TireMinder w/ Bambi necessary?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Get one that also alerts for over temps, that is also a good indication of an imminent tire failure.
They do little in predicting 'blowouts'.
FWIW...We use a EEZTire system with a signal booster.👍
POI...we survived 28 Seasons without one...YMMV

Bob
🇺🇸

[Spaggs]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

I never had a monitor, never needed one, never had any problems. I keep my tires up, and check them every 2 hours....

A lot can happen in 2 hours!

[GammaDog]

Originally Posted by kittmaster

Your wife is right....you are wrong.

That is helpful marital guidance in every situation. In this case, it’s true also. IMO it’s more important to monitor tire pressures on a single axle trailer since you’ve go no redundancy. There are some serious “tire guys” who hang out here. They may know better, but my impression is that “blow outs” typically follow a leak or over heating that a tire monitor might warn you about.

[Atwebs]

Like every safety device out there, you don't need it until you do! We've trailered for 40+ years and have had our share of blown tires. A few were non events, a couple were hair raising adventures and most were inconvenient as all get out.

Yes, we check our tires completely before we hit the road, yes we monitor the pressure and do a visual check everytime we stop, yes we have a compressor with us at all times. And YES, we've hit something in the roadway, run over screw or two, had a weird bump develop on a tire, and screeched to a halt several times with a total blowout. One left nothing but a beat up rim and we couldn't guess exactly what caused it, tire was fine that morning, pressure was good and it had more than adequate tread. All the preparation in the world doesn't help when something damages your tire.

The tire minders gives you a heads up that something might be awry before it gets any worse. We've come to love the tire pressure warnings on our cars and the trailer is no different.

[smithcreek]

I found a tire monitor system is not only good for tire failure but useful for trouble shooting tire/axle/bearing/brake issues. Long story short, I spent the better part of a season trouble shooting what I thought was one hub overheating. After MANY attempts to resolve the overheating problem I finally figured out it was the opposite. One brake was not working well due to corroded brake wires, so it was "underheating". Only way I knew was the tire monitor system.

[AlnKaren]

Simply, YES !!!

[JHH]

We also have a 16 Caravelle ( almost identical to Bambi). Yes, have both a tire monitor and an air compressor. I do that. Not only is it safer while underway to spot a failing tire, but it will give you a more confidence while tires are in good health.

We chose the TST product. Works well.
Agree that the newest Goodyear tires are best as they are rated for higher speeds.

[Tireman9]

Here is an example of a tire on an AS that was checked just 50 miles earlier.
The tire had a slow leak but it lost enough air in less than an hour to destroy itself and do damage to the AS.
There are a umber of systems out there. Do not buy just on price. Get a Lifetime warranty. Get a system from a dealer that knows RVs (Not ebay or Amazon) and has a web site and phone number. I have run what I believe is the only direct comparison test of TPMS on my RV and published the data for all to see. It shows that the systems give reasonable pressure info. I also have posted how to set the warning levels to be what I believe to be the most useful.

[Blazeman1]

Do it. I have the TST system. My last trip I managed to get a screw and a nail in each of the front tires, both were slow leaks so I was able to drive to a tire repair shop for the repairs. And neither of the tires were damaged.

[pauldridge]

OMG.. Single Axle.. By all means you should definitely have a TPMS.

However, I differ from many posting here about "don't cheap out". Let's face it.. all these units come from China, and the price differences are basically a matter of marketing.

I have 5 vehicles equipped with external TPMS, all the same brand I purchased on Amazon for $55 each
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Not a single one of these has malfunctioned. The commonly available batteries last about a year, and can be changed without even removing the sending unit from valve stem.

I even have this same system on my Porsche Cayman.. after spending some $800 for internal TPMS with mounting, and then having the whole thing report incorrectly within 3 months. I disabled the onboard TPMS (incorrect) warnings, and rely on this system.. have been happy ever since.

Each setup has performed flawlessly, and we use them on the trailer and tow vehicle(and, if one ever fails, it will be immediately obvious. At this price, if you're concerned, just buy a spare)

A bonus for a single axle unit.. you'll have two spare sending units which you can utilize for tow and trailer spare tires

What I like about these units:
1) solar recharge, so no wires, just plop on your dash and take off (wired charger inlet in provided if you must
2) Programmable alert ranges for each axle
3) Instant alarm in case of a blow out

So nice to not have to check pressures after each leg, just view on the dashtop display/controller for peace of mind.

Originally Posted by happy frog

My family will be taking a cross country trip in our 2015 Bambi 16', my wife is convinced we need to buy a TireMinder monitoring system. I will be bringing an air compressor with us, so I feel a monitoring system won't be necessary, especially since we are single-axle. What are your thoughts?

[kbmwrs]

As for going cheap. As was noted to me once...You have a $50,000 to $100,000 trailer and you want to go CHEAP on a safety item?

[chdeatley]

No stories. Just saying that TireMinder has worked well for me over several years and thousands of miles. A good TPMS will let you know when even the tiniest leak is lowering your tire pressure. You can usually set tire pressure parameters for pressure and temperature. You just never know when a rogue nail will find its way into a tire. And TireMinder gives you free batteries annually. Since I remove the sensors while in winter storage and remove the batteries from the sensors The freebies have been enough for my travels. Shop around. Most sales are over going into the new season but you may find last years stock at a discount somewhere. And does your tow vehicle have factory TPMS? If not, get a six sensor TireMinder and get going. Enjoy!

[KKbambi]

I had a blow out on a 19’ Bambi on I 84 between Pendleton and Baker City Oregon. No tragedy but put the fear of god in me an the wife. We decided to get a 23FC, a double axel ,and a monitor we fell much more secure now.
Definitely get a good monitor, at the least, an check those tires at every stop.

[nduncan]

Our year 2000 Bambi had a tire blowout on !-95 at 60 MPH, we hardly felt a thing, just a little wiggle. Put on the spare and went to the tire store nearest to our camp, got the new tire the next day. However the wheel well was shredded, we had our body shop replace the aluminum with heavier metal, it cost a couple of hundred.

[3DRad]

It looks like you have gotten a lot of great advice, and I agree.
I have the TST TPMS. Not the sealed units or the pass through units. I have the non-pass through units that I can replace the batteries on. With the TST, if you take them off, when you are not traveling, the batteries are spared supposedly.
Twice now, over five years, the TPMS has proven extremely useful. First time, there was a problem with a brake, which elevated the temperature above the other monitors. The second was a slow leak due to a hex bolt!
Bottom line is that the TPMS has more than paid for itself, but more importantly has kept us safer than we otherwise would have been.
We have a double axle (so 4 tires). I bought the set with 6 sensors. I use 4 on the trailer tires, one on the trailer spare, and one on the truck spare.
I had a TPMS set prior to the TST. When I got the TST, I gave the original TPMS set to my friend. Two days after starting a cross country trip, it warned him of a pressure problem, which he fixed.

[Scott S]

I HAVE A 26 FOOT SINGLE AXLE OVERLANDER. I have owned it for over 30 years. I have travelled with it extensively. I am mixed as to whether or not I would purchase a monitoring system. In all these years I have had 3 tires go bad on me. Only one of these times do I think a monitoring system would have helped.

I have experienced a "catastrophic" blow out at interstate speeds. I heard but dismissed the "boom", other than the motor on my tow vehicle suddenly struggling to keep up to speed and noticing in my rear view mirror that the trailer was leaning to one side I never would have known that there was a flat tire. Honest! The trailer handled that well! I am skeptical that a monitoring system would have helped in this case.

Time number 2...while stopped for lunch I noticed a bubble on the tread. Changed the tire. Once again I doubt that a monitoring system would have helped.

Time number 3...while checking in to a campground I noticed a hissing sound...slow leak. The tire must have JUST been punctured pulling in their gravel drive. I proceeded to my campsite and changed the tire. Had this happened a few minutes earlier a monitoring system WOULD have helped.

So, three tire issues in 30 years. None harming the trailer. None putting me or my family in danger. I like gadgets as much as the next guy, but I am hard pressed to say that I would purchase the system. Maybe if my tow vehicle already had one...

However, will you buying one keep peace between you and your wife? If so, THAT is priceless!

Scott Scheuermann
1960 Overlander
2000 GMC Sierra 3/4 ton
(Looking for a good used 3/4 Suburban!)

[pryner]

We had a newly restored 31' Airstream lose the RR tire and rim. Only felt a small tug on the truck and nothing to see in the mirrors. Pulled over and the wheel took out the lower skin from the axle to the back of the camper. Over $7K to repair. Thanks to Progressive 3 day old insurance policy we were totally covered. Changed to a fifth wheel and after a couple of blowouts returning from Alaska I installed the tire minder. In northern California the system went off indicating a low pressure and high temp condition. Pulled over and saved a blow out and most likely lots of damage. I'm sold on them. Cheap insurance particularly on a single axle trailer. The new trucks now sell extra TPMS to put on your trailer tires to use the vehicle sensor system. Don't know if they check temp or not. Having both temp and pressure is a definite plus. It can indicate a brake issue in addition to a tire issue. Besides, the wife is always right!!

[JWR]

Anybody have experience with their solar powered version?

[mythbuster88]

Originally Posted by happy frog

My family will be taking a cross country trip in our 2015 Bambi 16', my wife is convinced we need to buy a TireMinder monitoring system. I will be bringing an air compressor with us, so I feel a monitoring system won't be necessary, especially since we are single-axle. What are your thoughts?

Get a TPMS.

[waninae39]

YES

all Bambi should use tire monitors. unlike the tandem models, the single axle units can cause serious accident if/when a tire fails

Get a good quality model with both TEMP and pressure
that way you will have a heads up when either one goes out of a normal condition

ie slow leak, or maybe locked brakes