We had sort of a Pizza party at the Long Draw Pizza place last night. Frann, Denese, Tyra and I were there. I'd invited John Wells, Neal, Neil's son and Paul to join us, but they chose to eat at the Starlight instead. However, my neighbors down the road from me (the ones that left the booze) Robert, Lanette (Sp?) and Brandy showed up and surprised us and another near neighbor showed up to so it wasn't a total loss.
Anyway on the way home last night I heard a loud noise coming from the passenger's side front followed by a severe pull to the right. I managed to keep it straight and then everything went back to normal. Since it was almost dark and the jeep wasn't acting like it had a flat I continued driving on home. When I got home I got the flashlight and found the above. Somewhere back down 118 there's a road gator from that tire. The whole tread had slung off and that was what I'd heard and felt. Amazingly enough the tire was still up and is still up now, but I need to get out there and put the spare on. I'll probably do that before it gets too hot.
Note the black marks down the side where the road gator hit on its way out. I'd call myself lucky because I have seen tires do that and totally destroy a fender in the process, but I didn't find any damage to the fender at all. Looks like I'll have to buy a can of polishing compound to get rid of the black marks. I was supposed to take Frann and Denese to Alpine on the 9th to catch an Amtrak to Houston and had intended to go from there to Odessa. Looks like those plans are dashed because there isn't enough in the budget for a new tire and to do that to.
Now... yesterday I opened the trunk of the falcon to get some tools out and found that the spare in there had blown out just laying in the trunk. :( Must have happened while I was gone at some time or another because I never heard it happen and don't have a clue when it happened. So now I've got two vehicles and no spare for either. That seems to happen a lot down here.
BTW while we were at the porch at the ghost town yesterday afternoon before heading to the pizza place the thermometer in the shade there said 118 degrees.
tffn - No - 118! Hectic!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're OK and that you managed to hold the vehicle. B*tch about the spares - these things always happen when we can least afford them...
Seems so Dani. At least I have one more decent tire to have mounted for the falcon a spare, but it won't work for the jeep and that's the one I really need the spare for since I don't drive the falcon much anymore.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to you is an RVer's worst nightmare.
ReplyDeleteDD, I reckon that's anyone's worst nightmare? Only thing worse would have been trying to change that tire by 118 and in the dark. The shoulder was narrow where it happened and I'd had to been working in the grass by it with the creepy crawlies out and about. At least I'm glad I was able to get home without having to do that.
ReplyDeletegot lucky this time
ReplyDeleteGlad you got home safely. Stuff always seems to happen when we're low on funds! I just had a flat two days ago myself. No telling what caused it. Dang, its really hot out here but 118 degrees...wow! -Jen
ReplyDeleteLooks like I need a ride...is anyone going to Alpine next week?? I have gas money!
ReplyDeleteJen, I guess its hot everywhere.
ReplyDeleteFrann, I've got to get a tire somewhere and Alpine is the closest place to get one. (At a reasonable price) The Odessa trip is out.
Just get a used tire...20 bucks. It will only be a spare.
ReplyDeleteIf Alpine's still got a junk yard or has a tire sales place sells them used you might consider that. Almost every tire I've run over the past decade was something the vehicle it carried got destroyed or someone with more money than me left when they bought new rubber.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, considering what happened to these you might be better off inventing a new kind of tire
Sorry you're having to go through that.
Hang in there chum.
Frann and sffh, I've mainly been getting by on used tires for the falcon since I got here and they don't hold up. There are two almost new tires on it now thanks to RN. When tires start blowing out in trunks its time to start getting new tires. For one on the Jeep since it has 4WD all four tires need to be exactly the same size. Finding another used one the same size would probably be tough to do. I think the best way to go is get a new one and put it on the ground. When another one blows do the same and so on. A lot of used tires you can buy may be old as the hills even though they may look good, but they probably won't last long down here.
ReplyDeleteTime for some 10 ply tires or military grade ones...
ReplyDeleteTracks would probably be better. I don't think there are tires made to deal with this place.
ReplyDeleteVehicles suck. I had to buy a 30 dollar set of torx sockets to change a set of 20 dollar brake pads on my car. If anyone in the Terlingua area needs some large torx bits, I have them, free for the borrowing.
ReplyDeleteTffnguy
ReplyDeleteIts the heat.
vehicles down here in south texas are blowing tires left and right. The tire in Falcons trunk blew becouse of excess heat.
If tires are 5 years old or so, they blow now. The tire companies and found ways to force us to buy new tires every five years.
I know, I had one blow last year.
That just sucks. However I am glad nothing happened to you and that you were able to make it home.
ReplyDeleteHeard on the news that due to the heat a lot of tires are blowing and batteries are dying.
It is 102 at 11:00 in the morning at my house! The highway surface is probably 180 degrees. The treads just melt off of the tires...If you have to drive do it early in the morning or at night. Most people know that batteries go bad in cold weather but the heat is just as hard on them..check the water in them!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the blowout. I think tracks would probably be best, but would rip up the roads worse than they already are. Can spot a new tire but Kinky comes with it. And her food, too.
ReplyDeleteThese are the tires I'm going to put on the new vehicle.
http://www.supertruckusa.com/products/92610_9XX_PG.htm#details
Dave, I'll keep that in mind if I need to change the pads on the jeep. I think the falcon uses hex wrenches instead and I don't know what you have to use on the jeep yet?
ReplyDeleteCC the tire that blew in the trunk was old, but had been a spare for a long time and not much wear on it. I bet it did get mighty hot in that trunk though.
MsB, I don't doubt but what a lot of tires are blowing and batteries don't like a lot of heat either. I read through an email I get from an Odessa/Midland TV station where a refinery around Big Springs exploded. I think there was only one injury and no deaths so that's good, but am wondering if it will effect gas prices?
Frann, what time do you'll need to be at the train station? Its 105 here right now at 1:04.
Denese, I bet those tires will be real noisy on the highway, but if you're putting them on the beast I guess that doesn't matter. NO on Kinky!