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Emergency tire repair in the boondocks????

Captain Avgas

Well Known Member
Having a flat tire in an RV in an out-of-way place can be a nightmare...envisage no tools, no jacking equipment, no spare tube....and maybe no people prepared to provide assistance.

Is it possible that any of the current automotive tire repair kits could be used to fix a puncture temporarily so that the aircraft could be flown home or to an airfield where there is appropriate maintenance support. We're talking here about tires with tubes, which is what most of the RV fleet has.

Has anyone had success with any of the tire sealants such as Slime etc?

I'm interested in all comments on this subject.
 
You can get lawn tractor tubes of the appropriate size at places like Tractor Supply or Grainger. You may not find the exact valve stem you want but a straight one will work, especially if all you care about is getting home.
Slime is like Marvel Mystery Oil. Sworn by some and loathed by others. The key like
many things is using it properly. Don't use too much and make sure it is evenly distributed.
I don't use it religiously but I have used it on occasion and never had a bad experience with it. It did stop a chronic slow leaker I once had and allowed me to get another leak free year or so out of the tube.
 
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Doesn't take too many tools / weight to carry minimum equipment to competently do it yourself anywhere. Look into the co2 cartridge inflators, hose clamp and scissor jack technique, carry a spare tube...
 
If the tube isn't destroyed, a bicycle patch kit would probably work. Probably just as easy to carry a spare tube though.

I don't see how a straight stem would work on a the main gear. You wouldn't be able to air it up. It would be great to find out what (if any) law-tractor type tubes would work, just in case.
 
I carry spares...

When traveling. I carry a main and nose wheel tube as well as tube repair kit, talcum powder, Jack, a couple U-bolts to tighten around the main gear leg to have something for the jack to grab on to, and 12volt compressor, ta. It has come in handy and kept me from being stuck... 1 hour inconvenience...
 
slime and air is your easiest way to get out. with wheel pants off and air in the tires you can get to safety even if you land with another flat. front flat even less of a problem. i landed with a front flat gave it the gas and headed home. dirt bikers swear by the green slime. great post.
flew over to fort myers to pickup a pickleball pro to help promote an indoor club in port saint lucie. may have sparked a new pilot.
IMG-0489.jpg
 
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Been there done that, twice. The second one happened at an airport with not a soul around which meant no help, no air, no jack, and stuck on a taxiway. At least my cell phone worked and the rescue crew showed up three hours later in a Cessna 195.

I have an aluminum scissor jack which weighs 3lbs I mounted behind the baggage compartment in my Rocket, along with with a small mountain bike pump and a spare tube.
 
I carry a spare tube and have started carrying a CO2 bicycle tire inflator. I bought a 3 lb. aluminum Audi jack but haven't gotten it configured yet.
 
I rescued a friend yesterday with a small Harbor Freight aluminum floor jack, a hose clamp and a can of fix-a-flat. The goo inflated the tire and stopped the leak enough that he was able to get off the ground and home. It went flat again but at that point he was at his home field with a replacement tube.

Obviously a floor jack, even an aluminum one, is too heavy to just carry around, but it was handy so along it went. The aluminum scissors jack is a great idea, need to get one.
 
A super lightweight bicycle pump (weighs only ounces) works great to inflate a tube, and never runs out of available air.
 
You guys might be able to get the 3d printer guy to design a tressle jack that would work with the RVs. The aluminum 3lb ones are rated for 2 tons, so I assume a plastic one capable of lifting ~500 lbs would weigh less than a pound.
 
You guys might be able to get the 3d printer guy to design a tressle jack that would work with the RVs. The aluminum 3lb ones are rated for 2 tons, so I assume a plastic one capable of lifting ~500 lbs would weigh less than a pound.

Only, I have a "light" airplane and it is just over 500 lbs per wheel with no fuel on board. He needs to design something to hold a minimum of 1500 lbs., just in case.
 
jack?....we don' need no steenkin' Jacque!

ok, haven't had a 'flat', but at annual, I found it much more stable to use a lever...like those racy guys do.
Ok, you may not have an 8' long 2x4 in your RV, but can probably find something laying around an airfield. old fence post 2" pipe, angle iron, etc.

A clamp on the gear leg or other lift point is nice, but I usually used a rope tied around the axle, and looped over the 2x4.
Works with the fairing in place, even the wheelpant, if you just need air...and need to rotate the valve stem into alignment.

a cinderblock or something similar is the fulcrum...put it a foot or two behind the axle....you'll quickly learn how much leverage you need.

Lift, and set the front of the 2x4 on another block, and you are in business.
with a flat, you may need to do this again, and put an additional shim on your fulcrum, or front block rest.

I have a pic of this buried somewhere in the photo he!! on my PC.....:eek:
 
I flew to a local Saturday morning breakfast last month and when I came out I noticed the left MLG tire was flat. One of my buddies from our group got under the wing and lifted the tire off the ground using his back so I could get the wheel pant high enough to remove the bottom screws and then get to the tire.

The tire would not hold any air so we scrounged around for tools and wood to set the axle on after I removed the tire. I have an airstrip in my front yard so my buddy flew me back to my house in his RV14. My wife and myself loaded up my van with all the tools needed and drove 60 miles back to the airport where I patched the tube and flew it home.

I am an A&P and was curious if that would have been a legal temp repair if my aircraft was certified instead of an RV9A. I couldn't find anything in the FAR's concerning a patched tube. At any rate I only plan to carry tools in the aircraft to remove a flat tire if it happens again since there are automotive tire shops near most airports where a patch can be made to get me home or to an airport that has an FBO repair shop. Green Slime would not have helped with a whole in the tube.
george
 
I have many times put my back against the wing spar and lifted my plane. It is actually quite easy. I would not bother with a jack, but do carry spare tubes - especially the nose wheel tube. You are not going to get that anywhere local.
 
I have many times put my back against the wing spar and lifted my plane. It is actually quite easy. I would not bother with a jack, but do carry spare tubes - especially the nose wheel tube. You are not going to get that anywhere local.

I know of a few certified aircraft where back against the wing lifting is approved and listed in the POH. That said, it takes two people. One on the wing and one pulling the wheel off or putting it back on.
 
Have you used it for an emergency?

I carry one of these, a spare tube, tools and an RV jack so that I can repair a tire when doing a trip into the never never:

http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eB...ategory=22691&pm=1&ds=0&t=1567750194000&ver=0

Cheers

Checked it out. The small (tiny) size of this device makes it very attractive. It's available here in US at about $150 from Amazon.
The questions/answers presented there claim 2 bicycle tire fills per charge which makes me wonder how that relates to our tires.

Any experience there?
Thanks
 
I've had three flats over the last 11 years and each was a major hassle even though I was lucky being not too far from home and able to get help. Now I carry the equipment & spare tube to be able to put a new tube in by myself at an away airport. I hate to carry the extra weight but I do it anyways. I also keep my tires inflated at 40psi or so. I think letting them get below 30psi causes the flats. My two cents.
 
Da Green Slime!

Having a flat tire in an RV in an out-of-way place can be a nightmare...
Has anyone had success with any of the tire sealants such as Slime etc?
I'm interested in all comments on this subject.

Bob,
I've been Sliming the tubes in the tires of my two RV's, Rocket, Lawn tractors and Dirt Bike/Mountain bikes for 25 years. I buy it on Amazon in the 1 Gallon size! It's proven itself in the past during numerous RV and Rocket jaunts to the Idaho back-country, desert Dirt bike racing, TX Mesquite thorns in my Raptor Zero-turn mower and Mountain Bikes. It worked so well in my RV4, I only found and realized I had a puncture (the previous summer) during the Fall annual.

I also carry a can of Fix a flat and a 12V air pump when I head to the boonies.
V/R
Smokey


The Boy Scout (and Special Ops) motto: Be Prepared :)


PS: MAF uses a similar sealant in their missionary aircraft worldwide.
www.maf.org
 
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Careful, Fumpa has two sizes

The one Amazon has is the “mini”

I think we would want the regular size,..which is not a whole lot bigger,...and is in the link in this thread...

Possible alternative is mini foot pump that Amazon shows when you look at the Mini Fumpa
 
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A super lightweight bicycle pump (weighs only ounces) works great to inflate a tube, and never runs out of available air.

I carry one of these with a tube patch kit in my plane, along with typical tools needed to get tire off and separated. Not sure how I'll jack the plane. but an easy tool to borrow, if you can find another human.

Larry
 
I routinely put slime in my tubes, but slime doesn't typically help with where tubes rupture most of the time. Flats are not usually due to a foreign object penetrating the outside of the tire. Rather its when tire gets low on pressure, the tire will move on the rim and the tube gets torn on the side. I like to run 40psi to help prevent flats and I think it goes a long way in doing so.
 
I routinely put slime in my tubes, but slime doesn't typically help with where tubes rupture most of the time. Flats are not usually due to a foreign object penetrating the outside of the tire. Rather its when tire gets low on pressure, the tire will move on the rim and the tube gets torn on the side. I like to run 40psi to help prevent flats and I think it goes a long way in doing so.

Agreed - two of my three flats were caused by running tire pressure a bit low and tearing the tube on one of them, and rubbing a hole in it on the other. The third one was runway FOD.
 
I carry a cig lighter pump with a long cord that doubles as a gauge and work light. I carry a small bottle of slime (which has a Shraeder valve wrench as a cap) and a spare valve. I have the doubled up hose clamps on my gear legs which make nice Jack points. It would take The Rock or Rosie O'Donnell to lift a 10 wing from a crouch. I always carry a new tube but when I do Mexico I carry a tire as well. (Never had them try an charge me an import tax).
Knock on the top of my head, in almost 700 hours I've never had a road flat and I do a lot of non asphalt. I have used just about everything I carry however to assist someone else.
 
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Checked it out. The small (tiny) size of this device makes it very attractive. It's available here in US at about $150 from Amazon.
The questions/answers presented there claim 2 bicycle tire fills per charge which makes me wonder how that relates to our tires.

Any experience there?
Thanks

I have used the pump to inflate a single tire when doing a tire replacement due to ware.

Cheers
 
I used Rosie’s method ones. I waited for an hour to catch a passer by to help with wheel removal. :D

Antilles_619.jpg


Now I carry spare tubes, bicycle pump and a lightweight jack made by Mike Bauer.

 
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I used Rosie?s method ones. I waited for an hour to catch a passer by to help with wheel removal. :D

Antilles_619.jpg


Now I carry spare tubes, bicycle pump and a lightweight jack made by Mike Bauer.

HA! I remember that scene. Everybody ready to go feet wet, except Rosie. I can't remember how I lucked out not being SharkBait there under the wing. If you've ever seen Rosie do on-the-fly maintenance on the ramp, it is a hoot. He takes that tool bag out of the airplane and turns it upside down and shakes all of its contents out onto the ramp. He then has everything right at hand :).

I'll say it again. Simple bicycle pump. Weighs just grams and never runs out of air.
 
It would be helpful to know where you are. Someone could fly in and help you out. Cheers.... with so many RV'ers doing their own maintenance chances are good someone can give you AAA service - Aviation Amateurs of America.... :D
 
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