57 Years And Learn Something So Simple

[big rockpile]

Wife had a tire going Flat.Being Sunday couldn't find a Shop to fix it.Friend said just put a Plug in it.

He found the hole,told me what to do,got it fixed on my way .Sounds stupid never have did this and its all the Shop would do.

big rockpile

[swollen tongue]

plugging a tire hole works in a tubless tire and is o.k. but usually I have mine taken down and a patch put on the inside of the tire............

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by swollen tongue

plugging a tire hole works in a tubless tire and is o.k. but usually I have mine taken down and a patch put on the inside of the tire............

This Tire has had the same hole patched at the Shop 3 times

big rockpile

[Ed Norman]

I learned it 20 years ago from an old boss. I carry a plug kit in every vehicle now. I also have a little compressor.

But, last month I had a flat on my pickup and saw the screw sticking out. I got the kit, pulled the screw out, and absolutely could not get either the rasp or the plug in the hole. All I can think of is it has some kind of kevlar belts that are tougher than I am. After an hour of trying, I aired it up too much and drove like a madman for town to get a patch put on.

[FarmboyBill]

Learned long time ago, NOT to pull a screw out of a tire, or much of anything else. I drive like hair to get to a tire place. They can pull out the screw. Most times, if you can air it up, The screw is tight enough that it will hold air for awhile.

[Ed Norman]

I've pulled out countless screws and nails then plugged them. I don't go to the tire shop to get the plug replaced with a patch either. My tires are full of plugs. But now I'm wary of these tires.

[Pelenaka]

Another good item to have in the trunk is a few cans of fix-a-flat.

That product has saved me twice.



~~ pelenaka ~~

[JuliaAnn]

Learned when I was a teenager to keep a plug kit in the car and plenty of plugs. Around here a tire shop charges ten dollars to plug a tire and air it up. I also carry one of those little 12v. compressors you plug into the cigarette lighter, but mine won't air up anything over 35 lbs. Didn't work on the big pickup that takes 50 lb. air in the tires. I need to see if there is a 12v. one that does....

[Sawmill Jim]

Easy thing is put a tad bigger screw in it ans drive normal Have ran screws in a tire till the head would wear down .

It's a very good prep talent. I suggest everyone learn how. I learned because I kept getting flats in NE MN where the nearest shop was 50 miles away and no neighbors. I would change the tire and hope the spare didn't go flat. Now I carry a repair kit for plugging holes and a 12 volt compressor. The kit with 'T" handle tools is easier to use.


Start by finding the leak. Make sure there is still some air in the tire. Mix a couple shots of dish detergent in a coffee cup of water. Use a tooth brush to apply the soap mixture to the tire. The leak will bubble. You may have to move the truck to rotate the leak to the top of the tire where you can find it.

Keep track of the leak while you rinse the soap off and dry it. I mark the leak with a piece of chalk once it is dry. Pull out any nail, screw, or foreign object that's stuck in the tire. Force the rasp into the hole until it goes all the way through the tire. Pull it most of the way back out, apply some rubber cement, and push it in and pull it out a few times then pull it all the way out. Thread a plug half way through the eye of the plug tool and push it into the hole so most of the plug is in the tire then pull the tool out. You will leave the plug filling the hole with some sticking out. Trim off the projecting part of the plug. Wait about a half hour for the glue to dry then fill the tire and enjoy.

This is what most shops will do so you have saved some bucks and you don't have to worry if there is a shop close.

[||Downhome||]

plug alone is a temp fix! if the shop only plugs they are fly by nighters!

the shop I WAS AT WOULD JUST PLUG IT BUT A FEW DOLLARS EXTRA YOU GOT THE GOOD JOB! thats a Combo plug and patch! THEY MADE THEIR MONEY EITHER WAY! the extra covered the plug/patch combo.

[||Downhome||]

plug alone is a temp fix! if the shop only plugs they are fly by nighters!

the shop I WAS AT WOULD JUST PLUG IT BUT A FEW DOLLARS EXTRA YOU GOT THE GOOD JOB! thats a Combo plug and patch! THEY MADE THEIR MONEY EITHER WAY! the extra covered the plug/patch combo.

[CarolT]

I hate Fix-a-Flat Makes a gooey mess inside the tire and on the rim. I know, it serves a purpose, but luckily I haven't had to use it. Tire people have told me some of them refuse to mount a tire on a rim that's got it on it. I'm a 51 year old woman and, though I wouldn't want anybody watching, most of the time I can get a plug in a tire.

Nimrod, I coat the plug with glue, too. Seems to be less likely to leak. I also save all my dishwashing liquid bottles with the last few drops in them. Add water and just squirt on the tire. Can use an old Windex type bottle, too.

JME, but any time a plug didn't leak immediately, it lasted just fine.

[Ed Norman]

I've never seen a shop that plugged, which is why I didn't know how for so long. I usually am back there visiting with the guy while he patches.

And when I brought in a plug that I didn't trust, nobody ever put a patch over it. First thing they do is pull out the plug.

I get lots of rock cuts in the mountains, and you can jam in 2-3-4 plugs some times and seal up a bigger cut. But then I get it looked at and sometimes the tire is a loss. I just hate jacking up a rig on a steep grade with firewood haulers and cattle trailers rolling by, so I first try to plug everything.

A few years back in Farm Show, some guy had come up with a tire sealant. They showed pictures of 2X4 studs driven thru tractor tires and pulled out, and the sealant held air.

[||Downhome||]

sorry about the double post.

[Rusty'sDog]

I have used those plugs several times, and they have always lasted for the normal life of the tire.
A "must have" in every tool kit. Why do flats always happen on Sunday/3-day weekends? (Or when you are really in a hurry!) Must be Murphy's Law.

[pheasantplucker]

Hope the hole/plug was on the tread and not the side wall. Holes in a side wall are never "trustworthy"...If so you should scrap the tire.

[blufford]

Originally Posted by pheasantplucker

Hope the hole/plug was on the tread and not the side wall. Holes in a side wall are never "trustworthy"...If so you should scrap the tire.

I've plugged sidewall leaks with success and ran the tire until it needed replaced. I can't say I was ever comfortable doing it but sometimes you don't have the money to replace a tire. Even so I think you've given some good advise.

[pheasantplucker]

I know money is not always easy to come by, but if it involves safety with regard to a car or truck or motorcycle...it should be a top priority, IMO.

[blufford]

When I was a kid, early 1960s. sometimes my bicycle tubes would have more patches than tube, lols.