Easy Tire Air Fill

herbhof · 01-30-2008, 09:18 AM

Just a note of caution about the Cross Fire tire guage and air fill. My previously owned MH had a Cross Fire guage and single air fill station for both rear tires on each side. The guage had color codes for low, high and OK. A hose from each tire tied into the guage and one single fill valve. I made a remark at the time I bought the coach that the system obviously had check valves in each hose so that a flat in one tire wouldn't drain the air out of the other one. I was wrong. In fact if I were right then the single guage for both tires wouldn't indicate the proper tire pressure. I had two flat tires on the interstate. Both valve stems, the hub cap and the Easy Tire Air Fill was missing when I stopped. I don't know if the hub cap took the Easy Aire with it or the Easy Air failed taking the hub cap with it. I checked the system on the other side and air would come out of one tire when the system was removed from the other tire. If you have this system installed I would strongly recommend you remove it. You can test it by removing the hose from one tire and observing if air from the other escapes through the disconnected hose. I don't use this system anymore since by using it one guarantees losing air from both tires in the event of a leak or blowout on one.

Herb

herbhof · 01-30-2008, 09:18 AM

Just a note of caution about the Cross Fire tire guage and air fill. My previously owned MH had a Cross Fire guage and single air fill station for both rear tires on each side. The guage had color codes for low, high and OK. A hose from each tire tied into the guage and one single fill valve. I made a remark at the time I bought the coach that the system obviously had check valves in each hose so that a flat in one tire wouldn't drain the air out of the other one. I was wrong. In fact if I were right then the single guage for both tires wouldn't indicate the proper tire pressure. I had two flat tires on the interstate. Both valve stems, the hub cap and the Easy Tire Air Fill was missing when I stopped. I don't know if the hub cap took the Easy Aire with it or the Easy Air failed taking the hub cap with it. I checked the system on the other side and air would come out of one tire when the system was removed from the other tire. If you have this system installed I would strongly recommend you remove it. You can test it by removing the hose from one tire and observing if air from the other escapes through the disconnected hose. I don't use this system anymore since by using it one guarantees losing air from both tires in the event of a leak or blowout on one.

Herb

RCtime · 01-30-2008, 09:27 AM

I would have thought exactly as you did, there must be check valves. Dumb system, you did the correct thing by removing it.
Thanks for the heads up.

Ding-a-ling · 01-30-2008, 01:57 PM

From the Dual Dynamics Crossfire web page:

Blowouts 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.

Here is the link to their web site.

herbhof · 01-30-2008, 02:43 PM

Frank could you please explain when one hose is disconnected from one of the tires, the air from the other tire discharges through the disconnected hose. I would think that if there was a check valve or another type of valve to prevent the good tire from losing its pressure, then this would not occur.

Ding-a-ling · 01-30-2008, 05:28 PM

I did not personally install the Crossfires on my MH but I watched as the installer did his work. The control/display unit was first mounted on the center hub cover. Then the braided wire-covered hoses were attached to the valve stems, one at a time. There was no air loss at this time.

I have no complaints or doubts about the Crossfire product.

Izzyblueye · 01-31-2008, 05:08 AM

It sounds as though several people that now have this "Cross Fire" system might check their systems out carefully. I hope they report back on their findings. I have considered the Cross Fire system myself. It is hard to imagine any company engineering such a hap-hazard system, but we all know it happens.

Okie · 01-31-2008, 11:52 AM

I have run crossfires on two units now....as far as air leaking from them,,,,there is a correct way and a wrong way to disconnect the hoses to the valve from the tires...if you do it backwards air will escape,,,but if done correctly no air will escape...

herbhof · 02-04-2008, 08:19 AM

Note the photo of the Easy Tire Air Fill below. I believe what happened was that the hub came off and took the Easy Tire system with it which resulted in the loss of air from both tires.

Okie said that if the system was disconnected incorrectly then the air would leak out of the other tire through the incorrectly disconnected hose. How does one disconnect a hose correctly?