LMTV Flat Tire For My Birthday

[aleigh]

Figured I'd round up a couple of friends and go camping for my birthday. A mile in, scraped a rock and all the air made a break for freedom out of my front pax side tire. My first thought is I had ripped out an air hose - to my chagrin because I have a set of armor rings sitting at the shop - but no it was just the tire. At which point I realized I didn't have a jack with me. So, drove it back out to the road and called a wrecker. Kind of surprised the tire stayed on but the bead lockers and steel sidewalls I guess, the wheel still looks good.

The wrecker guy had the coolest thing, a Milwaukee electric impact gun. He says everyone laughs when he gets it out because it just looks like an electric drill but this thing is no joke. It just rattled the tire lugs on and off with no hesitation. I am buying one immediately!

Also if anyone is intimidated by it (or whatever), changing the LMTV tire is a 1-man job with a cheater bar. And it helps to be on dirt, which I was, so that you can dig the bar under the tire to help spin it. It's a little annoying you have to line it up for the CTIS hose but not that big a deal in the end. What I could never have done myself is get the wheel back into the bed (I don't have the hoist / crane whatever parts are supposed to be on the spare hydro arm). We used his rollback for that.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adventioneering/26358025130/in/album-72157665241080983/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adventioneering/26027651283/in/album-72157665241080983/

All in all WX was great though so who can complain I guess. And I did get to try out my new pack raft and get some paddling in.

Now to find a tire...

 

[AZK9]

Figured I'd round up a couple of friends and go camping for my birthday. ...

Happy Birthday! The 'event' will make an interesting story to tell in years to come!

 

[FloridaAKM]

Good Lord, you destroyed that tire going back to the paved road. Amazon can't deliver a tire like that. You did the next best thing, other than sitting & waiting for help that can't get there.
I will learn from your issues & make sure that there is a jack & spare tire on the LMTV that is getting delivered for my birthday next week! Thanks for the posting pictures & good luck on getting a new tire!

 

[aleigh]

I coulda sent another truck out to the city for the tools, or had someone bring them in, but frankly, I've never changed a tire this big and I was ignorant. It was worth the money to see how the wrecker approached the problem. He did it in maybe ten or fifteen minutes with very basic tools and it was a valuable experience. My logic was if I drove it out I figured I see enough tires on wheels that even if I trashed the wheel I could just get another. I'll try it on my own the next time for sure. That's my net advice to anyone - don't just have the tools, take a tire down and put it back up at home before you have to in the field. Manual says it's a "two soldier" job and that will help for sure but it can be done single-handled in a pinch.

I am kinda impressed with the tire and bead lockers. It did what was required in the end.

 

[mkcoen]

Shoot just a couple of cans of Fix-a-flat and it'll be good as new

As usual, excellent photos all around. Makes me homesick. But I'm cheered up knowing my M1078 is almost to Houston now so I should have it pretty quick.

 

[aleigh]

The wreckers first remark was "So I don't think we can patch that"

Post pics of your M1078 when it gets in !

 

[FloridaAKM]

I guess I am just another one of a few who are waiting on their new ride to be delivered in the LMTV forums!

Couldn't patch it, he wasn't trying hard enough!

Great series of pictures of all kinds of interesting stuff!

 

[mkcoen]

Post pics of your M1078 when it gets in !

The friend that's picking it up for me will be posting pics here: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?152882-Working-on-the-M1078-LMTV

 

[Foxtrot Oscar]

So, anyway... Happy Birthday!

 

[dmetalmiki]

You accomplished the task safely, so all's good. happy birthday.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I have a host of the Milwaukee Impacts. The Granddad of them has 1000# ft of torque. Lugnuts aren't much of a challenge for it.

 

[aleigh]

I have the 1000# one on the way...