Retired dozer fixer
Well-known member
I’ve seen off road tire guys put 4-6 large plugs into scraper tires and they held for years
Tire Plug kits
- Thread starter JDtime
- Start date
gtae07
Well-known member
I've used the Slime kits a few times and they've never caused issues. They've certainly saved my **** a couple times. Still running on one right now that I put in last November. The tires are almost at the end of tread life so it just needs to hold a couple more months.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
I have a kit that came with a offroad jack I bought. Now I'm thinking it needs some metal-handle tools. Putting a steel rod through my palm is a new experience I can just skip.
I put mine in a cheap tool roll. Takes up much less space than a blow-mold case.
I put mine in a cheap tool roll. Takes up much less space than a blow-mold case.
yhprum
Well-known member
Those screw in type tire plugs have been showing up on my feed’s lately. Are they any good or just another gimmick?
I’ve used the Safety Seal plugs probably 50-60x. Most of those were on semi trucks or trailer tires. A few needed two plugs but all seemed to hold fine, and this is on tires inflated to 100+ psi, bearing thousands and thousands of pounds.
Admittedly I don’t think we’ve ever plugged a steer tire, only the drive tires, so a blowout would be one tire out of eight. But again - never heard of an issue.
I remember @bwringer sharing a unique type of plug that twisted on the inside of the tire to seal the inside & out .. please refresh my memory on the brand if you see this, good sir
Admittedly I don’t think we’ve ever plugged a steer tire, only the drive tires, so a blowout would be one tire out of eight. But again - never heard of an issue.
I remember @bwringer sharing a unique type of plug that twisted on the inside of the tire to seal the inside & out .. please refresh my memory on the brand if you see this, good sir
I’ve had this kit pictured below since 1995
just buy new plugs as needed
I bought mine at the Case Tractor dealer for $19.99 in 1995ish Still working Awesome and my plugs are at least 15 -20 years old !
The lube is is also older
Best Plug Kit you can Buy ! Hands Down
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Its not nearly dramatic as its made out to be. I had it happen a few months ago and it was obvious the handle was breaking before the steel even separated. It also bent. I had on gloves so not a big deal anyway plus its blunt, not sharp. I ended up clamping the rod in vise grips and finishing the job.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
Hurts even more!
Perhaps a bit overkill, but I recently purchased this set from Amazon for $30. I used it just one time when my wife came home with a large screw in her right rear tire. The reamer tool is stout! Much better quality than the cheap $4 unit sold at most brick and mortar stores.
rlitman
Well-known member
If you're really a tightwad on space, you could always loosen the allen, take the needle and reamer out of their sockets and stow them, the allen and some plug cords inside the hollow handles.
Me, I just have everything in a small bag.For those that didn't notice, the metal handled kit in the post above differs from the Safety Seal kit, in that the needle is about 2" shorter, and the ropes are correspondingly shorter as well. I actually prefer these shorter needle and shorter rope kits, but YMMV.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
I now use Tech permacure plugs as they vulcanize instead of just hoping the brown goo holds. I have had a few regular plugs get slow leaks over the years.
I bought a Slime tire plug kit solely because my SIL had a thing for flat tires for a bit and I was getting phone calls for assistance. Since I bought the kit, I don't think I have gotten one call.
....and the spammer that brought this thread back is gone.
bwringer
Well-known member
That would be the Nealey plugs. They're installed a little differently, don't need glue, and IMHO they work somewhat better than the usual gummy rope worms.
I've installed dozens in motorcycle tires over the years, and car tires too.
When you remove the tire, you find a knot firmly stuck to the inside of the tire. It takes a substantial effort to pull it off from the inside with good pliers.
Not every puncture is pluggable, of course. Obviously tire damage has a significant random component. The only failures I've ever seen are when the puncture is too large or in the sidewall, etc. and even in these cases you can often get it to seal enough to limp home with a slow leak.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Is the screwdriver insert tool built well? I looked into those years ago but never pulled the trigger because I wasn't sold on the durability of the tools for truck tire applications. The strings themselves seem well made.
bwringer
Well-known member
Yes, it's very strong and well-made. It's also not very large because it doesn't need to be, so not a lot of force is ever needed.
Read through the instructions on the website and you'll start to get an idea of how the kit works a little differently and why.
There's no nonsense with reaming, for example. Just move the tool around to bend any wires out of the way.
And the strings are skinnier, but they're installed such that you end up with four thicknesses of sting in the hole and not two, and there's a knot on the inside. So they confirm better in irregular punctures, and cannot come out.
Under_Pressure
Well-known member
Count me as a fan of Nealy as well. Bought one of the long sets for heavy duty tires at a farm show many years ago. You can just cut the strings in half and only insert the tool halfway for thinner passenger car and similar tires. I've since ordered a couple more kits, because it's not much more money to buy a whole new kit with a new tool than buy plug refills. Have used them on a number of highway tires and have never had one not work perfectly (if the tire was repairable at all) and last until the tire was wore out.
From their website
How does the repair work?
Thread the strong rubber treated repair cord through the eye of the sturdy inserting needle. Run the inserting tool all the way into the handle. Turn the handle 1 1/2 revolutions and withdraw it until the tip of the tool just clears the face of the tire and cut the tool free. That's it! By turning the tool and pulling the repair back through the hole, we have formed a circular, knot like patch on the inside of the tire, you have both PLUGGED THE HOLE AND PATCHED THE INSIDE. Air pressure tends to make the repair even more snug. On tires driven at high speed the heat causes the repair to melt or "cure" into the puncture and adhere to the casing of the tire.
bwringer
Well-known member
That's exactly what it looks like! I have a picture somewhere, but I can't find it.From their website:
Also, after a few miles and some heat, the knot REALLY sticks and spreads out a little.
wafrederick
Well-known member
Stay away from the kits that use the rawhide plugs. The rawhides do not seal very well and leak. Although I never used them, have pulled them out easily with pliers replacing them with the rubber ones. VIM has one you use on an air hammer now.
zimman
Well-known member
I plugged a lawn mower tire today. Just a cheap kit from Autozone.
As a tire guy for a few decades I've patched and plugged hundreds of tires and intertubes. I just get the cheap stuff because eventually you'll break one, especially on a 10ply, laying on your back under the truck. LMAO
And, the rubber cement helps with the insert and the longevity.
Zim
As a tire guy for a few decades I've patched and plugged hundreds of tires and intertubes. I just get the cheap stuff because eventually you'll break one, especially on a 10ply, laying on your back under the truck. LMAO
And, the rubber cement helps with the insert and the longevity.
Zim
landrover bodger
Well-known member
I use one of the kits from walmart had it since my first USA trip in 2001 its mended a few punctures over the years.
IndyGarage
Well-known member
quoting my own from last summer.
I said I had never had a tire plug fail - which was true, but apparently it happened sometime in the last six months.
I was visiting my friend John last fall, and he had a nail in a tire on his pickup, which I plugged with one of my safety seal plugs, and sealed just fine. A few weeks ago, his son was telling me that he had borrowed the truck and that plugged tire failed on him and he had to buy a new tire. He said it was because of the plug. I've never had one fail before that, so I guess it was bound to happen sometime. Still a 30 year record is pretty good. We did ride one of his four wheelers with a plug that I put in about 3 years ago.