I have had 'fun' with my freelander this morning - Clobbered a bl00dy sharp lump of granite with my right hand front wheel - knocked the bead of the tyre off the rim
Instant puncture
Tyre not damaged as far as I can tell but getting it checked tomorrow (they have some form of ultrasonic checker). It was the angle I clobbered it - I was just driving up a steep and twisty grassy lane that I use every day - we used to call it 'rock rimming a tyre' - however - since the internet the term 'rimming' is apparently err ... inappropriate..................
The real worrying thing for me is that it is
MY steep and twisty grassy lane
... I
KNOW it is there - I just misjudged it. Total brain fade / Alzheimer's etc doh
. The only feeble excuse I can make is that the thing was grown over.....
Then I (like Grumpy) had wheel nut worries... (Luckily I was on the farm so still had access to my workshop (well - shed
)
Undid the front wheel nuts - 4 normal and one special nut - adaptor in the jack bag - Jacked it up, removed wheel, went to rear to remove the never used Michelin original 4X4... undid top two nuts, removed cap from bottom lock nut and - errrr - ooops
Different bl00dy lock nut
Luckily it was on the wheel carrier so not so tight - a pair of vice grips persuaded it to release.
Morals here - I now have a large wooden stick to be painted orange and white to mark the offending granite low level tank trap. I also am getting my local tyre man to sort a key socket for the rear or find me another keyed nut same as the others.
It was also quite 'alarming' to realise that there was no feeling of a deflated tyre as I was on grass - with bone dry sub surface. I drove to the top of the lane, turned around and went back down to check - a. what I had clobbered - and b. if any rim damage /tyre damage had been done.. (It was only then I noticed it was flat as a flat thing ( luckily only at the bottom ....)
I will have to get the little 'selective' flags for the top of the marker stick.
So as the male health adds say- check yer nuts..... and know yer own tracks / roads on yer own property...
tum te tum te tum te tum..
Nurse ? - I need my 'steady' pills......