Cargo equipment, trucks, tractors and trailers, as well as systems for maintaining tire inflation pressure, such as tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), automatic tire inflation systems (ATIS), and central tire inflation/deflation systems (CTIS) are also evolving ) And centrifugal pumps. Compared to the first twin-tire pressure equalizers that appeared on the market in the mid-1980s, they did go a long way, although you can still find equalizers on trucks and trailers from time to time.

The adoption of these systems is growing, especially because they have been integrated with telematics. In fact, more than 70% of new trailers are now equipped with ATIS in the factory, and more and more fleets choose to equip their power equipment and trailers with TPMS.

The increase in the use of inflation and monitoring systems will affect everyone who provides tire services for these vehicles, especially because their use is relatively new. Many fleets complain that their tire service providers do not know how to use these systems, and tire dealers complain that their customers have not told them that they have these systems on their equipment. The result is hindering the adoption of these technologies.

So maybe it’s time to look at each of these systems and determine what technicians need to check, replace, adjust, and maintain to keep them running and running, especially in so many commercial tire dealers. The more trailers and tire maintenance cases account for their fleet.

Let's start with the twin tire pressure equalizer. These are low-tech components designed to maintain the same pressure between the two tires of the dual component and indicate the tire's inflation pressure status. By maintaining the same pressure in a set of dual tires, irregular wear caused by improper load distribution can be reduced.

They do this by allowing the inflation pressure to be transferred from one tire to the other through hoses connected to a check valve mounted on the wheel hub and connected to the valve stem of each dual tire. The check valve opens to allow air to flow between the tires, but closes and shuts off the air in the event of a momentary leak, thereby preventing both tires from leaking. If a slow leak occurs, the valve will isolate the two tires after the pressure drops by approximately 10 psi.

Although equalizers do not provide the actual inflation pressure, they do provide a visual pass/fail indicator to suggest whether the tire is under-inflated, over-inflated, or the pressure is correct. The working pressure is set at the factory.

When repairing the tires of a vehicle equipped with a dual tire balancer, the technician must remove the hose from the tire valve stem and carefully remove the tire/wheel assembly from the axle end without damaging the hose. The hose should be checked for damage and reconnected to the tire valve stem. The tire pressure indicator should also be checked to ensure that it is intact, and the pressure should be checked to ensure that the equalizer is still operating accurately.

Since there is no way to adjust the working pressure, if the equalizer is not accurate, the customer should be informed of this situation and the equalizer should be replaced.

Current TPMS uses electronic sensors to monitor tire pressure and temperature. These sensors can be installed on the wheel, the inner lining or the bottom of the valve stem or the outer end of the valve stem in the tire/wheel assembly, such as a valve cap. They use radio frequency to transmit data to the receiver of the system.

There are three types of TPMS. The first is the basic TPMS, which sends an alert to the driver on the cab display. When the ignition device is turned on, the driver and technicians can see the current tire inflation pressure on the display, eliminating the need to manually check the tire pressure. The technician can use the display in the cab to set the target pressure while adjusting the tire pressure.

The second is a TPMS integrated with telematics, which can alert fleets hundreds of miles away of any tire problems encountered by the vehicle and the driver through the display in the cab. Data is transmitted from the vehicle to the cloud via the cellular network, where it is analyzed and stored.

Then email the report and alert to the appropriate parties. The fleet can check the current status of its vehicle tires via the Internet. Some systems can change the target pressure via the Internet, while other systems need to be changed on the vehicle.

Both the basic TPMS and the TPMS integrated with telematics have a receiver to collect tire data. They may also have antennas or repeaters, especially if they are also monitoring trailer tires. You should check whether these components are present and intact. The technician should always check the display in the cab to get the current tire pressure.

For vehicles that do not have an in-cab display but communicate TPMS information through a telematics provider, the technician should check with the fleet maintenance/dispatch staff to confirm that the tires are inflated correctly.

The third type of TPMS are doors, lanes, or handheld readers, which provide interval monitoring of tire pressure and temperature at static or low vehicle speeds. In-cab displays are usually not included in these systems because the data is acquired at the location of the fleet, transmitted to a data storage device or the cloud, and generates alerts for service personnel in that location.

Instead of checking the tire pressure and temperature status of the display in the cab, the technician uses a computer monitor in the fleet facility, where the tire status is displayed for the gate and lane readers. Inflation pressure on handheld readers is usually displayed on the reader itself. If the gate, driveway, or handheld reader does not work, please notify the team.

For all types of TPMS, if the display indicates that there is a tire problem, check the tire and inflate it when appropriate. If the pressure of the tire is less than 80% of its target pressure, the tire should be removed, disassembled and inspected. If the display shows that a sensor is missing, please notify the team. It may be that the sensor is missing or the sensor is no longer working.

Perhaps the trickiest part of using sensor-equipped tires is identifying the type of sensor being used. Obviously, when servicing the tire/wheel assembly, the external sensor is easy to identify, remove and reinstall. During installation, when the sensor is screwed onto the valve stem, there will be a brief air hissing sound.

Then the sensor should be tightened properly until no air hissing is detected. They should be tightened according to the manufacturer's specifications, but if you don't know what they are, you should tighten the external sensor by hand and rotate it an additional quarter turn.

It is hoped that vehicles equipped with internal TPMS sensors will have some markings indicating the presence of TPMS, such as stickers with the TPMS brand name on them, on the doors, or above the tires. If not, it is best to check with the fleet before servicing the tires to ensure that there is no TPMS on the vehicle. If so, find out the type of sensor used by the fleet.

For the sensor installed at the bottom of the valve stem, start removing the tire just over the valve stem and stop before the tire tool approaches the valve stem again. For sensors fixed in the wheel well, they should be installed at a 180° angle to the valve stem, so when you remove and install tires on these wheels, please remember this location and keep your tire tool away from this area.

Unless you know how to change the wheel position of the sensors, make sure to put them back in the same position they were when you removed them.

The Automatic Tire Inflation System (ATIS) and the Central Tire Inflation/Deflation System (CTIS) inflate the tires by drawing in air from the air brake system of the vehicle. These systems transfer compressed air from the air system of the vehicle to the control unit mounted on the frame. The air is then delivered to the wheel end swivel joint, which distributes the air to the tire valve stem. All tire inflation systems must be ventilated to prevent the hub from being pressurized in the event of component failure.

Air is directly supplied to each tire. One tire never supplies air to the other tire, so all tires maintain the correct pressure. These systems require a pressure protection valve to ensure that the rapid loss of tire pressure does not discharge the vehicle's air brake system. If the tire or the system itself is seriously leaking, the check valve in the air hose can prevent the remaining tires from leaking.

ATIS automatically supplies air to the tires, while CTIS performs this operation as needed. CTIS is commonly used for off-road powered vehicles, such as logging, construction, and military operations.

ATIS maintains the lowest tire pressure at a single preset level and is activated electronically or pneumatically. The electronic activation system uses an electronic control unit (ECU) to periodically measure tire pressure and inflate tires as needed.

The pneumatic system continuously applies a predetermined inflation pressure to the tire. When the system pumps air to the tires, a warning light on the front of the trailer will alert the driver.

Some ATIS will not only increase the pressure of an underinflated tire, but also reduce the pressure when the tire is overinflated by the heat of work. These systems are most common on trailers and do not require driver involvement.

However, CTIS does require the driver to participate in its operation. These systems can increase or decrease tire pressure during vehicle operation to adapt to different loads and road conditions. The driver can change the tire pressure as needed. The systems on these vehicles are electronically activated and must be powered by a battery for the ECU to operate.

The technician should check whether all hardware, hoses and accessories are in place, tightened, and whether the system is turned on and the air circulation is normal. With the air system pressurized and the air supply valve open, check for air leaks.

Find the source of any leaks and eliminate them. Then make sure that the control module is set to the cold inflation pressure required by the fleet, and the control can also operate normally.

It is important to verify that the warning lights are working properly. If it lights up, it means the tires are under-inflated or there may be a leak in the air supply system. Finally, check the tire pressure to ensure that the system is working properly.

Some fleets are using ATIS as well as TPMS and telematics on their trailers. If you come across a vehicle equipped with these systems, please follow the ATIS and TPMS inspection guidelines.

The latest tire inflator is a centrifugal force pump installed at the end of the shaft, which uses the rotation of the tire to generate air pressure. The target pressure is set at the factory, and the pump has an intelligent regulator to ensure that it only pumps air when the tire pressure is lower than the target pressure setting.

The pump is installed on the axle hub with dual tires. Two hoses are connected to the pump and the valve stems of the dual tires. It has nothing to do with the air system of the vehicle. By adding a tire pressure monitoring system to the vehicle, the tire inflation system can be integrated with the telematics system.

When servicing the tires of trucks, tractors, and trailers equipped with centrifugal pumps, remove the hose from the tire valve stem, not from the pump, because the pump hose has been installed with adhesive.

Check that all hoses and accessories are in place and tightened correctly. When reinstalling the hose, there will be a brief air hissing sound. When the hose is properly tightened, the hissing of air will stop. The hose should be tightened by a quarter turn by hand. The tire pressure is verified by the valve stem located on the pump.

I hope this article can help you deal with the various types of tire pressure maintenance and monitoring systems you encounter on customer vehicles. The best way to deal with them is to keep in close contact with your fleet account and obtain service specifications from their system supplier. This will keep your fleet happy and you know what you are doing.

Peggy can be reached by email at [email protected] Her previous column can be found on www.tirebusiness.com

Do you have any comments on this story? Do you have any thoughts you would like to share with our readers? The tire business would be happy to hear from you. Send your letter via email to editor Don Detore at [email protected].

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