For today’s passion blog, I would like to talk about fixing flat tires. Although I mastered this skill while on the job at Highland orchards, my first opportunity to fix a flat tire came in my younger years when I popped a bike tire. Consequently, my dad showed me how to go about patching it.
The first thing to mention is that there are two major types of pneumatic (air filled) tires you will run into. The first is the tubeless tire. This is the standard for cars and all down the road vehicles. This just means that the only parts are the tire and the steel/aluminum wheel. The next type is tube tires. These have a tire, inflatable inner tube, and a steel or aluminum wheel. These are found on tractors and bicycles for the most part.
Each type must be fixed differently. Since I learned tube tires first, I’ll talk about them first. The first step to fixing a flat tube tire is to find if there is a nail or screw or something in the tire. If there is, remove it. Next, remove the rubber tire from the rim. This is accomplished with a large flathead screwdriver or a specially made tire iron. Once it is removed, then take off the thin rubber inner tube. If the hole is not obvious, inflate the inner tube and spray it with soapy water. The air leaking will create bubbles at the leak site. If the hole is larger half an inch then the tube should just be replaced. Otherwise, clean the area around the hole, wipe with alcohol, and then apply rubber cement. After that, press on a rubber patch. Then use a roller press down and remove all air from the between the patch and tube. Now the tire is ready to re assemble.
For a tubeless tire, you can jump right to finding the leak. Look for nails/screws sticking out of the tire, and spray on soapy water if it is still not obvious. Once you have found the problem area, remove the nail or screw if applicable. If the hole is anywhere on the sidewall of the tire it should not be fixed but rather replaced. If the hole is on the tread, start by driving the reaming tool in and out of the hole to make it the correct diameter. It may seem counterintuitive to make the hole larger, but it is necessary to fit the plug. Once the hole is reamed, apply glue to the plug (it reminds me of a slim jim) and push it into the hole with the special tool, which works much like a large sewing needle. Then simply pull the tool out and the plug is set. Trim the excess plug material and then inflate the tire. Once you are sure the leak is stopped, you are good to go!
Patching tires can save a lot of money. I bought a patch kit for $5 or less at Harbor freight (great store for cheap tools/materials) and patched my truck tire, which would have cost $100 or more to replace.
Im glad I read since I personally never had to change a tire, and therefore never learn or thought of learning how to change a tire (even though now that I think about it, it should be some kind of general knowledge thing to know about). To be honest, I never thought there two different types of tires, my entire life I thought there was just big or small tires, that were used respectably to the car size, and to replace it all you needed to do was deflate the tire and replace it. In fact, I never new that placing a patch on the tire would fix it completely, I always thought that a patch on a tire was a quick solution before you had to change the whole thing. This was a very informative blog and I am glad I read it.