| Author |
Message |
jerry@nc
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 02, 2006 - 9:03 pm: | |
has any used or using the Doran tire monitor likes dislikes waste of time and money.Jerry |
Jim Shepherd (Rv_safetyman)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 03, 2006 - 9:47 am: | |
Jerry, I included a discussion of all three types of tire pressure monitors in my safety-related alarm article in the March 2005 issue of MAK's magazine. I have that article posted under the "technical info" tab at:
http://www.rvsafetysystems.com
Of course I am prejudiced since I sell the Doran unit. I can put you in contact with a couple of bus folks that have used them and believe in them.
Jack Conrad had a blowout and the tire took out a lot of parts including the radiator!! He now has a Doran system.
I will stop here, but you can write me off line or call me and I will give you more information.
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
’85 Eagle 10/Series 60/Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission
Bus Project details: http://www.rvsafetysystems.com/busproject.htm (updated 2/9/06) |
mleibelt
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 03, 2006 - 11:12 am: | |
I have a Doran unit on my MCI and trailer also....I love the unit and when using my trailer with out the coach I move it to teh truck and monitor the trailer then...I have had a blow out on teh coach and it to did a bunch of damage and also cought a tire going low on the trailer behind the truck one day and I feel it saved teh tire and ALOT of time not having to get it repaired on the roadside...
I'm happy with it and would not be without...If it saves 1 blowout it will more than pay for itself....
Mark |
Jim Shepherd (Rv_safetyman)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 03, 2006 - 9:51 pm: | |
In case you don't want to go to my website, I thought I would present a quick overview of the three major tire monitor systems. The following is the data I present in my seminars:
Tire Sentury (www.tiresentry.com)
Sensor mounts on valve stem – must select sensor based on desired tire pressure
Warning only – does not display pressure
SmarTire (www.smartire.com)
Sensor is mounted to the rim on the inside of the tire - one sensor for all applictions
Displays both temperature and pressure
Doran/Pressure Pro (www.doranmfg.com)
Sensor mounts on valve stem – one sensor for all applications
Displays pressure
Sorry, the data does not look as good in this format, but you get the idea.
I prefer the Doran simply because I can see the pressure and the sensors for the towed can be quickly changed to a different towed (or trailer) without recalibation if you put the sensor on the same location as they were on the other towed.
From your posting it looks like you have given some thought to purchasing a tire monitor system. I strongly urge you to think about the advantages. Besides the peace of mind, one blowout will almost always pay for the monitor system when you consider the cost of the tire, the service call, and the damage that the blowout causes.
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
’85 Eagle 10/Series 60/Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission
Bus Project details: http://www.rvsafetysystems.com/busproject.htm (updated 2/9/06)
(Message edited by rv_safetyman on June 03, 2006) |
Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 04, 2006 - 10:37 am: | |
So Jim, if I read things right, with the Doran system you have to buy all new sensors every three years as their batteries wear out. On a ten wheel rig that's $500 every three years-
...yes you could certainly argue that it's cheap insurance...but to me it seems like both a tremendous maintainance expense plus a tremendous waste of hardware just because Doran decided to make the batteries "not" replacable. It would be absolutely simple to make them replacable.
In this day and age, that kind of manufacturing philosophy (Tie the customer's wallet to your financial system permanently) smells just like the medical industry who loves to sell you a pill every day but never never a cure... much as I like the system, it doesn't seem very customer friendly... |
Jim Shepherd (Rv_safetyman)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 04, 2006 - 11:27 am: | |
Hi Gary. You make a good point.
I can’t speak for Smartire, but you do have to have the battery replaced on the Doran unit by the factory. However, they will not be charging the full price. As of a month ago, they had not had any units returned for battery replacement. They are still working on a replacement cost, but have not finalized that cost as far as I know. I think they were looking at $25 or less.
You are the electronic guru, so you may disagree with their approach. Their stated reason for a factory sealed unit (only factory battery replacement) is because of the terrible environment that these units see. You live in sunny California, but here in CO we use some terrible chemicals on our roads for ice control and that would kill the unit very quickly if it found its way into the sensor.
The three year life is considered to be very conservative. If the unit is not detecting a low pressure, the current draw is extremely small. I tell my customers to simply loosen or remove the sensors when the bus/motorhome/toad is not being used for extended periods of time. With no pressure, the units are not functioning and there is no draw on the battery. If the sensors are removed, you should mark the location and then you would not have to “re-install” the system the next time you use it.
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
’85 Eagle 10/Series 60/Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission
Bus Project details: http://www.rvsafetysystems.com/busproject.htm (updated 2/9/06) |
Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 05, 2006 - 2:24 am: | |
If they simply did a good job of engineering the plastic housing, made it out of the right material and used a decent O-ring for a seal, it'd never leak and be easy to R&R. They could also fill the unit with dielectric stuff like silicone paste, and it would take a olot to compromise it.
Heck, people make replacable-battery stuff for scuba divers all the time now, and it doesn't fail... that's gotta be way more nasty (salt water under high pressure) than anything a tire stub would see... It's all in the design. But even if an occasional one did leak, it'd report it's status, and tossing one every once in a while is certainly better than all of them every few years!!!
If they get user-replacable batteries working, I'll be the first one to buy a set. Otherwise, for me at least, the good old tire-beating-baton at the filling station routine works fine enough.... |
Jarlaxle
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 05, 2006 - 5:36 am: | |
I'm with Gary---I have a $3 truck tire gauge. I use it every day when I'm on the road. It takes <5 minutes. I check for hot-running tires at every stop. |
Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 05, 2006 - 9:42 am: | |
Hello tire thumpers.
Perhaps it would be best to wait until after experiencing a tire blow out and the resultant damage, before we ride a little too tall in the saddle?
Tires pick up nails, etc, while underway, and then start leaking.
Especially in hot weather, this is now the condition that leads to tire failure. The lower pressure tire starts running hotter, until it fails.
How is a tire thumper or tire gauge going to help us in this situation? Meauring tire pressure sitting still, finds the problem, after it has happened. Wouldn't it be nice to know about the problem as it is happening?
Would you run without an engine temp gauge? The engine will tell you eventually that it is overheating....
Tire monitors are suspicious, because they are new. Word is that they will be regulated equipment for new vehicles, because of the safety benefits of not running with underinflated tires.
Anyone I know who has blown a tire, looks at tires in a way that the rest of us don't.
Down through history, those that have had a "religious experience" are sometimes seen as a bit strange by the rest of us.
Let's respect 'em for their experience, and pray that we don't have a chance to become a convert, eh?
When I can afford them, I'll get them.
happy coaching!
buswarrior |
Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 05, 2006 - 10:25 am: | |
I totally agree. Technology brings us many things that are hands-down better, safer, and more reliable than "the old ways".
It's just that I have a pretty decent aversion to products that require you to open your wallet again and again and again to keep them working, especially when technology obiously affords simple ways to create those products in a way that they will *not* have to get into your wallet after the initial purchase. It's purely corporate greed the way I see it, and I won't support that if possible.
I'll repeat, if I could change out my own batteries in these things, Id' buy a set tomorrow without question. Otherwise I'll take my chances.
Tires do blow, but on average the world has shown that thumping and a decent air gauge does a pretty good job of keeping things happy on average.
I'm wondering if a simple IR thermometer system that just looks at your tires all the time might be a good alternative approach... simple, non- contact, and would detect upcoming failure just as well as presure...
My 2c |
Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 05, 2006 - 10:44 pm: | |
Gary, I was wondering when someone was going to mention that idea. If done right, I would think the unit would be available for other uses, as well.
For what it's worth.
Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576
Suncatcher
Ketchikan, Alaska |
herman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 12:07 am: | |
The only trouble with an IR system is the sensor getting covered with crud.
As for the whole battery issue: There are now to be had nifty LED flashlights that run off the energy derived from a few seconds of shaking. I'd favor an inside the rim design that got its energy from the rotation of the wheel, thus never needs any maintenance whatsoever. I sure don't want any kind of weight hanging off of a flexing rubber valve stem... |
Jarlaxle
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 8:07 pm: | |
I have had 2 blowouts, though neither in a class 7 vehicle. A sensor system would not have warned me about either one (manufacturing fault in the tire, road debris). I'll pass on dropping hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for something that:
Requires regular part replacement, at several hundred dollars a pop.
Is nowhere near foolproof.
Isn't a big upgrade over simple common sense.
"Word is that they will be regulated equipment for new vehicles, because of the safety benefits of not running with underinflated tires."
Translation:
"They will be regulated equipment for new vehicles, because most people, not having the sense nature gave a retarded turnip, are too stupid to stick a gauge on their tire valves." |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 22, 2006 - 6:40 pm: | |
Not the monitor system, but I bought a ser of 1 inch dial gauges that fit permanently on my valve stems in January. They worked fine at first, then I had a low tire, almost flat, whiles the bus was sitting and called a tire shop, paid for a service call and found that two of the new gauge caps were leaking. I took them all off.
These were the type with a clear plastic raised cover over the gauge. They leaked through the metal/plastic joint. |
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