So I went to pick up my brand new 1997 Ranger to use as a donor truck but as it turns out it may be nicer than my current one so the a little role reversal is in order.

My super duper 5.4 was pullin her along just fine when I felt a huge vibration. I knew exactly what had happened. The tires were a little dry rotted and it was only a matter of time





No problem, just a flat, right? No spare.
Time for a little McGuyver. So I used the F150 jack and iron to jack the trailer up and the tire iron luckly fit these lug nuts. I had a spare ratchet strap and strapped up the axle so it didn't drag. I was only a few miles from home and it was eleven at night so there was little traffic, so I was gonna make a run for it. Pouring down rain too.

I traveled about 45 on the three wheels and it did fine, until I got to my town.
At this point I'm about 3/4 from my house when I have to make a right. I took it super slow but you guessed it, pop.




So I pulled of into a parking lot and unloaded the truck. I then felt it was safe enough to just go slow and with no weight I should be ok. So no traffic and me going 5 mph for 3/4 of a mile and I made it back home with out a scratch on a rim. I just ran back to the truck and drove it home with my clear license plate

Sorry, phone pics



So I just spent $400 on four new Carlisle 6 ply radial trailer tires.
I though someone might have a little laugh at my antics. Please don't flame me for some of the unsafe stuff here because I know, ok.

 

No flames! I honestly think you were brilliant! It's the kind of "emergency repair" I might try. Too bad it didn't work out! (What's the old saying? "No guts, no glory" or, "Faint heart never won fair maiden".) It all sort of applies, doesn't it?

Great story!

We need a forum for great stories like this don't we? Then we could have a new class of member - called "Storyteller".

Who's for it?

- Jack

 

No laugh here buddy. I had a blow out today on my truck. But, you are the, (In my book, the up coming 2010 McGuyver of the year).
Glad everything is good. New tires on a trailer is good.

 

I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time but holy crap man, that's some good stuff!!!

Where did you pick the truck up from?

 

None other than Craig's List. North Royalton. And This guy was so cool. Guess he had a starter to something and a dude wanted it but he didn't have cash so he just signed over the title to his truck. So the guy just wants money for his starter. So I picked up these beauty for a cool $225. Now she is no peach but I was looking for tires and a 5speed trans and they just ao happened to be attached to a red truck. 230k on the clock but it has a new engine (which I don't need) and the trans shifts like new (I have been driving around my neighborhood). Frame supports for the leafs are broken. Spring is through the bed, the front end is shot and no exhaust but all that stuff can come off my current ride.

And shes an XLT! POWER STEERING AND AC! Holy Cow! I'll be super spoiled now!

 

2010 McGuyver of the year? Thats really quite an honor to be nominated.
Which is better? Truck of the month or McGuyver of the year?
Wow, I should let more bad things happen to me then!

 

Hey don't feel bad, on our last jeeping trip we borrowed a wide frame trailer from my grandpas friend because our jeep was to wide to fit on our trailer anymore. We got almost there and the first tire blew out, no big deal. Put the spare one. This happened to us 3 more times, there was only 1 of the original tires left on the trailer before we got home with it. We borrowed spares from a few of the guys that went with us luckly to get us home. Nothing like me driving down the interestate at about 70 hear a loud bang and the whole backend of my truck feel like its being pulled out from under me.

 

Man at night and in the rain that must have really sucked

 

The "brand new" Ranger's 5 lug wheels wouldn't have fit?

 

McGuyver ain't that smart.

 

I had the same type of thing happen......question for ya though...why didn't you just pull the front tire off the other side and put it on the rear of the blown side? then you'd have a tire on the rear of each side!, no sidewall tension..should have been alright.

Like I said, I had somewhat the same thing happen when bringing my boat home...I could peel the side wall off the tires so I bought two new ones, and used two used ones on the rear.... well the tires did great.... but when the front axle snapped just inside the hub and I'm going down the road towing a 24 ft Bayliner with smoke billowing out from the pass side of the trailer a car pulled up next to me and told me cause I JUST got through the HRBT and SNAP....of course it would have to snap on the brand new tire, rubbing the frame smoking everywhere.....jacked it up, but the trailer tire on the good rear axle and kept on criusin.....@ 65 with a lil 3 wheel motion going on... you REALLY notice how much that 4th tire really does when it's not there!

 

Dude, I know, I wasn't pulling the truck off on the interstate and in the parking lot I was just too damn tired and soaking wet and freezing. I couldn't get the wheels off the Ranger because it was on the trailer with sides and no spare with that. Besides the bolt pattern, come to find out, isn't the same anyway. Trailer looks to have a Cheverolet bolt parttern. I'm 32 years old and I just ran out of steam and giving a fart