Emergency Repairs

Emergency Repairs

We all keep some supplies and tools in the truck for quick fixes. I wouldn’t be without my socket and wrench set. Screwdrivers are handy. I always have a slotted head screwdriver. They work great for changing trailer lights and marking where you need your axle placed to run a legal weight. You can also use them on screws. My crowbar is also a multipurpose tool. It works great for pulling my fifth wheel without getting my shoulder dirty. It can also be used to pull nails from a trailer floor. My two pound sledge hammer can persuade stubborn pins to move-let alone frozen trailer brakes. No one should be without tape. A spare set of hose clamps can prove invaluable. Having a small set of hardware-screws, nuts and bolts aboard can come in handy. Having supplies might also help a fellow trucker out. Having supplies and not needing them is way better than needing supplies and not having them.

Last year I discovered an emergency repair tool that I had never thought of as an emergency repair tool. You see (that is my granddaughter’s favorite phrase YOU SEE! YOU SEE!) I was in Hubbard’s cave in Chicago when all of my buzzers and warning lights started going off. Hubbard’s Cave is on I94/I90 just west/north of I 290. I mean right in the middle of it. There is an accident investigation sight just outside the cave. I pulled over. When I opened the hood it looked like a major disaster. Water and coolant were everywhere. The top radiator hose had about a 4 inch tear in the top of it. Looking around my truck I found the perfect temporary repair piece-an inner tube.

The repair needed to last about 60 miles. That is where I could get it into a shop for a more permanent repair. The thought of spending close to $1,000 for a hook to a shop that I was not familiar with motivated me to find a solution. Then I saw it. My inner tube from my bike would be perfect. I cut the tube with my utility knife (another indispensable tool) and wrapped it tightly around the hose. Then I grabbed a role of electrical tape and wrapped that around the hose. I had about 3 gallons of water that I kept for my dog. It took all 3 gallons plus a gallon of coolant that I had in the side box. It took all 4 gallons to fill. IT HELD! I walked down to a local gas station and refilled the bottles. About half way the light came back on and I had to add a gallon. But, it made it to the shop.

The mechanics looked in wonder at my repair job. They were a little taken aback at the valve sticking out of the hose. They asked “what did you use?”.  I told them. We all got a good laugh and I got a new hose for a lot less than the price of a tow.