Tire and tubes

Cadstat · #1 01-21-2011, 02:04 PM

Does anybody take along an extra tire and tube on those long X-country's?
Also what is the best way to lift the A/C and change out a tire when ''out of town''?

Greg Arehart · #2 01-21-2011, 02:15 PM

I carry an extra tube (both sizes) but not an extra tire. If it's a nosewheel, just hold the tail down. Tailwheel, hold the tail up. If a main, not sure what one would do in the middle of nowhere without a jack.

cheers,
greg

nomocom · #3 01-21-2011, 02:44 PM

I don't. While it would be nice to have all kind of spares, the weight and expense adds up.

I do carry a few tools and a spare spark plug, some gasket material, a little bit of electrical supplys, but that's about it. Tires and tubes are low on my list of expected problems.

I can recall one situation in the last five years where an crew would have benefited from carrying a spare tire and tube. It was a backcountry strip, a Cessna trike, and as I recall two guys in the front seats. Blew the tire and the tube when landing. They had friends fly in new parts.

My vote is for prevention. Make sure the air pressure is in spec and you aren't subjecting the nose gear to much stress (if so equiped). Keeping farther to the rear of the CG envelope will help unload the weaker nosegear, probably overall a good thing, but especially so on rough strips.

Main tire in the backcountry? Find/or make a lever and fulcrum. Use the lever and some rope (clove hitch or pruisk knot on the gear leg so the rope stays down near the axle). Hope I don't have to actually figure that out.

But then, I'm not carrying the tube and tire anyway, so I suppose I'd end up asking for a the appropriate tools as well.

Sam Buchanan · #4 01-21-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cadstat

Does anybody take along an extra tire and tube on those long X-country's?
Also what is the best way to lift the A/C and change out a tire when ''out of town''?

No tire but most definitely a spare tube (RV-6). The odds of a tire failure are very remote, but tubes can fail. A spare tube for a RV nose wheel is in my opinion a must-have since that tube is nearly impossible to find locally and nose wheel tubes have a history of deflating with no warning. There are numerous threads in this forum dealing with those issues.

frankh · #5 01-21-2011, 03:43 PM

I carry tubes.

If a main blows you simply crouch down under the spar at the outboard end of the wing and lift on your back..Not heavy.

Of course you need a helper with a car jack or block of wood/stone to place under the axle as said helper removes the wheel.

Not ideal but quite doable

Frank

turbo · #6 01-21-2011, 04:59 PM

had a main go flat but more than my share of nosewheels in 3,800. both tubes are in the plane which my also help out another fellow aviator. while landing at arcadia years ago i felt a flat nose wheel, added power and headed home to deal with it. i hate it when that happens. ft landerdale incident was a costly tow. ouch.

Ron Lee · #7 01-21-2011, 05:33 PM

For my 6A I carry both size tires and tubes.

Of course I am an Eagle Scout.

Walt · #8 01-21-2011, 05:47 PM

Tubeless nose wheel and Michelin leak stop mains = no spares

SkywayCaptain · #9 01-21-2011, 05:51 PM

I didn't carry a tube until I had a flat tire on landing. Of course this happened on a Sunday with no one in the MX shop. Luckily RocketBob landed behind me and had a spare tube with him. I now carry a tube and enough tools to change a tire. The whole deal weighs less than a pound (of cure).

cbo111 · #10 01-21-2011, 05:52 PM

May be overkill and I have never had a nosewheel flat, but I carry a complete nosewheel just in case on long CC or when my destination doesn't have a suitable maintenance facility. After replacing my nosewheel tire after 460 hours of flawless performance, I realized what a pain in the butt it is to get the tube inside the rim without pinching. The weight tradeoff is worth it to me.
cbo