Section 5: Flat Tires
Not if, but when
The most common risk when driving offroad is puncturing a tire.
Although we air down to reduce the chances of a puncture from sharp stones and protruding rocks, it can happen.
When it does, the first option is to just refill the tire periodically until we complete the trail. That works for slow leaks. We are equipped with air compressors.
If the leak is caused by a small puncture in the tread blocks or gaps, we might try plugging the hole. Most of us keep a tire plug repair kit in our recovery bags, so someone in the group probably has one and knows how to use it. That is usually a lot easier than changing the tire in the field.
Damage to the sidewall sometimes may not be repairable, and then the only option is to replace the damaged tire with your spare. There is a product on the market called GlueTread, which can be used to successfully patch many types of sidewall slashes without the need of removing the tire.
Should the tire valve stem become cut or damaged, there is a product called Colby Tire Valve that enables a fast and simple tire valve stem replacement without having to remove the bad tire from the wheel (rim).
Your vehicle MUST have a matching, full-size, offroad quality spare tire. If the spare is not an exact size match to your other tires, it could create issues when you are in 4wd. If the spare is not an AT or MT, it may not last very long along the trail going over sharp hazards.
As generous as fellow offroaders are, they are reluctant to loan someone their own spare tire because that leaves them without a spare should they need it. Also, tires are very expensive, should you damage or abuse theirs.
When you purchase a set of tires, you need to make it a set of five. Whenever you do a tire rotation, make sure that they rotate all five tires so that the spare tire wears evenly. Keeping the spare tire as new is not a good idea, because when it comes time to purchase a new set, you may not be able to get the same make/model as the old spare.
You should also have a scissors jack or bottle jack, a good lug wrench, and never forget the adapter key for any locking wheel nuts.
Fellow offroaders can help you with muscle, know-how, and even a good jack, but you have to bring your own spare tire.
Caution: Hi Lift Jacks
Hi-Lift jacks, also known as tractor jacks or farm jacks, can be very handy under the right circumstances, but they can also be deadly if used incorrectly.
Do NOT rush out and buy one just because they make your Jeep look cool! We see Hi-Lift jacks all around town, and they are especially a favorite amongst the poseurs at the mall.
To begin with, a Hi-Lift requires a strong jacking point on your vehicle. They work with steel bumpers that have proper slots or mounting points. They can work with steel rock slider rails along the door frames, if those rails are bolted to a steel chassis. Otherwise, the jack may just bend or dent the door frame. So if you only have stock plastic bumpers and non-reinforced trim under the door panels – the Hi-Lift is useless.
Hi-Lifts are not stable, especially on nature’s uneven trails. They tip over easily. Sometimes, we tip them on purpose when recovering a vehicle as a way of repositioning the vehicle.
Using a hi-lift to raise dangling rear tire over lip, so Jeep can be pulled back onto solid ground.
The jack handles are long bars of steel, in order to provide leverage when jacking up a heavy load. But if the ratchet slips out of place, that steel bar will fly upwards; so, you never lean over that bar unless your sternum or head is expendable.
In the photo on the right, the jeep had slid off of a ledge road when ground had given way. The rear tire was literally dangling free over the edge, preventing us from just winching the jeep back up. After the vehicle was safely secured with multiple winch lines, we raised the chassis of the jeep so that the tire was now above the lip. The jeep was then winched onto solid ground, while we purposely allowed the jack to tip over.
Bottle jacks
The best jacks, especially for non-mechanics, are bottle jacks. Bottle jacks are hydraulic pumps and are easy to operate. Some of the jacks even have a wide jack stand built into them to provide stability and safety (known as Unijacks). But before purchasing a jack, measure the height underneath your axles, to make sure that the jack is short enough to slide under, but extends tall enough to raise your tire.
When using a scissors jack or bottle jack to lift a Jeep, you want to raise from the axle. Position it under the axle, just in from the flat tire.
If your bottle jack only has a lifting surface around the size of a coin, you can purchase a “bottle jack buddy” from Amazon that slips over the bottleneck and provides a cradle to grasp the axle.
Sometimes, because the tire is flat, the Jeep may be sitting too low for the jack to slide under the axle. Try inflating the tire; it only must hold air for several seconds. Or slide a scissors jack under the axle to raise it enough to slip in the (more secure) bottle jack.
I have also seen the trick of using a soft shackle to wrap around the wheel (rim) of the flat tire and using a Hi-Lift to raise the axle with tire just enough to slip the bottle jack into place. They didn’t try to jack up the Jeep from the bumper or body side rail on account of the Jeep having a lift, which would require jacking up the body several inches before the axle raised. Remember, Hi-Lifts can be very unstable, so don’t depend on them if you are working underneath the vehicle!
Changing a tire during a trail run can be challenging for one individual to do on their own. The terrain is often uneven, which makes standard jacks even more unstable (and why we like the unijacks that offer wide bases and jackstand locking). But the big problem is that your tires are BIG and heavy. A 35-inch AT tire with wheel can weigh over one hundred pounds. That is a lot to heft in your arms for most people.
The good news is –- if you are out with a group –- changing that tire becomes more of a racing team pit crew operation. Someone usually has a good jack, sometimes even a floor jack. Maybe a battery powered impact wrench appears, which is way faster than a T-bar or breaker bar. Multiple sets of muscled arms will effortlessly reposition those heavy tires.
So you don’t need to invest in a lot of tire hardware yet. Just make sure that you bring a good spare tire and the locking lug-nut key.
