Easy Way To Track Mileage On Trailer Implements

Easy Way To Track Mileage On Trailer Implements WAGONS/TRAILERS Miscellaneous 31-5-34 Slap a Hub-O-Meter on your trailer, implement or other vehicle, and you can stop wondering how many miles it's been towed or driven. The battery-powered, digital counter notes every revolution the tire makes and calculates miles or kilometers traveled. While the Hub-O-Meter was originally intended for RV's, it will work on any wheel that makes fewer than 999 revolutions per mile. Getting that information is easy. "You can contact your tire salesman, tire manufacturer or go on the internet and find out how many revolutions a tire will make in a mile," says Mac Hamlin, owner with his wife Elaine of RV Solutions, distributor for the Hub-O-Meter. The unit has to be calibrated for your specific tire, as even the same sizes from different manufacturers and even different models from the same manufacturer may be slightly different. Hamlin has calibrations for a wide range of RV tire makes and models. New calibrations are a matter of plugging tread depth and tire diameter into a computer. RV Solutions has wheel hub caps to fit a variety of wheels. If installing in an existing cap, care must be taken to center the unit as close as possible. Once you have it in place, you can begin tracking actual miles, which is why the Hamlins got involved in Hub-O-Meters in the first place. "We were looking for a way of tracking miles on our RV," recalls Hamlin. "We had had issues with our prior travel trailer and miles operated. If you use the odometer reading, that doesn't work because you pull in, unhook and go for a drive." Hamlin knew there were hub odometers made for use on semi trailers, but nothing was sold for RV's. Nobody they talked to was interested in the market until they contacted Stemco. "They had never thought about marketing to RV's or smaller vehicles," says Hamlin. "We assured them there was a demand, and they decided to give us a chance to market it." Hamlin says he began getting interest from other RV owners when he first mounted one on his fifth wheel trailer. "We have people come up to us when we're traveling and tell us they have been looking for something like this for years," says Hamlin. It isn't just RV owners who show interest in the device. A school district that pays drivers by the mile has ordered them for their fleet. They feel the Hub-O-Meter is more accurate than odometers. Rental fleet owners are also asking about them to help track service schedules. A unit can only be programmed once. The Hub-O-Meter is sealed, and when the battery runs down the entire unit must be replaced. Hamlin estimates a 6 to 8 year life. The unit goes into a dormant stage when the wheel has not rotated for a period of time. The lighted window shuts down at night and when the tires are rolling, also saving energy. "We've had inquiries from farmers who want to install them on implements. It's just a matter of working out the calibrations for all the different tires," says Hamlin. The Hub-O-Meter sells for $89.99. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mac and Elaine Hamlin, 4133 LCR 750, Thornton, Texas 76687 (ph 254 729-5876; cell 254 747-1308; info@rvsolutions.us; www.rvsolutions.us).

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