Tire Pressure Monitoring

Steve, when you start your research into a Tire Monitoring system take into account that some models have the sensor that merely screws onto the valve stem.
However these type require a METAL valve stem so dismounting the tire is required to install the new stem, it is not likely that your tires have a metal stem. Note, that to extend the life of the sender one removes the sender upon storing the TT, this is fast and easy and makes ROTATION of the tires very easy.
Another type has the sender mounted INSIDE the tire also necessitating dismounting of the tire. Note, I do not know how these are treated when one ROTATES the tires.

stevemorris wrote:
so how many of use the manual shifting of automatics? downhill and uphill?

I always do, going both uphill and downhill

a long or short steep upgrade is usually in 2nd which prevents the truck going into 3rd and loosing speed, I keep engines revs to 3500 max

Common place for me when towing. It is a good practice also on ascents to "hold" a gear manually to keep the torque converter(TC) from slipping. Many times when an auto tranny appears to drop a gear, the TC is actually only unlocking in the gear it is in causing it to slip like a clutch in a manual shift tranny. It is also a good practice on descents to take advantage of engine braking while giving the brakes a break.

so how many of use the manual shifting of automatics? downhill and uphill?

I always do, going both uphill and downhill

a long or short steep upgrade is usually in 2nd which prevents the truck going into 3rd and loosing speed, I keep engines revs to 3500 max

Follow up to my comments on brakes in the mountains in BC from Cache Creek to Whistler. Someone recommended using gears! But of course my good man it is the first thing you do on a long downgrade. I was going uphill sometimes in first gear as that was all my 04 Tundra could do on the awesome steep grades. Coming down was mostly second and a lot of first gear plus brakes. Rockies are a piece of cake compared to the road I was on. 2-lane winding and STEEP!!
Take a look at this road on Google Earth.

I'm sure any one who tows knows engine braking. My new Tundra has a much more efficient means of gearing down yet not as good as our Subaru Outback which has paddles right on the steering wheel. We live in the mountains in Northern NH and do a lot of down travel using engine braking. I get a kick out of the tourists and the brake lights being on while I just coast down in a lower gear.

The Tundra and Subaru both have factory TPM systems on them so I now only have the trailer on our aftermarket TPM.

Saco River Rambler wrote:
I am very happy with our TP monitor system. Ours give a signal on overpressure also which could mean a bad wheel bearing or dragging brake. Also consider a non contact thermometer for about 15 bucks.
This is to point at hubs and detect a possible bearing trouble. Also point the beam at brakes through holes in rims to take temp on brakes. Coming from Cache Creek BC over the mountains to Whistler I had front disks smoking and not enough gain on TT brakes.
Front disk temp off the scale-rear drums about 315 degrees and TT brakes were about 210 degrees. Sat a while cranked up TT brakes and came on down a little safer. It does not get used often but that non contact thermometer is a great toolbox item.

Might think about using your truck gears on the way down. On all of my travels through the Rockies, I only occasionally have to step on the brakes to slow down coming down a grade. And when I do that, I hit them long and hard enough to slow down 10-15MPH. Rinse and repeat.....

I am using the TST TPMS

some great ideas, general consensus seems to be an aftermarket system rather than depend on the dodge system

we travel every year to the east coast of Canada, short but very steep hills and pretty rough roads, speeds are generally less then 60kmh on them, we did over 7000 km last trip

trailer tire pressure is kept at 50 psi, trailer weight is around 3500

im sure that the two ruined tires went flat without my knowledge possibly from blownout tirevalves after hitting a pothole(one tireshop's suggestion), the tires were in good shape before, of course they were shredded after driving flat for a while

I actually do a complete "circle check" at every fuel stop including tire pressures so the tire failures must have been impact related, brakes and bearings are fine

so a tpms is going on before next years trip. I will also be installing better quality valves, the dodge Dakota has really top quality all metal valves, the trailer has the typical rubber tireshop freebies

I am very happy with our TP monitor system. Ours give a signal on overpressure also which could mean a bad wheel bearing or dragging brake. Also consider a non contact thermometer for about 15 bucks.
This is to point at hubs and detect a possible bearing trouble. Also point the beam at brakes through holes in rims to take temp on brakes. Coming from Cache Creek BC over the mountains to Whistler I had front disks smoking and not enough gain on TT brakes.
Front disk temp off the scale-rear drums about 315 degrees and TT brakes were about 210 degrees. Sat a while cranked up TT brakes and came on down a little safer. It does not get used often but that non contact thermometer is a great toolbox item. PS - - Tranny was in 2nd and 1st gear as well as brakes on steep downgrades.

Lawrence RV Accessories sells a TPMS that monitors pressure as well as temperature and can monitor from 4 up to 18 wheels. Check it out FWIW!

I have a tire monotiring system but I rely on truck tires that just seem to hold up a lot better on the trailer.. Tire monitors are nice but they won't stop tire failure, just MAYBE let you know there is a tire going flat. Catastrophic failures don't give much warning.

stevemorris wrote:
we had two ruined tires on our 7000 km trip this summer on the rough roads of the Canadian east coast

so we're looking for a tire pressure system

ideally it would use the tire monitoring system of our dodge Dakota which uses special inflation valves to send a signal of some kind to the dash of the truck when a tire is low(it works great)

so im wondering if those same valves on the trailer would do the same thing

Get a quality aftermarket TPMS and you will never regret it. I would not be without mine. Saved me a couple of troubles during a 6 week trip to Utah and Arizona last year. Cost for my system was around $250 worth it to me.