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cheapie valve extensions option
My local tire shop says for roughly $140 total he can give me valve extensions on my rear tires.  Apparently he fabricates something useable by connecting two stems together and it will work "just fine".   He's done it before...   So, am I better off going with the Tireman and paying the price for the custom stems, or can something like this be adequate.  
plan B - 2023 Travato
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #1 –
My bro-in-law does this quite often.  He owns a working farm, and he owns several vehicles with dual rear wheels.  He uses stock stems available at tire repair facilities.  he removes the valve from the stem that extends from the wheel, and adds the extension  by epoxying the two brass male/female threads together.  I have seen him do this several times, but I don't know if the fabrications have lasted.  He lives in Oklahoma, so I haven't really stayed on top of his valve extension hack.  I will say that he is one of the most handy guys I know.  Like most farmers, he can repair, fabricate, or improvise almost anything.
2017 RB
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #2 –
You can get a complete kit of  6-wheel set of long/configured valves, grommets, etc., from Borg and/or Tireman for about the same price. I can't say what your guy's "two stem" fabrication might be, but I'd stick with proven products.

YMMV.
2003 TK has a new home
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #3 –
Hi Kool; You don't need to go to the Tireman, most tire places can install Borg extenders. For instance you can get a set for the rear duals here at Camping World. I just used two inch long curved screw on extenders for the font wheels .
                    DuallyValve Older Motorhome Dually 16" Steel Oval 3.75 x 2.75" Class C -...

RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #4 –
Quote from: RonB  - 
Hi Kool; You don't need to go to the Tireman, most tire places can install Borg extenders. For instance you can get a set for the rear duals here at Camping World. I just used two inch long curved screw on extenders for the font wheels .
                    DuallyValve Older Motorhome Dually 16" Steel Oval 3.75 x 2.75" Class C -...

RonB


My local Discount Tire installed them for $40.

Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #5 –
Kool,

I purchased a Borge Dually Valve Kit that connects directly to the rims and are one piece.

I had them professionally installed by Allen Tire Company near my home in So Cal. $150 +/- for the four long valves and $60 for installation.

Perfect solution with no guess work. The last thing you want to have is a tire valve failure. Doing it right the first time is always a good idea when it comes to RV tires. Not a really good time to experiment.

Keepin' it on the road.

Kent



2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #6 –
Quote from: kool83704  - 
My local tire shop says for roughly $140 total he can give me valve extensions on my rear tires.  Apparently he fabricates something useable by connecting two stems together and it will work "just fine".  He's done it before...  So, am I better off going with the Tireman and paying the price for the custom stems, or can something like this be adequate.
No idea what your tire guy sells but connecting both tires together, with tubing and a junction block, is often done in the commercial trucking industry.
It maintains the same pressure in each tire. The addition of a TPMS, makes the system reliable.
I have not seen a version of this for RV duals but there is no reason why not it couldn't be done.
Not sure if I would want to be a test vehicle, unless it  is a commercially sold system, with some history .
Here's an example.
Amazon.com: Crossfire Dual Tire Pressure Equalization System, 110 PSI, one...

Truckers have been dealing with duals for almost a hundred years, there have been all sorts of solutions to checking and adding air.
Extended stems is just one of them.

Larry
As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #7 –
Thanks for the info.   I didn't make myself very clear.   I didn't mean the two valves would be connected but rather two different valve stems would be put together to form one that would then have the proper bends to do the job.   I would rather have a  one piece valve stem then a two piece so that is what I am thinking about.
plan B - 2023 Travato
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #8 –
"[he] adds the extension by epoxying the two brass male/female threads together..."

There's no way I'd trust epoxy to hold metal valve stems together. When it gets brittle and fails, there goes your air.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #9 –
Larry



Tire equalization. Running the same pressure I understand wholeheartedly. But tying both bladders together seems like a disaster. If you do lose air from one from  A hazard strike like a nail. You would lose all air on that side of the axle. That seems blooming idiotic. So what does the equalization do to prevent that kind of issue?!

Lydia
Lydia.
Current: 2020 JLUR w 15’ Squaredrop
Former: 2006 30IB Anniversary Edition
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #10 –
Quote from: Lydia Drake  - 
Tire equalization. Running the same pressure I understand wholeheartedly. But tying both bladders together seems like a disaster. If you do lose air from one from  A hazard strike like a nail. You would lose all air on that side of the axle. That seems blooming idiotic. So what does the equalization do to prevent that kind of issue?!

A TPMS will prevent this from becoming a more serious problem.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #11 –
Quote from: Andy Baird  - 
"[he] adds the extension by epoxying the two brass male/female threads together..."

There's no way I'd trust epoxy to hold metal valve stems together. When it gets brittle and fails, there goes your air.

The way I understood that post was that the items were threaded together, and the epoxy acts as a sealant.  So not quite as bad as it seems.  But, the thread on the stems is not intended to be air tight -- that's the valve core's job.  But it's clearly a 'farm solution', not a highway solution.  Totally different constraints.

Chip
2000 Front Lounge
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #12 –
I had a nice chat with Chuck at Tireman and ordered his valve stems.  He said he retired and closed his shop in December, but is still selling the stems through internet sales.  I had planned to stop in Ridgecrest on our way south and have him install the stems, but since his shop is closed he recommended a different shop in town.  He also mentioned that it was 111 degrees in Ridgecrest.  I opted to order the valve stems and have them installed in our local area.  We blew through Ridgecrest at about 7am and didn't slow down to see how hot it would get.  He had them on my doorstep in 3 or 4 days.
Chuck was a really interesting guy to talk to and will continue making and selling his valve stems, but having them installed by him at his shop is no longer an option.
2014 27 MB
Towd: Either the Jeep Wrangler or trailer containing the BMW R1200GS and 2 E-bicycles
Happy wife=Happy life
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #13 –
Chip is absolutely right.  Bob's farm hack does not necessarily translate to high speed highway driving.  After all, most of his driving is off-road, red dirt road, or potted old asphalt.  Bob never goes anywhere without a couple of spare tires.   The big tires on his tractors and hay mowers and trailer are mostly filled with a water/anti-freeze mix. Very little compressed air, if any. 

That said, after last year's near-disaster inner rear blow-out that we experienced on the way back to visit Bob and Sherri at the farm, Bob did cobble together one of his epoxy fixes for a replacement tire I purchased in his little town of Guthrie.  It held absolutely fine for the 1500 mile return trip.  No significant air loss at all.  (It turns out that the blown tire, and all the others, were on a recall list by Michelin.  When we returned home we re-suited a whole new set, and I had installed a different valve stem.)
2017 RB
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #14 –
Quote from: Larry W  - 
A TPMS will prevent this from becoming a more serious problem.

Larry

Larry,
Uhm, I fail to understand. your TPMS read fine in your recent unpleasantness. So how would an equalizer do a dang thing to keep the unblown tire full if they were strapped together? Some high energy compressors are involved?  Anyway the physics in this does not make me a happy camper when analyzing risk.


Yup Chuck is closed up. The sign is gone, the place is a pitstop for a local delivery company in the mornings and is turning into something automotive... a sign saying "coming soon... Mustang Auto" in the afternoons. Building is Red and Black. I almost thought America's tire was coming to town.

Lydia
Lydia.
Current: 2020 JLUR w 15’ Squaredrop
Former: 2006 30IB Anniversary Edition
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #15 –
Quote from: Lydia Drake  - 
Uhm, I fail to understand. your TPMS read fine in your recent unpleasantness. So how would an equalizer do a dang thing to keep the unblown tire full if they were strapped together? Some high energy compressors are involved?  Anyway the physics in this does not make me a happy camper when analyzing risk.
First, I'm not suggesting to use an equalizer, instead just relating that they are use in the commercial trucking industry.
Not having taken one apart, I would imagine that an equalizer would have flow restrictors or some type of check valve that would prevent the good tire from losing air in case the other blew out. The addition of a TPMS increases the overall safety of the system.
BTW, when the tire blew, the TPMS didn't harm until just after the explosion, the tire had full pressure when it came apart.
When I say it came apart, there were pieces of the tread spread over 200 yards of Hay 395. The casing was torn apart.

I can cross a blowout off the bucket list, glad to get it over with.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #16 –
Larry -- Welcome to the inner-rear blowout club!   I have suffered one on each side within a two-year period.  Both cases were tread delaminations on Michelin tires (I did find a recall, and was compensated for the failure on the second event).  No fun, but it is a real learning opportunity -- on several levels!
2017 RB
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #17 –
My thoughts are , the more parts. the higher probability for failure.
I bought a new set of tires.  In 24 hours one was flat, one was low. Tightened the extenders and re inflated the tires. In 24 hours the same.  Removed the extenders.  No more problems.

I purchased a double headed tire chuck and comercial inflation tool/gauge that would work with the wheel trim rins.  Set up hex tire valve caps and a socket and extention to remove the caps.
Rodney
1988 Mid Bath
 
Re: cheapie valve extensions option
Reply #18 –
Quote from: rodneyhelfrich  - 
My thoughts are , the more parts. the higher probability for failure.
I bought a new set of tires.  In 24 hours one was flat, one was low. Tightened the extenders and re inflated the tires. In 24 hours the same.  Removed the extenders.  No more problems.
I purchased a double headed tire chuck and comercial inflation tool/gauge that would work with the wheel trim rins.  Set up hex tire valve caps and a socket and extention to remove the caps.

I used extenders on our first LD, for eight years and for the first five years on our present LD, without any problems.
Tireman stems were installed at the first tire change.
I regularly checked the extender's connection, making sure the connection was tight. Fine tuning the installation was necessarily.
I have noticed various levels of quality in extenders, particularly the connection between the stem and extender. Some connectors are much more secure and better sealed.

One thing to realize about the trucking industry is that big trucks see many more miles in a year than most motorhomes see in a lifetime.
Every piece of equipment is design for high dependability and long life, more so than any of the parts in the our LDs.
If truckers use equalizers, they are a much higher quality part than what we are offered for our rigs.
And yes, the equalizers have blow out protection. Here is a quote from the Crossfire Tire inflation system.

"Blowout and Leaks – Crossfire employs a safety feature that automatically isolates the “good” tire in the event of a blowout. When a blowout occurs, the internal safety valve closes immediately with only a slight loss of pressure to the “good” tire. In slow leak situations, the valve isolates both tires after a pressure drop of approximately 10 P.S.I."
Crossfire Tire Pressure System - Inflation Solutions

Extended stems are not perfect either, I have a broken stem on our LD, waiting for America's Tire to replace it (they broke it). 
Extended stems inhibit rear tire rotation....which caused me problems.
Welcome to an imperfect world.
The best piece of advice is to use a TPMS system and rotate the rear tires periodically, no matter what rear tire inflation method you use.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze