Tire Inflation Process

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Albert64

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May 10, 2017
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We just recently purchased our 2005 Dutchmen Class C RV and will be heading out on our first shakedown trip tomorrow. To prepare for our first trip I've been reviewing the owners manual in great detail and the tire inflation process they recommend is something I've never heard of before and so now I'm wondering how everyone else maintains their proper tire inflation. The owners manual says "tire pressure must be performed by personnel trained, supervised and equiped according to OSHA regulations. For example, during any procedure involving tire inflation, the technician must utilize a remote inflation device, and insure that all persons are clear of the trajectory area." If that's the case, I don't see how anyone could check and adjust their tire inflation. Is anyone actually doing this, or are most of you checking and adjusting your tire pressure yourselves?
 
That's the manufacturer's lawyer talk. They have to cover their butt in case someone is stupid enough to hook up an air hose and blow their tire up in their face because they didn't have enough common sense to check the pressure occasionally while they were inflating.
 
Thanks! That's kind of what I was thinking but we've never owned an RV before so I wasn't sure if inflating tires was somehow different for RV's.
 
Agree that it sounds like lawyer talk. OTOH our SIL worked for a trucking company, and OSHA requires they use a 'safety cage' around any tires being inflated. The company failed to provide cages, and one truck tire exploded while he was inflating it. He was blown across the shop, and didn't work for a very long time. Folks I've talked with at other shops haven't (yet) experienced tires exploding like that.
 
It is different than inflating a normal tire on a car. On a car you look at the yellow tag on the door jab and inflate to that pressure. For an RV you get the rig weighted when fully loaded and then consult the manufacturer's tire inflation chart.
 
There is a big difference in adding a little air to correct inflation pressure and installing a new tire on a wheel.  The safety cages are for installing a new tire where you have to seat the bead n the tire. With a car tire it is usually no more than about 40 psi to get the bead of the tire to seat on the wheel.  With the larger truck tires it can be upwards of 125 psi to do the same job.
Safety cages first came about when the older split rim tires were common and the heavy metal rings would blow off and literally take people's heads off.  Newer tubeless tires on one piece wheels are much safer but because of the higher pressures being used it is better to err on the side of caution.
Also, most people do not have an air chuck that can be clipped on the valve. The ones you have to press and hold against the valve reduce the risk because you have to pay a little more attention to what you are doing.
 
You are just checking and "topping up" the tire pressure, so the risk of exploding a tire is minimal. Just don't exceed the max load pressure embossed on the sidewall by more than about 15 psi and the process is not any riskier than crossing a street. You can't do it blindfolded, but reasonable caution is sufficient.

Always check and inflate tires when they are "cold", meaning not driven upon for several hours. Set the pressure per the tire placard provided by the vehicle manufacturer, which is usually in the wall next to the driver seat or on the driver door post.
 
I'll concur with the above but caution you to inspect periodically, especially if a tire has been run flat or nearly so. I recently had an inside dual go flat overnight.  Fortunately,  I wss parked at a Pilot that had a tire company on site. The technician pulled the tire and put it in a cage so he could inspect it. Apparently, it had been run flat because it blew at around 60 PSI. No  injuries, but I appreciated that cage.

Interestingly, they had two different brands of tire in stock in my size. Turns out that lowboy trailers use that size; who knew?

Ernie
 
Good advice, Ernie, and I should have mentioned that myself. If there is any sign of tire damage, or if it has been run very low or flat. use extreme caution when re-inflating.  But that's a rather different scenario than using a tire gauge to check pressure and adding 5 psi occasionally.
 
This my seem like a dumb question, but how do you check the pressure of the rear inner tire?  First time with dual wheelsand I'm a little confused.
 
There should be an extension attached to the inner wheel valve stem that extends slightly beyond the outer wheel through one of the holes in the wheel. It allows you to check and add air to the inner wheel. Another possibility is that the wheels have large enough holes in them to allow you reach through the outer wheel and remove the valve cap and check and add air to the inner tire. You may have to remove decorative wheel covers on the outer wheels to gain access to these hand holes. You may also need to use a longer "truck" style air gauge and "truck" style air line chuck to reach the inner valve stem. If not already attached to your inner wheels, you can add or have added metal or flexible valve stem extensions to allow the air to be checked/added from the outside of the outer wheel. Search online for "dual wheel valve stem extensions" or some such wording for more info.
 

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