An infrared no-contact thermometer can be a lifesaver. At least it can make things easier. My last big event behind the wheel of a hay truck was not an 18-wheeler but a 34-wheeler. Helping a friend in Nevada move his hay close to the California border where the 18-wheel California hay trucks could haul it on to the end users.
Heat is the worst enemy of truck and trailer tires. Under-inflation, overload and high speed contribute to the heat that will cause the carcass of the tire to come apart. This leaves the “gators” commonly seen in the summertime on and beside the highways. Part of driving any commercial vehicle is the pre-trip inspection. It means checking lights, couplers or trailer hitches and safety chains, proper cargo tie-downs and the tires.
The gold standard for checking tires is using an air pressure gauge. Experienced drivers can kick or thump the tires with a club and have varying degrees of success determining if a tire’s air pressure is adequate.
Decades earlier on one pre-trip as I kicked the tires, I found a low one. I walked back to the shop and informed them I’d be backing a trailer in with a low tire. By the time I’d backed it and stopped and walked back to the trailer, the young fellow in charge informed me that there was nothing wrong with the trailer tires.
I said there was indeed a low tire. He asked which one. He kicked it again and said that there was nothing wrong with that tire. I insisted that he put an air gauge on it. He did. Forty psi. Ninety-five to a hundred pounds of air pressure was the standard. A good tire was quickly swapped, and I was on my way.
Back to the 34-wheeler. Once on the road with all tires passing for full inflation, stops every hour or two were in order to recheck the equipment and get the kinks out of the driver’s legs and back.
Using my handheld (south of $50) infrared no-contact thermometer, I quickly zapped each tire and each truck and trailer axle hub. Anything running warmer than the rest was checked further for the reason for high temperature. Now, running on a hot afternoon, the sunshine side of the rig would show warmer tire temperatures than those running in the shade.
I once made an unscheduled stop because the truck’s temperature gauge for one of the drive axles began running hot. Zapped with the handheld, it was no warmer than its mate. I noted that the sensor or the gauge was malfunctioning and went on.
Re: Other hay machinery
I see a number of pictures shared on Facebook of hay balers on fire. Balers, dry hay choppers and combines operate with very dry forage and/or straw. This makes these types of machinery fire hazards.
When a bearing runs without adequate lubricant, either grease or oil, it will overheat. If not discovered, it will self-destruct, both creating enough heat and throwing sparks, either being able to start a fire.
An operator would be wise to identify the bearings which are out of sight and which may be easy to overlook when greasing the machinery. An infrared thermometer can be used when stopping for other issues to get an idea of what normal operating temperature is, especially of the more hidden bearings. Then when one shows up running warmer than normal, look for trouble.
As things that run in dust and dirt operate, the dust and dirt will eventually get past the grease seals and foul the bearing so even though it has been properly greased, that grease can easily only get to one-half of the bearing or escape via a damaged seal, creating a “grease worms” issue. (When said “grease worms” eat the grease and leave the bearing to self-destruct.)
Another issue is the “grease it with a pencil” syndrome. (Write it down as greased without touching it with the grease gun.) Trust but verify. If each machine has an assigned operator who is also responsible for the machine’s maintenance and lubrication … it wouldn’t hurt to have someone else occasionally verify that the difficult-to-reach bearings get greased.
This will show up quickly when machines of equal age and usage show different “difficult-to-reach” bearing temperatures.
Have a gasoline, propane or diesel engine running with a misfire? Especially a misfire at startup? Get in position to use the infrared thermometer on the exhaust manifold at startup. Start the engine and see which exhaust port isn’t heating up as fast as the others. That will usually identify the problem cylinder.
Again, writing down the normal operating temperature of accessories such as power steering pumps, alternators and attached hydraulic pumps can save time later diagnosing a new noise or comparing the temperature of something that isn’t performing as it once did.
Electrical diagnosis is another area where the infrared thermometer can save time. Electric motors doing the same work should be running at about the same temperature. Most electric motors have two bearings – and on the larger motors, are greaseable. (Pay attention here because too much grease in an electric motor is not a good thing.) Both the body of the motor and the ends nearest the bearings should be checked for temperature.
A motor running warmer than other equal motors may have a bearing dragging or it may not be getting the full current to run it. Loose electrical connections generate heat and will draw enough extra current trying to meet the demands of the motor to trip a breaker. Should you find a “hot” connection, when stopped and proper safety ensured (lockout/tagout), then tighten the connection. Check all the connections for tightness while you’re at it.
Of course, the machine the motor is turning could be developing an issue that would show up as the motor driving it running hot.
Think it through. You’re a bright boy. And the guys who designed/made it are not smarter than you are.
