Wheel-Mounted Tire Pressure Gauge

Wheel-Mounted Tire Pressure Gauge TIRES/WHEELS Handling 34-1-40 You can check the pressure in your tires any time you want if you install this new permanently mounted gauge right on the wheel. The Tire Minder pressure gauge system is designed for big farm equipment such as tractors, air seeder carts, grain carts, floatation vehicles and self-propelled sprayers. It mounts permanently on the wheel and displays visual tire inflation pressure to anyone walking by. There are models for single, dual or triple tires. The gauge block, which includes a pressure gauge and valve for each tire, bolts onto the wheel rim over the tire's original valve stem. A stainless steel hose connects the gauge block to the valve stem(s) on each tire. A patent pending valve prevents low pressure gauge damage from the incoming high pressure of an air compressor. "It makes keeping the proper air pressure a far easier job. It also reduces tire servicing time by up to 90 percent because you can inflate from a single point," says Jon Casner, Inflation Solutions, New Carlisle, Ohio. "It really shines with dual or triple wheels because you're able to check multiple tires from one location." Because you can see the pressure on any tire any time you're walking by, you're far more likely to check the pressure regularly, says Casner. "You can add or remove air on any tire and see the results instantly. And you can watch the rate of deflation on tires with slow leaks, instead of guessing when to add air by how the tire looks." The system also makes it easier to avoid under or overinflating the tires, which maximizes the tire's life, he says. "Keeping the proper pressure decreases rolling resistance and results in decreased fuel consumption. A properly inflated tire will wear more evenly, have better flotation for less soil compaction, ride better, and develop the greatest drawbar pull/equipment weight." He says overinflating a tractor's drive tires by 6 psi can cost $400 in wasted fuel across 1,000 acres of hard tillage, based on $2.50 per gal. diesel fuel. "That's because the tire has a smaller contact area with the ground, which results in more tire slip and higher fuel consumption," says Casner. Underinflation is also a problem, says Casner. "Underinflation results in too much flexing of the tire, which will result in higher fuel consumption and tire casing damage that may take several years to show up." Mounting brackets are available for many different applications, including large bore stems on flotation tires. "If you're working in mud we've taken many steps to protect the Tire Minder, says Casner. "The brackets are bolted down front and back so they can't be torn off, and in the case of dual or triple wheels the hoses are routed close to the axle for increased mud clearance." He says Tire Minders aren't designed for wheels using liquid ballast. The Single Tire Minder sells for $90 plus S&H. The Dual Tire Minder sells for $150 plus S&H.

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