has left me pondering

Of course you can put a tube in a tubeless , won't do any harm but take it out soon as you get to where it can be repaired , 2 a highlift jack makes a good bead breaker too , I don't own one , they are fantastic jaw breakers, I've seen what they're like when they get out of control [air jack is safer ]

The only time you should need to break the bead on a tubeless is if you have done major damage to it and need to remove it to place a large gator or patch and probably a tube as well as a stopgap measure to get you home. Even sidewall flattys can be done by worms i currently have 4 worms in one sidewall gash and had 1 in the other side until it developed a slow leak a few months later so i had it fixed.
You certainly can put a tube in a tubeless tyre but you wouldnt bother unless you had to.
I carry tyrpliers, 2 tyre levers,a big selection of patches (for the splittys) and worms for the radials. i have only ever used the worms and never needed the tyrepliers.
But i will be darn glad to have the equipment should the need arise

Q..............If I have tubeless tyres the only time I should need to break the bead is if I need to repair the side wall with a patch yes/no

A........YES

Q..............or put a tube in as a last resort yes/no ?

A..........YES

Q..........and I for this I will need tyre iron to refit the tyre on the rim along with bead breaker yes/no

A...........You will need a R&R Beadbreaker or equivalent. Go to www.randrbreadbreaker.com

Q........lastly why is it that you can not put a tube in a tubeless tyre ?

A........You CAN put tube in tubeless tyre

NOTE You can also plug holes in side or tread of tubeless tyres without the need of removing them from the rims. Buy a plug kit

Hope this helps you.

Good to see a simple message about tyre plugs is getting through!! Plugging has been my preferred method for the past 7 years, since I went on a 16 vehicle charity tagalong, and the leader fixed almost every puncture with Tech brand plugs - he was so quick at it that others in the convoy had no idea that someone had had a puncture.

But all plugs are not created equal! The shorter thicker ones are usually better, and you need to use tyre glue inside the hole as well as on the plug before inserting it. The best brand I've found are still the "Tech" brand plugs. They are hard to find - might even have to get a tyre dealer to order them in from the distributor - Beissbarth. Each plug is individually wrapped so they don't dry out, so you can hang onto them for many years.

But theres a knack to inserting them. When you get a puncture, first thing is to get the pump out and put more air into the tyre, to identify the puncture. You also will find plugging works best with air inthe tyre. If its a slow leak, and you can't find the leak, get a spray bottle with a few drops of detergent in the water, and spray around until you find the bubbles. You may need to roll the vehicle forward to find the hole or to get it into a good position to plug it. Then apply glue to the inside of the hole - don't worry about the air escaping - you use this tool to have a feel, and find out the direction of the hole. Then load up the plug onto the split insertion tool - apply glue to the plug, and insert, making sure you follow the direction of the hole. Insert very slowly, and use your finger to prevent accidentally putting it all the way in. Leave about 1-2cm hanging out. Give it a minute while you put more air into the tyre, then spray with the soapy water to see if the leak is fixed. If not a second or third plug may be needed. In my experience, and using decent plugs and glue, this is not often required. Then pack up and go.

So in answer to your original question, I think beadbreakers are a waste of money. Punctures are largely preventable. Take 2 spares in remote areas, as you still may destroy a complete tyre. Use a jack or highliftjack as your beadbreaker if you were unlucky enough to get a big split. Then you only need to lever the outside bead over the rim to get access for the patch. Taking off the whole tyre is what scratches up the rim.

Anyway, enough rambling......................

Cheers
phil

Hi Jas

The trouble with carrying all the bead breaking gear is that it is fairly well useless to you unless there is someone around that knows how to use it. Repairing tyres in the bush isn’t easy and can be dangerous.

String plugs on the other hand are great, any novice can read the instruction on the back of the box and whack one in.

For most trekkers an extra spare tyre, a string plug kit and a cheapo compressor will get you out of all but the nastiest situations tyre wise.

Regards
Spinifex

I agree 100% with Dave about the compressor. But I do carry a hand pump as a spare if travelling alone.

I don't carry bead breakers, I refer to run over the tyre to break the bead. I also don't us high-lift jacks anymore- most modern 4b's have nowhere to lift from anyway. So that save a fair bit of weight :-)

I do carry two tyre levers, and rubber mallet and numerous patches and bits. I do carry string plugs but rarely use them unless as a last resort. I do agree that they are good becasue any mug can use them. My personal preference is for all vehicles to have two spares, so I just put one spare on, and at the next stop I remove the tyre and place a mushroom plug in it if suitable, otherwise I patch and tube.

In the event of a second flat, I'd have to string plug or repair on the spot. In that case I do them both at once.

I second the opinion that it isn't much use having the gear if you haven't done it before. Changng tyres in the bush is pretty easy (though hard work) for the experienced possibly a nightmare if you aren't.

Cheers
David

Hi Jas

A lot of these posts are a bit academic unless you have
really been into some of the situations, and then you
appreciate tools that are suitable for the job.

Gee I even had to use my beadbreaker last week. It appears
that after coming down a rocky track section a sharp rock
put a slice into the tubeless valve. Didn't know till
back and camp and washing a bit of muddy off I hear this hissing
after brushing my hand against valve stem. Lot of people don't think
about, carry, or have ever replaced this vital $2 part.
The homemade tyrepliers quickly gave me access and a solution.

Last Xmas 4wding we broke bead and cleaned out a tyre that friend
had hit log in dirt with which caused grass dirt to get under the
bead and cause slow leak , and few days later repaired a 50mm straight
tear with a bit of mudflap material and lots of shoo goo as an emergency fix.

You know you can often get by with less effective methods like jacking off
or running over a wheel (if it does not twist up and hit you as I've seen)
but I only used 2 of the sockets in my tool set this weekend while bush.

But I'm not going to leave the rest at home because I can get most
nuts off with my multigrips !

The tyrepliers, backed up by the reseating power of an air transfer hose is simple
and effective tools for many jobs.

Don't leave home without one !

Robin Miller

Ive carried bead breakers for years, used them to get myself and others out of the sh#t plenty of times. All the tools you've all been talking about have their time and place, depends on who you are were you go what sort of tyres you use and who you go with.

G'day Jas,

You've gotten good advice here and I also reckon it pays to be independant when travelling so I take the lot, including a couple of tubes and some new valve stems. Remeber to take the tool to take out valves as well. See,



and note that we replaced this tyre with a spare case when we arrived at Kalumburu. It is hard work and well worth experiencing in a relaxed atmosphere to appreciate that it can be done. In our situation I did have another spare but while your shooting the breeze do the repair and you end up with 2 spares for your next leg.

Kind regards

An alternative to carrying beadbrakers and the like is to just use a small bottle jack(or the jack that comes with the bloody car!) and two light weight tyre levers, you can easily break the bead with a small block of wood and the jack using the the tow bar,the bull bar, steel side steps etc to push off, but hey then no-one would buy bead breaker kits,would they?

!MPG:4! If I can do it in 40 degree heat I am sure others can!