Wheely-Safe Heavy

After five years of development, today’s product is a fully patented solution. Extensive testing has shown Wheely-Safe Heavy provides an in-motion alert to the driver after approximately one turn of adjacent wheel nuts – plus instant alerts to the transport office via the on-board telematics system (when connected).

In-motion visual and audible alerts are provided via the in-cab display unit no matter what speed the vehicle is travelling, or in what weather conditions – allowing the driver to pull over safely.

Due to its location next to the wheel rim and braking mechanism, an onboard heat sensor is also perfectly positioned to send alerts to the display unit if a brake or hub issue is detected. Temperature alerts are transmitted when the temperature exceeds 90°C – a level which can indicate maintenance issues such as sticking brakes or hub failure.

By monitoring the maximum and minimum temperatures of each sensor, any unusual braking temperature patterns can be spotted early. For example, sticking brakes will result in the sensor detecting higher temperatures, whilst ineffective brakes will show little or no temperature rise. This additional feature is invaluable for brake management, and will help to reduce a major cause of commercial vehicle fires, downtime and accidents.

The handheld pressure checker device even collects data harvested from the heat sensor, displaying the highest temperature recorded in the last 24 hours when a pressure check is carried out.

Wheely-Safe Heavy uses TPMS sensors which incorporate some clever twists, to achieve an intelligent but small and ultra-durable sensor. Key features:

• robust, waterproof and resistant to temperatures of 125°C
• suitable for commercial vehicle tyres inflated to a maximum of 188psi
• compact design (diameter of 25.3mm, height of 22.6mm)
• auto-pairs with the receiver on each journey
• if fitted to a trailer will pair with a new truck seamlessly
• no need to input pressures into the receiver – the sensors auto-calibrate provided tyres are correctly inflated prior to fitting when cold
• two LEDs mounted around circumference to indicate the sensor in distress
• an accelerometer to wake up the sensor on a new journey, allowing for low power sleep mode when the vehicle is stationary. Hall Effect Sensor and NFC (Near-field communications) allow for instant downloading of sensor pressure and battery levels.
• low power / long battery life design as no need for sending regular tyre pressure data
• fully sealed unit with no battery changing required – anticipated 3-5 year lifespan, depending on usage and application
• supplied with an anti-theft lock nut and accompanying spanner
• no programming required

The system provides the following tyre-related alerts:

• a ‘maintenance alert’ via the vehicle’s telematics (when connected), should a tyre become under-inflated by 7.5 per cent or pressure increase by 20 per cent
• a ‘medium alert’ via the display unit (flashing icon and beep every 10 seconds), should a tyre become under-inflated by 15 per cent or pressure increase by 30 per cent
• a ‘critical alert’ via the display unit (flashing icon and beep every five seconds), should a tyre become under-inflated by 24 per cent.
• a ‘critical alert’ via the display unit (flashing icon and beep every five seconds), should fast leakage be detected (at least 2 psi per minute)
• a ‘critical alert’ via the display unit (flashing icon and beep every five seconds), should the air temperature inside a tyre reach 100°C

An overnight alert mode also wakes the TPMS sensors every 10 minutes when the vehicle is parked, allowing any pressure issues to be detected and transmitted via the telematics – enabling a fleet to take immediate action to correct the issue. When not connected to telematics, data is logged and displayed to the driver when the system is woken up during first daily use.

Wheely-Safe Heavy can be supplied with a contactless tyre pressure checker for use by the driver during daily walkaround inspections. The pressure checker is a pocket-sized device capable of giving a digital pressure reading when placing the device close to the sensor. The same device will also provide the maximum temperature reached in the last 24 hours in the hub area when checked against the wheel loss sensor.

The pressure checkers are compatible with all Wheely-Safe sensors, meaning a fleet manager, technician or tyre fitter can complete a pressure check across multiple vehicles using the same device.

Just imagine the time and cost-saving! What’s more, no more air loss every time you take a pressure reading.