging a tire should be done periodically but thumping tires is much faster and efficient for quick walk-around PTIs in between. However, I’m not going to condone the action some use of using a “hand slap”. That will only detect a tire with practically no air in it. But a trained feel and ear and a proper hammer is pretty effective at quickly finding low tires

 

Well it takes time to pull each cap off, check the tire and put it back on, you may run into 20 minutes worth of time wasted.

 

I do the hand slap. More of a strike with the base of the palm. I can also tell just pushing my thumb into the sidewall. I worked at Goodyear for years before I got my CDL and can predict it very reliably.

Edit: also I like to feel the temp of the tire. If its warmer than the others it's an issue.

 

Looks like OP got plenty of answers to his WTF.


The hammer comes in really handy when you're empty. It beats losing air on a daily basis. And it's a heck of a lot faster. Get a heavy enough hammer and you'll feel the difference between 100 and 80. Those light hammers don't really do the job.



If you're loaded. A bulging tire will tell you it's getting low on air. It'll also get you stopped at a scale for an inspection.

 

Whereas yesterday my trainee was thumping his trailer tires while I topped off the tanks I heard an 80 psi thump and came to investigate.

 

I have seen guys that just walk around and push on the side of each tire with their hand.

I like the 4 lb. mini sledge myself. That little thing comes in so handy, i use it for all kinds of stuff.

 

Also when it gets down real cold, thumping a tire starts to seem like thumping the trunk of a 50 year old oak tree. Requires a bit more attention and precise application of the strike.

 

I like the “self inflation systems” on trailers. As long as all sound good and the same, I don’t worry very often about wanting precise gauge them. The shop confirms these systems and the light, and they seem pretty reliable in my experience. And the light will indicate a major or minor leak.

 

Really I don’t care how another guy checks his tires, as long as he checks them SOMEHOW. It’s the guys who just do the old “hook and book” that really get under my skin.

 

But working at a place where drop and hooks happen frequently, this changes the dynamics, and gauging at first hookup might always be practical, then thumping daily or every walk around.