Plugging a tyre

Yea, but isn't that the glue to keep the plug in!!
Pud

Hi, I find that the glue is more than adequate for any lubrication required provided that the reaming tool is used for smaller punctures - multipurpose!!

Regards
Alan

Hi Millsy,

I agree with Equinox use tyre/tube repair glue and not only have you got a lubricant you also add to the strength of the plug repair, especially when using two or more plugs.
I have a number of occasions found it impossible to remove glued plugs when doing a proper repair afterward at home,

cheers

hi all
i have only ever used plugs dry out the packet but the fluid could be an advantage but my instructions never said to use any but the last tyre i repaired kept leaking at the plug slowly maybe there made in china now///
my original kit plugs were german

can some one tell me where i can buy a container of vulcanizing fluid to use with stick on patches

i have only ever seen it in the kits but would like to buy some on it's own do you know of any retailers that keep it
i did see it at a tyre dealer once but was three times the price that i had paid for my large repair kit at the time of purchase
thank you
cheers barry

Hi Barry,
Try Rema Tip Top,
Vulcanising Liquid

Hope this helps you out.

Cheers,
Dennis

Hi Mick.
Yes it was through the tread.Ive carried the repair kit for years and never had to use it.Done lots of trips so guess ive been very lucky.Had two teck screws in the same tyre in a week so thought it was a good time to try the kit out .Worked well and no leak but will get the tyre repaired properly this week.Used the reamer but just about burst the woopa valve getting the plug in.Tyres are Cooper Sts for the record and done nearly 80000 klms.Due for repacement now but done a lot of hard work including the Gibb ,Holland track and through Murchison etc towing a Coromal 401 part of the way and not one punture.They also get let down to 14 psi and do lots of beach work.
Cheers Graeme.

Cheers Graeme. Yep the tread punctures are an absolute mongrel to get the string in. That's where the reamer comes into its own in tracing the path of the offending material. Struth I've near done my phoofa valve a couple of times on the rare tread stake I've suffered. Without opening a tin of worms, I've had a pretty goods run out of three sets of ST's. Wouldn't go back after the Toyo's though. They are brilliant.

Great feeling to finally use the kit and be successful isn't it? I remember when EO member Jack and I first used a plug at Eagle Rock falls in the Kimberley a few years ago. We removed the tyre and all. We've come a long way since then (although he's still using BFG's lol).

Well done.

Mick.

Image Could Not Be Found

G day Mick
I plugged one of my BFG's at Windjana Gorge, and managed to get another 10,000 km out of it, before we got home. looked a bit buggered but. But the integrity of the plug was still in tact.
I actually went to our local Tyrepower Dealer and got the "good" plugs and glue before we left. So it pays to get quality, and not the "el-cheapo" stuff

Temporary ?.... Yes/No !.

Once home, I got the propper patch out in place of the plug.

And you are correct about easing the "reamer" thru the thread, kinda makes sence, not to hurry.

Cheers Mate
Bucky

Buckmeister,

I've got over 30,000 out of a plug and still going strong when I changed the tyres so they do last. They are designed to be temporary so public liability being what it is, I'd only ever reccomend what the manufacturers reccomend....know what I mean?!

I've always used the best that I could buy and avoid the cheapies. You can spot the difference immediately. Same with glue (Panesi) and radial patches (Rema Tiptop) for the inside repairs. Good quality and usually a bit larger than needed seeing I'm repairing a long way from anywhere and usually in tough conditions. A bit more strength and support for the tyre is always a good thing in my book.

Cheers Mick

hi john and val and all
well the govtmt info may well be the politically correct way to repair a tyre but the fact is when your in the bush and facing the impossible
desperate men do desperate things to keep going as we are well aware of
they quote
take it to a tyre dealer
have you seen one on the csr/
gunbarrel hwy and any of the other tracks and i'm sure mick o didn't sight any on his many adventures while exploring

from my farming days and 4wd experiences most larger stakes cause star internal fractures of the tyre

i do agree with removing the tyre and have stuck a patch on the inside of many tyres after plugging where several plugs are needed in extreme cases
in particular where the stake was large
it usually causes a star fracture inside and this is what makes it very hard to seal off
using multables of plugs and quite often as you keep pushing plugs in to try and stop the leak you actually keep tearing the rip inside where as an interior patch over the area stops this
i know it might be time consuming but
to remove and look quite often it's actually quicker and effectivelly a better repair in the long run
also depends on the terrian /situation and how many spare tyres your carrying and how far you have got as in
- mick o's- exploring ventures

a patch inside makes a much better and more leak proof repair and gives the fractured area a bit of strength and as well as reducing direct pressure on the weakest part
just have to slice the plugs off with razor knife and roughen the inside with wire brush in battery drill and found that to get it clean have used a slightly soaked petrol rag if there nothing else -eg tyre cleaning fluid
every little bit helps
cheers barry

Hi John and Mazcan


I must confess I’ve left the odd plug in far too long but if it’s in a sidewall, the plug is always a temporary measure designed to get you going and usually in some pretty harsh country. If it’s a big split, it usually means a tyre change there and then. As Pete (OzHumvee) has said, plugs will allow you to take care of some pretty big gashes but like me, I know he pulls the tyres off and repairs them at the first opportunity (and he can shove those runflats of his where the sun don’t shine ;-). When traveling, we have always taken care of side wall punctures at the first available opportunity and I have always been mindful of driving at speed with plugs in. I have found that the excessive heat build up in tyres moving at track or highway speeds can cause a plug to pop out. A lot of plugs will eventually work themselves out anyway, particularly if they are doing hard work on cad roads or cross country stuff. This is also impacted by heavy loads, towing etc where the tyre is working even harder. This is not always the case but I’ve probably repaired several hundred punctures over the past 5 years with plugs so the law of averages alone has dictated that I’ve seen a lot of what can happen with them.

As you’ve probably seen in any number of my video offerings, the 4.00 p.m. ritual in the deserts is usually stripping a tyre down off a rim and patching appropriately. I’ll usually pull all plugs while I’ve got the tyre off and patch everything at the same time. I agree with the QLD publication in respect to sealing the external damage. I use the Maverick Bond for this and it works well. Again these are temporary repairs and I’ll replace the tyre or have it repaired to Australian Standards at the first opportunity. Barry’s idea with leaving the plug and cutting off on the inside is a good one and I’ll try that next time. Would probably still put a bit of Maverick Bond around the external joins though to add some strength as the tyre walls and hence the length of plug are only a few mm.

Badly damaged tyres are usually replaced at the first opportunity. At worst they’re relegated to the “Spare of last resort” for the trailer. There’s a lot of myth around tyre repairs and in emergency situations, you can, and will use just about anything to get them going with some amazing results. My best so far is lilo rubber, gaffer tape and superglue with a tube. It got us the distance it needed to till we could get a new tyre. I’ve seen a thong used and seen the Balgo bush mechanics stuff a tyre with spinifex. This must always be tempered by the common sense approach in that these repairs are emergency and temproary only. You then drive a heavily laden 4x4 down a highway at 100 kph and you’re looking for trouble.

Cheers Mick

P.S. With the new Toyos the problem seems to have confined itself to other peoples tyres now lol.

Mazcan, Mick,

Agree 100% with the "Man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" approach. When you've gotta put a string in to keep traveling until nightfall, that's what you do. Trouble is I'm a lazy sod, so when tonight comes, maybe I'll fall back on that other wisdom - "If it's not broke, don't fix it", so the days roll by and once the temporary fix has proved itself for a week or two it becomes accepted as a permanent fix.

I posted that quote here to point out that it's NOT ok to consider a string as a more than a temporary fix.

Did I hear Mick that you are planning extensions to your stretched Toyo??

Cheers

John