1997 American Dream 2013 11 09 Tire Pressure Monitoring System

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In a smaller vehicle you can feel if there is starting to be a problem with a tire, even if it is a trailer tire. In a vehicle this size a problem developing in a trailer tire 50 feet in back of you would not be felt. After my first trip it became evident that a tire monitoring system was needed.

There are many out there and there are pros and cons to all of them. This system is not the best monitoring system, but you can program each tire individually, there are MANY tire positions, and the tires are laid out in the on dash monitor in the orientation they are on the vehicle which makes it easy to identify which tire is having a problem.

I am writing this long after the project was completed (I’m trying to go back and fill in gaps in the progress of the attempt to bring this Motor Home back from the brink). Because of that I have the advantage of some hindsight and will try to use that as I fill in the gaps of coverage.

This is the monitor that mounts on the dash. Since these pictures were taken I have added two spares for the trailer and I have monitors on those tires as well, so I am currently monitoring 12 tires.

The monitor for this system that goes on the tire is quite small, allows for battery changes without having to buy or send the monitor back to the vendor. The monitor is screwed on the end of the valve stem and is easy to remove to replace batteries

I have found it important to do yearly spring maintenance to this system, below is a good reason why. If you are not careful and use the caps to screw the monitors onto the tires after a period of time they crack and allow the elements to get in. this causes corrosion and the failure of the monitor.

I have also found it prudent to replace the batteries once a year. If you order them online they are cheap insurance

My rig is 39 feet long and I pull two different trailers with it. The dragster trailer is 28 feet long with a 6 foot tongue. This puts the distance between the monitor on the dash and the rear tire on the trailer about 59 feet apart. In addition, there are the metal walls of the trailer, the solid mass of the rear mounted engine in the Motor Home between the tire monitor and the display unit on the dash.

I elected to add a repeater at the rear of the Motor Home to strength the signal for the tire monitors on the trailer.

It wired right into the connection panel I installed earlier on for the trailer lighting and brake harness