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Old 03-10-2014, 09:08 AM   #1
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Air & Tire Dilemma

I have a Class C with rear duallies. I thought I had the whole thing figured out about checking air pressure and inflating adding air, but I don't.

I bought a long air chuck and tire pressure gauge with the angled heads. The air chuck used to fill the tires works some but not all wheels. Apparently my coach has two, slightly differently shaped hand holes (see photos). On one outer dually I can't get the chuck or pressure gauge seated on the stem because the stem of the air chuck hits against the hand hole. Longer stems would fix this or possibly a different chuck and gauge, but I've already tried two styles of each where the heads are mounted at different angles. Suggested solutions?

My other concern about the air chuck is this: using a long air chuck to get to the inner duallies is no problem, but only if I have my own compressor to which it's hooked up. I don't want to carry a compressor with me when traveling. What am I supposed to do on the road when a gas station, for example, has only the typical air hoses and chucks which won't work with inner duallies or possibly the outer tires too? Is the only solution valve stem extenders of 7" valve stems (the latter of which I can't find anywhere)?

The attached photos just show the slightly differently shaped hand holes. These wheels are on the front. There is no problem getting to these valve stems. The photos are just to illustrate the different shapes which is a matter of curiosity at this point.
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:21 AM   #2
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I have a Class C with rear dualies. I thought I had the whole thing figured out about checking air pressure and inflating adding air.
What's your question??
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:22 AM   #3
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What's your question??
X2

Are you having trouble getting air to the inside duals?
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:26 AM   #4
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X2

Are you having trouble getting air to the inside duals?
Sorry... I accidentally hit the Send button on my iPhone before I'd finished the original post. I've edited it now.

Inside and outside, when the outside has the longer, narrower shaped hand hole.
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:27 AM   #5
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What's your question??
Sorry... I accidentally hit the Send button on my iPhone before I'd finished the original post. I've edited it now.
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:39 AM   #6
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Just have steel stems put in the inside tires, long enough and in good view from or through to the out side duel. Or extensions on the existing stems.

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Old 03-10-2014, 09:43 AM   #7
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Just have steel stems put in the inside tires, long enough and in good view from or through to the out side duel. Or extensions on the existing stems. LEN
I neglected to mention that I want to install TPMS on the valve stems. If I can find valve stems long enough (they would have to be 6-7 inches to come through the hand holes of the outer wheels) I would then want to support them somehow and the various support mechanisms I've seen either won't fit my wheels, are of questionable stability, or both.
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:46 AM   #8
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Why not get the TPMS units that replace the valve stems? Then you could install an extender if needed without worrying about any additional stresses on it.
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:54 AM   #9
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Why not get the TPMS units that replace the valve stems? Then you could install an extender if needed without worrying about any additional stresses on it.
That would require removing all the tires and wheels, not only now to install the sensors, but every time a sensor or battery needs to be replaced. Lots of $$$. I'd also like to avoid extenders. Even when used with metal valve stems that can take the additional stresses caused by the weight of the extenders, the extenders themselves add more potential failure points.

How do other people get air into the inner rear wheels when they don't have valve extenders or long valve stems, or carry their own compressor to which they've attached a long air chuck? Are those the only solutions?
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Old 03-10-2014, 01:15 PM   #10
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I neglected to mention that I want to install TPMS on the valve stems. If I can find valve stems long enough (they would have to be 6-7 inches to come through the hand holes of the outer wheels) I would then want to support them somehow and the various support mechanisms I've seen either won't fit my wheels, are of questionable stability, or both.
I have TPMS sensors on all wheels. I had flexible valve extenders put on the rear inners, then attached to a bracket riveted to the hubcap. This prevents any flailing about. In the attached pic the sensor has been removed, as we are parked for a while.

I also carry my own 150psi compressor, fairly small and fits in a belly bay. $100 @ Harbor Freight.
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Old 03-10-2014, 01:26 PM   #11
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If I understand your issue, either braided lines or longer valve stems are the solution. Either one will require removing a wheel to install. They are "the cost of doing business" with dual wheels with small holes in the rims. Use the forum search feature for lots of discussion on this.
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Old 03-10-2014, 01:35 PM   #12
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The Dually Valve solid metal valve stems I use came with rubber stabilizers that fit in the hand holes. I don't know if they are availble for for your tires but you can check at DuallyValve.

Since the wheels have to be removed and the tires dismounted, I delayed having them installed until I replaced the tires at seven years. Now I wish I had had them installed years ago. They make it so easy to check and add air.

Note that they replace the existing stems so don't add any addition failure points.
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Old 03-10-2014, 01:40 PM   #13
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I have TPMS sensors on all wheels. I had flexible valve extenders put on the rear inners, then attached to a bracket riveted to the hubcap. This prevents any flailing about. In the attached pic the sensor has been removed, as we are parked for a while.

I also carry my own 150psi compressor, fairly small and fits in a belly bay. $100 @ Harbor Freight.
Thanks for your thoughtful answer. Have you considered the potential consequences of what might happen if your hubcap came off? Is there any risk this might happen and if it did could it cause a sudden loss of air due to a damaged extender or valve stem?

I'm not sure I would do things exactly that way as it's my perception these are real risks that need not be introduced. Plus, I have removed my hubcaps as I see them both as unnecessary weight and a real pain to have to remove in order to check air pressure and add air to the tires. Removal of the hubcaps to do these rings is necessary on my coach.

Is your compressor one of those little guys without a tank meant for tire inflation? I've seen those. Without some method to attach an air chuck to the valve stem, might it not mean holding the air chuck in perfect alignment with the valve stem for expended periods? I don't think that can be done. I know there are air chucks that clamp onto valve stems such sat those that come on bicycle pumps and some of those small, tankless compressors, but I wouldn't be able to get one of those onto an inner dual or perhaps not even an outer dual.

I have a 100PSI compressor myself, but it's one with a tank and is rather bulky.f Too large to travel with.
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Old 03-10-2014, 02:02 PM   #14
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The Dually Valve solid metal valve stems I use came with rubber stabilizers that fit in the hand holes. I don't know if they are availble for for your tires but you can check at DuallyValve.

Since the wheels have to be removed and the tires dismounted, I delayed having them installed until I replaced the tires at seven years. Now I wish I had had them installed years ago. They make it so easy to check and add air.

Note that they replace the existing stems so don't add any addition failure points.
I've considered those but I've held off for various reasons. First, they are grossly overpriced. Valve stems should cost only a few dollars apiece whereas the dually kits are about $130. Next, my wheels have different hand hole sizes and I'm not sure they have the support pucks to fit them. Lastly, when I inquired with the manufacturer of the dually kits I was told my valve stems would have to be bent to go through the holes in their support pucks. I'm dubious of being able to have that done well, or how well it would work even if well executed. The holes in their pucks are in the center whereas long stems coming from my inner duals would be much closer to the edge. Plus, the holes are drill for valve stems to come thru them at a 180 degree angle whereas bent valve stems would approach from a different angle. That may introduce yet another problem.

The ideal solution in my mind would be 7" bolt-in metal stems for the inner duals, and some mechanism such as a bracket bolted to the outer wheel to support them at the free end. I have not seen such a product anywhere. Heck, I have not even been able to find 7" stems. (I've found 6" one which may be long enough.)

For the outer duals I need metal stems that make nearly a 180 degree bend. I've seen extenders that do this, but I really prefer to avoid extenders and the problems they can introduce. I don't recall f I've come across metal stems with the bends I need.

It has been very time consuming trying to find the ideal solution which I'm convinced does not exist as a kit. It seems I would have to fabricate support brackets for the long stems coming from the inner duals, drill whole in the outer wheel to which the support bracket can be bolted. Better yet would be a bracket with two bolts. This is not a project that I have enough confidence in being able to pull off myself. It's also a project that would cost a lot of money to hire done.

This brings me back to my OP which is less about extenders and more about working with what I've got now. I think my question was, how do I get air into my inner dual tires? While several solutions have been posited here and in other threads none of them seem optimum. My second problem being I can't even check or get air into the outer dual that has the more oblong hand hole.
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