# Would You Tow With This Or Fix It ?



## Wolfpackers (May 31, 2007)

While camping last weekend, I noticed a perfectly round rock in my tire, but of course on closer inspection, it was a nailhead. As it was on the very outer edge of the tread and the pressure had not dropped while at the CG, I elected to leave it there for the 90 mile trip home and had no problems. It is still holding pressure and the tire is not parked with the nailhead on the bottom. Here is a link to pics of it...Nail in tire

In all likelyhood (sp?), the nail has sealed the hole and may not have actually penetrated to the air chamber. The head will wear away and the hole will be plugged......or will it?

I could remove the nail and if air escapes, use one of those plug kits to plug it from the outside. Is this recommended versus having the tire removed from the wheel and a patch put on the inside ??

I don't mind having it fixed, it's just getting it off and to the tire shop and then the re-torqueing at 25/50/100 mile intervals. I have a floor jack and a bottle jack that I could take to the storage facility to remove the tire, but where is the proper place to jack from ??

We will be going cross country in the near future, so definitely want to be safe about it.

What would you do if it was on your camper ?


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## TripletWorld (Jul 21, 2007)

If this happened to me, I would have it fixed. Much easier to do it at home or the storage lot than on the side of the road. And you also avoid any potential damage from the tire blowing during travel to the trailer. I also would want to make sure the family is as safe as possible, why risk it?


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## tidefan (Oct 31, 2007)

It will probably ride for thousands of miles with no problem.....but I would fix it. I would just feel better not having to worry about it


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

tidefan said:


> It will probably ride for thousands of miles with no problem.....but I would fix it. I would just feel better not having to worry about it


x 2


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Tire stores around here fix that stuff for free in order to get you to come back when you need tires (and it works!!)

I'd get it fixed.


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## mmblantz (Jul 1, 2007)

Get it fixed before your on the road asking yourself why you didn't fix it @ home.


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## Chasn'Racin (Mar 12, 2007)

mmblantz said:


> Get it fixed before your on the road asking yourself why you didn't fix it @ home.


Nuff' said.


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2008)

Murphy's Law Rules!!! It gonna let go at the least oportune time, in the heaviest traffic and the worst weather. I'd fix it on my own terms.

Happy Camping,
Gary


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

I'd have it fixed ASAP. Mr. Murphy visits me more times than I like!


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

If it did go thru to the inside it may not be able to be patched since it's so close to the sidewall. I had a nail in my car tire and my mechanic had to replace the tire because if the hole is within an inch of the sidewall it can't be patched. That was a car tire, st tires may be different but with the extra stress the sidewalls are under on a trailer I would either replace it or patch if it can be patched.

Mike


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Chasn said:


> Get it fixed before your on the road asking yourself why you didn't fix it @ home.


Nuff' said.








[/quote]
*
X2*


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

If the nail is in the thread you can fix it yourself with one on those plug kits, without removing it from the vehicle. It'll take maybe 10 minutes.

Now-a-days, many of the tire shops use plugs instead of the internal patches anyway.

Regards, Glenn


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

However you decide to fix it, I'd do it. Why take the chance?

Mark


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

Fix it before the trip.

IF you can't blame Gilligan for it you know Murphy will pay you a visit at the worst time. If that tire goes you may not even know it and it could shread and do a few thousand in damage first or you could be sitting on the side of the road trying to cut all those steel belts that are now wrapped around your axle









Did I say fix the tire









John


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

avoid a 4 letter word outburst on the side of the road- fix it!


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## Fire44 (Mar 6, 2005)

I would get the trailer someplace safe and level, pull the nail out and see if it leaks, if it doesn't leave it alone. If it does, I would use my leveilng blocks to in front or back of the good tire on that side, pull or push it up till the bad tire is off the ground, and put the spare on (I would have checked it before I started this), then take the tire to a tire shop and have them look at it. After it is repaired/replaced, you put it back on as the spare.

Gary


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## Husker92 (Feb 11, 2006)

Use the spare and get it fixed!

Happy outbacking!


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## Sean Woodruff (Dec 20, 2007)

Since I enjoy a party... I'll chime in too!

Get it fixed.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Has anyone suggested to get it fixed? Many tire shops will do it for free around where I live.


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## Wolfpackers (May 31, 2007)

GlenninTexas said:


> ......and put the spare on (I would have checked it before I started this), then take the tire to a tire shop and have them look at it. After it is repaired/replaced, you put it back on as the spare.


Good thought about swapping the "nail" tire with the spare. Tires only have a few thousand miles on them...most of that was delivery from factory and my dealer getting it from original dealer in KY to here.

OK, OK, I know ya'll think I'm nuts for even questioning the need to fix it...I knew I needed to get it fixed, just needed the ole 2x4 to the head to get rid of the "_maybe it'll be OK_" syndrome, and didn't get any posts saying they "_had not fixed theirs and it was fine for a long time_". Thanks for all the positive reinforcement and not making me feel bad......







....Outbackers are GREAT !!
















Camper is in a gated storage facility and pretty level...I have one side up on two 2x10's, course the nail tire is on the other side !!

*Question for those who've "**been there, **done that": 
Is it easier/safer to drive up on blocks or to use a floor jack or bottle jack to get the tire off the ground ? I figure it's going to take at least 4 layers of 2 x's to get the tire off the ground. As each axle is on a separate set of leaf springs, I'm wondering if 4 layers of 2 x's will get it off the ground....your experience of how much it takes ??*


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I use a floor jack, no need to hook up to pull it forward or back to get it up on the blocks. Also if you are repairing the tire you will have to un hook to drive to the tire shop. If you are changing it with the spare then you can use the blocks and when you re-park take the nailed tire to get it fixed.


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

Wolfpackers said:


> *Question for those who've "**been there, **done that":
> Is it easier/safer to drive up on blocks or to use a floor jack or bottle jack to get the tire off the ground ? I figure it's going to take at least 4 layers of 2 x's to get the tire off the ground. As each axle is on a separate set of leaf springs, I'm wondering if 4 layers of 2 x's will get it off the ground....your experience of how much it takes ??*


Forget the 2 x 4's. Buy a couple of sets of leveling blocks.

IMHO it is much safer to drive the unit onto a stack of leveling blocks than use a jack to lift the trailer. Once you get the tire on the top of the blocks and set your emergency brake on the tv, there is NO CHANCE the trailer will move on you.


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## Wolfpackers (May 31, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> I use a floor jack


Is it better to put the jack under the axle or the frame ?








My floor jack is 3 ton capacity.

Thanks,
Brent


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Wolfpackers said:


> I use a floor jack


Is it better to put the jack under the axle or the frame ?








My floor jack is 3 ton capacity.

Thanks,
Brent
[/quote]

I put mine on the "T" shackle between the tires. You raise the whole side at one time that way.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

If you dont take the nail out it will continue to drill into the tire as it wears. If it isnt thru now, it will go thru as the tire wears.

On object that gets drilled into the tire slowly can destroy the cords, or at minimum damage the tire cords, so its best to always remove anything in a tire as soon as its seen. If it leaks get it fixed, if not call it luck!

In trucking we have a huge problem of rock drilling in our tires.. A pebble gets into the sipes, and drills thru the tire as it wears.. I have had lots of flats fixed from a pebble that drilled thru the cords.. it always amazes me to see that!

Carey


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## Wolfpackers (May 31, 2007)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> If you dont take the nail out it will continue to drill into the tire as it wears. If it isnt thru now, it will go thru as the tire wears.


I plan to pull the nail out and if it leaks, get 'er fixed. Will probably put the spare on and the nailed tire will become the spare...just so I'm not worrying 'bout it going down the road. Will be doing cross country in the next few months.

Thanks for that info !!
Brent


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## Chasn'Racin (Mar 12, 2007)

Wolfpackers said:


> If you dont take the nail out it will continue to drill into the tire as it wears. If it isnt thru now, it will go thru as the tire wears.


I plan to pull the nail out and if it leaks, get 'er fixed. Will probably put the spare on and the nailed tire will become the spare...just so I'm not worrying 'bout it going down the road. Will be doing cross country in the next few months.

Thanks for that info !!
Brent
[/quote]

I would remove it, then get the tire patched from the inside by a tire shop. Much better than an plug in the tire IMHO.


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## Wolfpackers (May 31, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> I use a floor jack


Is it better to put the jack under the axle or the frame ?








My floor jack is 3 ton capacity.

Thanks,
Brent
[/quote]
I put mine on the "T" shackle between the tires. You raise the whole side at one time that way.
[/quote]

Does yours look like this ? Shackle link or another view Shackle pic 2

I'm a bit concerned about jacking under this cast iron piece. If it breaks, I'm up the creek for a while.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

That is where I jack the trailer up. Those are not as brittle as you think. If you are really worried you can put a peice of soft wood or thick rubber between the jack and the shackle.


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## Wolfpackers (May 31, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> That is where I jack the trailer up. Those are not as brittle as you think. If you are really worried you can put a peice of soft wood or thick rubber between the jack and the shackle.


Forgot to add....would you jack there with a bottle jack? I can't take a floor jack with me on the road, so want to use the same method I would use on the road. The bottle jack has a much smaller surface area in contact with the shackle...wondering if the shackle would tend to have any side-to-side play that may be accentuated using the bottle jack.


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

"Is it better to put the jack under the axle or the frame ? 
My floor jack is 3 ton capacity.

Thanks,
Brent "

Good question. When I took the factory tour two years ago, the guy in charge of the frame shop said, "Jack on the axle". The guy in charge of installation of axles/springs said, "Jack on the frame!"

As it happens, we were back at the factory service center a couple weeks back. It was jacked up numerous times due to chasing a brake problem. Some gus jacked the frame, some the axle...

Sluggo


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