AnswerID: 114304 Submitted: Saturday, Jun 04, 2005 at 00:19
Member - 'Lucy'
replied:
Evening All
I had the good fortune to be a 'passage controller' at the recent Out Back Challenge which involved me being with a group of teams 24/7 over the competition period of 7 days.
Prior to this I was a tad 'reticent/shy/not real sure of myself' about using the plug repair regime.
NOT ANYMORE.
That week was THE best experience /on the job training any one could wish for.
I trashed a tyre on an excellent dirt road that left a 20mm gash in the tread and an exit hole in the opposite side wall of 5mm. No idea what did it.
That I thought was the end of that. No way Jose', under the 'boys' guidance I plugged that sucker with 5 plugs in the tread and one in the side wall.
Yeah! Yeah! I know - you shouldn't do that etc etc etc, however I had an active spare (150kms from civilisation) until I had a replacement sent out the following day.
Whatever trashed it also compromised the side wall laminations in the same spot causing a slight bulge on re- inflation. Yep! a cactus tyre.
Anyway, the new one arrived and the 'boys' told be to bring it over between competition stages ( sweet F A time in reality) and I watched two of them rip the trashed tyre off the rim in just under a minute, refit the rim to the new tyre and seat it in under 30 seconds then re-inflate it.
Must say I was gob smacked as it all took place on a piece of canvas on the ground alongside their competion machine in the middle of nowhere.
How did they do it??
Well you had to be there to see it, however I will say the majority of them carried Safety Seal Kits, I also carry one and I won't be holding back in giving it a workout if necessary from now on.
The amazing thing was that there was no ancillary backup workshop gear available, they just used what they carried. Tyrepliers, Tyre levers, BIG hammer, safety Seal kit etc etc.
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Reply 4 of 5
FollowupID: 370785 Submitted:
Thursday, Jun 09, 2005 at 08:16
Member - Phil G (SA) posted:
Hi Davoe,
I have done the same stretch of road that Wolfie described 3 times in the past 3 years - and only 2 punctures between a total of 19 vehicles - one was just a tubeless plug and the other was a splittie that needed a patch; and no
suspension problems. Wolfies group had the tyre and
suspension hassles because they didn't reduce tyre pressures. I ran 17psi on that road last time - most people were running 20-24psi. Wolfie ran 34psi.
I guess my point is that there are other ways of reducing punctures, apart from resorting to 14ply crossplies, which must be a pretty crappy bitumen tyre (I used crossplies on my early 4wds). I've personally had one puncture in the past 6 years, and I do 2 major desert trips a year, and a stack of Flinders/High Country and other club trips.
The change to the 79series has been nice. Have spent a lot of time fitting it out - will try it out in the Flinders this weekend, and the
Hay River in the Simpson at the end of the month. They are the pick of the trucks once the kids have flown.
Cheers
Phil
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FollowUp 6 of 7
