Plugged tire

[NIsaacs]

Years ago when truck tires were all split rim and tube type, we all used a "rubber gun" for fixing tires on the road in the log woods. Even with a bad rock break sometimes you could cut small pieces of the tire lug and stuff in the break with the rubber and get to town. They worked great with a nail hole and would actually patch the tube.



Life is good Mike, I cracked up when I read your post, lol



Nick

 

[The patriot]

When I was an owner operator (class 8) all we used were plugs.

Maybe technology has changed, or maybe those tires are better plugged. I dont know.

I've personally plugged car tires of mine w/o any problems.

As far as the law, I dont know of any laws against plugs.

I know repair places push patches, however I've never been told why.

 

[MChrist]

Mwilson, all good points. Also, all those points seem to be based on an improperly installed plug, or a leaking plug. Based on my personal experience, and never having a problem with plugs, they seem to be adequate. Taking a truck off the road, to a tire shop, removing tire/wheel, patching, remounting and so on MAY be better, but certainly not as convenient. And if you can crack a walnut with a hammer, is a sledgehammer better?

 

[MChrist]

When I was an owner operator (class 8) all we used were plugs.

Maybe technology has changed, or maybe those tires are better plugged. I dont know.

I've personally plugged car tires of mine w/o any problems.

As far as the law, I dont know of any laws against plugs.

I know repair places push patches, however I've never been told why.

Because they can charge you for it... and you feel you are getting your $$$worth, vs a quick plug from the outside.

 

[mwilson]

In Maine we are not allowed to install plugs by law.



We also cannot put only two studded snow tires on a front wheel drive vehicle, it's four or nothing. A few soccer mom's got hit on slippery days because the studs on front grabbed and the rear un-studded tires did not and the minivans swapped ends. So Maine passes yet another law to protect people from themselves... ... .....



However an individual can do as he wishes and a lot of people do have good luck with them.



I also have the luxury of access to a full tire department after hours and can do my own plug/patches cheaply. That does make a difference, I know.



Mike.

 

[The patriot]

Because they can charge you for it... and you feel you are getting your $$$worth, vs a quick plug from the outside.

Actually a LOT of placed used to do it for free.

The economy being what it is now, I couldnt fault them for charging for services. I've actually always expected to pay.



Yes, we must protect us from ourselves. :-laf



Given a choice, I prefer a patch over a plug.

 

[HCannon]

A few cents for a plug (I can do this my self) compared to 10 dollars plus loosing time while they fix it adds up. At this point I have had more patches fail than plugs. But havent used that many plugs. The worse thing that can happen is you will have another flat from the same puncher if the plug does not work. I pull a stock trailer on the average of around 500 miles a week and half the time it will be loaded so they get tested. If I didnt have but maybe one or two flats a year, I wouldnt ever even tried the plugs. The best bet is if you have to use a plug and you arent happy with it, get it replaced when you get the chance. Please dont tell me that I cant use one, I will decide that.

 

[BGlidewell]

Please dont tell me that I cant use one, I will decide that.

If you use one, I will put a frowny face next to your name for the snaggle-toothed bunny biter to see!

 

[HCannon]

Wow!! Please dont do that, I will be scared for life!

 

[mwilson]

Wow!! Please dont do that, I will be scared for life!

Don't worry, you'll hear it coming.



Just a scraping noise from the teeth dragging in the dirt between hops and the occasional Mesquite Bean Fart sound should give you his coordinates... .



Try to make him back up, then his teeth will dig into the ground like an anchor and you've got him... ... . :-laf



Mike.

 

[HCannon]

I am putting new batteries in my hearing aids so that I can hear well!! What would he be afraid of so that I can back him? Would barking like a dog do it?

 

[mwilson]

I am putting new batteries in my hearing aids so that I can hear well!! What would he be afraid of so that I can back him? Would barking like a dog do it?

I think it being a bunny and all simply threatening him with some sort of birth control surgery would back him up a step or two.



Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "I'm gonna' fix you, wabbit!" :-laf



Mike.

 

[NIsaacs]

Maybe they are like a pig and only back up, try to drive a pig forward and he will immediately swap ends and back up:-laf



Nick

 

[jhenderson]

If you owned a tire shop, and repaired 10 tires a day, would you prefer to make $10 per tire or $25 per tire? It makes it worthwhile for tire mfgs. To lobby for legislation on repair procedures.

 

[HBarlow]

If I owned the tire shop it would depend on the time it takes for each repair. I could swish a plug around in a little glue and jab it in a tire and inflate the tire in about five minutes but the patch would require me to remove the wheel and tire from the car or truck, dismount it, inspect the inner casing, install a hot patch, allow a couple of minutes to cure, remount it on the wheel, lift it and carry it to the water test tank, submerge and rotate it watching for bubble, and reinstall it on the vehicle probably 20 to 30 minutes per wheel.

A simple time study and fundamental economics would determine I could sell and install a lot of tires or repair a lot more tires with plugs in the time saved.

I believe the hot patch vs. plug issue is driven by safety concerns not business greed.

I don't automatically assume a business is greedy and only trying to force me to do what is in their best interests.

 

[mwilson]

Not only is a repair procedure driven by safety concerns, it also involves reliability.



We have a saying here in the shop "You touched it, now you own it!"



A customer has a tendency to only hear about half of what you tried to tell him.



So you carefully explain that "Yes, I can plug this tire for you but it may not hold".



When it comes apart he won't recall that conversation and will demand that you help him out because we did "such a poor repair".



So if a better solution such as a plug/patch is available that is the repair that we offer to do and do not even mention a plug (even if it was legal here) as an option for example.



We strive to perform in a manner that will do what is in the customers best interest even if it is not the cheapest way to do it.



Less stress for both the customer and us.



Mike.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Not only is a repair procedure driven by safety concerns, it also involves reliability.



We have a saying here in the shop "You touched it, now you own it!"



A customer has a tendency to only hear about half of what you tried to tell him.



So you carefully explain that "Yes, I can plug this tire for you but it may not hold".



When it comes apart he won't recall that conversation and will demand that you help him out because we did "such a poor repair".

So if a better solution such as a plug/patch is available that is the repair that we offer to do and do not even mention a plug (even if it was legal here) as an option for example.



We strive to perform in a manner that will do what is in the customers best interest even if it is not the cheapest way to do it.



Less stress for both the customer and us.



Mike.

Mike,



Amen, brother!!



(I added the bold and underline in your quote for emphasis. )



Bill

 

[rluft]

I have used the tire plugger, like the one Allnew2Me pictured in his post. I have never had one fail. On trailers, equipment tires, and pretty much any tire that has a puncture with the foreign object still imbedded I would be willing to use the plugs to repair. The plug is 5/16 diameter and head is maybe 3/4inch wide, would be tough to have them pull out. Generally, though, if I have a slow leak I will get to the tire store and get a patch applied. I have had a tire fail that was just patched but it was too destroyed to tell if the patch job failed.



Also, there were several references to 'hot patch'. Do they really hot vulcanize patches anymore? My father-in-law has a small tire shop and he applies patches cold. My moms uncle and now her cousin has a small repair shop and he still uses hot vulcanizing but can't get the patches and little burners anymore. When he runs out he will have to use the cold patch, so he tells me.

 

[AEdelheit]

In my opinion the biggest problem with plugs is the lack of quality control. If you take your tire into a tire shop for a patch, they will pull the tire off the wheel inspect it and do there patch job to the shops standards. Any person can get a plug kit and shove it in a hole but there is no quality control, do they open the hole up to the proper size? is the tire all ready dry rotted? do they use urine from the long night of drinking as lube? who knows! I have used about 8 plugs in my life, never had a failure, BUT I would never even think of plugging a motorcycle tire, tire on a high speed sports car or one with a heavy load on it, I agree internal patches are better and there are many times a plug will work sufficiently too.

 

[MChrist]

If I owned a tire shop, I too would perform tire patches for customers. My reason would be that a customer wants to feel they are getting their money worth. However, when I have a truck that needs to be on the road in 5 minutes, and an internal tire patch will take a MINIMUM of 90 minutes longer than a plug, (drive time, waiting in line... ) there is no real choice. If plugs had a 50% success rate, I would be dubious. However, they have a 100% success rate with me over the last 26 years.
Since I am in the poop business, I deal with plumbing issues as well. If a customer has a plugged toilet, and I plunge the toilet and charge them $95, they will freak out!! If I plunge the toilet, (solving the issue) then remove the toilet, run an auger through the toilet, rod the pipe from the toilet to the septic tank, run a video camera through the toilet and main pipe I just "cleaned", and charge them $400, they feel much better. In my own house, I will just plunge the toilet, because I just know better. (by the way, I ALWAYS give the customer the choice, and they ALWAYS choose the more thorough, although more expensive route)

Same as installing a patch vs a plug. Same result, less time and $$$. More convenient. But I wouldn't do it for a customer if I was in that business.

Also, a tire patch isn't $20 as stated earlier, it's more like $90. Possibly a car tire, but not a big truck tire. I just had one done when I was out of town. There are mount/dismount charges, shop supply charges, possibly even a tax or two if I remember correctly. And that was on an outside tire! Now, add driver time, (on overtime) fuel to get to the tire shop, and you can easily exceed $150-$200.
Customers that are expecting you to be on time get upset, and may not use you when they need service again. It happens, trust me. In a customer's mind, there is NO excuse for a company to be late. I've been on the receiving end of those phone calls, and it's not pretty!!!

Plugging will continue to be my first choice.