Bruce's Journal

[Bruce]

The little donuts are better than what some cars come with these days, a can of "fix a flat" stuff. At least the donut can get you to a tire shop 50 miles away. I think the "can" is good for a couple of miles to the tire shop, IF there is one a couple of miles away. Few mid to smaller size vehicles even have room for a full size spare. In fact, though I was told differently, the spare on the '95 Odyssey wasn't full size. Bigger than a donut but not full size.

Gotta have a full size van or a truck if you are going to carry a floor jack and full size spare! And yeah, those scissor jacks are truly only for emergencies. I bought a floor jack to swap the summer and winter tires.

Frost on the ground and cars this morning even though Mister NOAA said it was going to be low 40°s. Just started a fire in the woodstove, house was down to 62 which is a degree or 2 more than it will be for a high outside today.

 

[CntryBoy777]

I'd rather have a plug kit in the vehicle instead of a can of stuff. I've plugged plenty of tires and never even jacked it up. I haven't talked to a single tire guy that likes the can stuff, because it is flamable and is dangerous for them when thay break the seal on their machine....plus, the liquid will damage the inside of the tire, if it is run too long.
Btw, sorry to hear about Trouble....guess ya named him properly tho.

 

[Bruce]

Not only that but the "goo" will destroy the now mandatory tire pressure monitors inside the tire! I don't know about all of them but the ones for our cars cost over $100 each which is why we don't have them in the winter tires on their own rims. (don't tell anyone but I make sure the yearly inspection is done when the summer tires are on the car. )

I've never tried to plug a tire though I gather it isn't too hard. IF I had a pump with me I could have done that to my wife's car some years back. Left the house at the same time, heading for the rink. She was in front and pulled into a lot not 1/2 mile from our house. Seems she picked up a screw in our driveway from the next door neighbor's construction. Since she had to open the rink, she took DD1 in my car and I was left to swap the donut on. Wouldn't have worked the last time I got a flat because I got two at the same time. Sidewalls blown when I was forced into a curb by an AH that changed lanes into me. If I had a beater rather than a fairly new car, you can bet his passenger side metal would have been ripped up and my tires would have been fine. And I would have made it to the airport to pick up my friend!

 

[CntryBoy777]

It is pretty basic and simple and if ya can see the screw or nail and can get in a position to pull it out and force the plug in, ya never have to even jack up the car or bust a lug. Nothing will repair a sidewall, except another tire.

 

[Latestarter]

There are also very inexpensive DC powered tire pumps that you can throw in the trunk or hide under a seat that will re-inflate the tire. You plug it into a cigarette lighter and simple as pie. Plugging the tire is easy if you can get to the hole. The only thing you have to be careful about is when pushing the plug in, that you don't push it too far and have it go completely through the hole and into the tire... Once that happens, you lose the plug when you pull the tool back out and it is inside the tire rather than lodged in the hole. So you have to start over. That's why it's nice if the plug cord is longer than the tool shaft so when you push and the tool slams all the way in against the handle, there's still plug left outside the tire hole. As was said, sidewalls aren't repairable...

 

[Bruce]

There are also very inexpensive DC powered tire pumps that you can throw in the trunk or hide under a seat that will re-inflate the tire. You plug it into a cigarette lighter and simple as pie.

Yep, have one of those. TINY though, it would probably take an hour to inflate the tire from dead flat I suppose I should buy a plug kit and keep it in the car with the pump. Now that we have discussed it, if I don't get a kit, I'll probably get a nail or screw in a tire. Of course if I DO get a kit, I'll never need it.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Just think of it as preventive maintainence then...I even plugged the front tire on the rider and it held all season, so far. Though, I had to use soapy water to find the hole....

 

[Latestarter]

I've plugged 3 times on the lawn tractor already. Something to do with running over thorn bushes/green briars. Who knew the tread on those garden tractor tires was 1/2 ply? Never plugged a regular vehicle tire. There's this little Hispanic tire shop in town and I pull in there. They pull the tire, water trough it, pull the offending object, bore and plug the hole then re-mount the tire for $7... and all in under ten minutes. Well worth the expense as I don't have to get all grimy/dirty/sweaty and waste several hours doing it. Just had a slow leak on the front left tire taken care of a couple days ago.

 

[Bruce]

Spent part of the day adding a 6' roost to the coop. Hoping the younger girls can find a spot Penelope won't chase them off of when she comes in at night.
Old right side:

Current coop from left to right. Left side is the broody buster box support. But it is in the next stall over because the birds really seem to like to roost on it.


I tacked the board on the end so no one could accidentally shift too far toward the front of the coop and land in the nest box.

Just so you know @CntryBoy777, other than the screws it was made entirely of scrap And that isn't just the new roost, EVERYTHING in there was "reclaimed".

I put Mint in the coop tonight, from the Alpaca stand. Guess how many birds were on the new roost! Right, the same number you see in the pictures

 

[Mike CHS]

They are definitely creatures of habit.