RE: [A/S] Tire Monitoring Systems

["Perry Joe Scudder" <perryjoe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I need to get new tires this year for my trailer.  While 
> getting the new tires installed, I'm also considering 
> getting a tire monitoring system such as SmarTire (or 
> other).  Anyone care to comment on these systems?  Do they 
> work and are they worth it?  How long do they last (i.e. 
> batteries)?  Is the range good enough to get from the 
> wheels of my 32' trailer to my truck?  Can a regular tire 
> place install them or do I need to get my tires from 
> someplace that also installs the system (where?)?

Hi Dave,
I have had the SmarTTire System on my 34' Limited sense 2001. I have pulled
the trailer 50,000+ miles sense that time. I have had two flats during that
time, and lots of low tires from just air loss over time. The system has
worked perfectly in every occasion it should have. I have two friends that
have them on their 34' trailers. I happened to end up on a caravan with them
both last spring, and they both had one flat each during the caravan. The
system caught both low tires before there was any damage to the tires or the
trailers. The same is true in my two low tires that had road hazard damage
causing the tires to go down.
The system works great, but the post about "having to watch people that
works on your tires to keep them from damaging the senders mounted inside
the tires" is a good watch out. The batteries in the senders are designed to
last about 7 years, then the entire sending unit must be replaced. I got
mine replaced for free at just short of 3 years, because I sent an e-mail to
the company about getting new batteries for my units. They said I should not
need new batteries, but sent me all new sending units for free. My old ones
were working, but I felt it was taking them longer that originally to have
all the tires check in with the readout on the dash of the truck. I was
having new tires put on, so I just went ahead and put on the new sending
units. Turned out the slow response was being caused by the location of the
receiver in the new truck I had just purchased, so the new sending units
were no better than the old ones. I had to relocate the receiver to another
location, which fixed the response problem.

A side benefit is the temperature monitoring function will help you keep
track of bad bearings and brakes on each wheel. Bad bearings will cause a
wheel to be abnormally hot relative to the other wheels, and a bad break is
just the opposite - it will stay colder that the wheels with working breaks
after sever stops like city driving. I have verified non working breaks on
my trailer on two occasions with the system, when my break controller said I
had a low current draw for the 6 wheel total I should have. I waited until I
had made several stops in a row, then checked the temperature of each wheel
using the SmarTTire system, and it was very clear which wheel had not heated
up at all - the magnet had died on that break.


I had my unit installed by my local tire company. I gave them the
information I had gotten off the internet, and they called and got their
self setup as a dealer. I also know that any place that handles "Blue Ox"
towing stuff is a dealer for the SmarTTire System, as well as some Sears
stores were when I purchased my system.

Joe Scudder
WBCCI 8624