Review: Plugga II Tyre Repair kit

[Ratbag]

Review Metal handled tyre repair kits

Gidday Folks

I just had this metal handled set delivered this morning.

https://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=220932617092

$44, including P&H.

From Rhino Racks (aka Roofrackcitypymble).
Made in China and distributed by www.bushranger.com.au.



Thoughts on this kit:

1. It comes with everything, AFAICS.
2. A well made carrying box which is exactly too large by a couple of mms to fit in my air compressor carrying case (see separate review by me, later). Otherwise very well made and fits everything easily, unlike some of these things where once you have taken all the stuff out, you can never get it to fit back in again ... . So :biggrin: for this.
3. The two tools for rasping and insertion appear to be very strong and well made. I would have liked to see the steel tool 'bit' extend right into the handle, rather than just well into the fairly solid diameter 'T' that has an Allen key (hex head, for our American friends) holding the tool bits in place. These have a machined flat on them for the Allen key to screw down onto. The zinc alloy handles are around 100 mms long x 21 mms in diameter, with knurled grips.
4. There is a spare insertion tool tip included.
5. 4 x spare tyre valves.
6. 1 x "star spanner" type tyre valve tool that includes:
   - tyre valve removal end;
   - tyre valve thread repairing/cleaning end;
   - end for removing a broken tyre valve;
   - end for repairing/cleaning valve cap thread on valve.
7. Needle nose pliers of unknown quality, with gripping jaws and side cutter.
8. 20 plugs packed between plastic sheets.
9. A quite substantial jar of lubricant.
10. A small blade cutter. Useful if one has left one's normal tool kit somewhere else ... While this is serviceable, I would far prefer to use a Stanley knife or pocket knife, as I feel that this would be safer.
11. The instructions are glued to the inside of the lid of the carrying case ...
12. And very importantly, an Allen key for changing the tool tips over.

The whole kit is fairly small, and would easily slide under a seat somewhere - probably the one that the compressor is sitting behind on the floor ... see separate review later ... ). The kit is small & light enough to fit into the cargo net on the back of the MY06 Fox front seats

I carry a rupture-proof 10L jerry can of fuel behind the driver's seat. Designed by an English racing driver back in the late 1960s or early 1970s after a number of failures involving the old WWII 20L jerry cans which could be filled right to the brim, with no air space for compression in case of an accident. "Modern" 20L jerry cans now incorporate this free air space into their design. I have one of these (modern 20L), and another two 10L military style jerry cans as well.


Looking at the kit, I am impressed by:

1. Its completeness;
2. Its overall design and implementation; and
3. The apparent strength of the components - HOWEVER, only time and use of it will properly testify to that latter ... .

I have taken a whole lot of piccies of these, but will have to massage these to the right size for upload here later, sorry.

Hope this drivel is useful to some here.

 

[Kevin]

Great review, thanks RB. Now you'll have to go find some punctures! ;-)

 

[mr turbo]

Great review Ratbag, very informative :ebiggrin:
Well done mate :biggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Kevin & Mr T

Great review, thanks RB. Now you'll have to go find some punctures! ;-)

Thanks Kevin.
I sincerely hope that now I have this kit, the "random chance" provisions that Mother Nature loves so much will ensure that I never have to use it ...

Great review Ratbag, very informative :ebiggrin:
Well done mate :biggrin:

Thanks mate.

We are all at the mercy of the occasionally unscrupulous nature of those who sell on the Internet. It helps to have a bit more info than one can usually (easily) glean from ads that promise the earth and deliver dirt ...

I will write up the deflators (complex ... adjusting them properly appears to be somewhere between art & science) and the compressor (pretty straightforward - it works well) over the next couple of days.

I need to set up that album I mentioned so that I have somewhere to upload high-res images to.

I also have replies from the Queensland chap and SubaXtreme regarding their sump guards to write up.

In amongst setting up the new smart phone (which I will hopefully get tomorrow), and a few other things, I am going to be a busy boy for a little while ... .

Test image embedding:

 

[NachaLuva]

Great review, thanks RB. Now you'll have to go find some punctures! ;-)

Haha...dont tempt fate lol

Good luck finding a puncture in that lol.
Or for that matter the valve to air back up haha :ebiggrin:

Good write up, Ratbag, very complete.

Cant believe how fast they posted it out, already have mine :biggrin:

 

[Ratbag]

Good luck finding a puncture in that lol.
Or for that matter the valve to air back up haha :ebiggrin:

Good write up, Ratbag, very complete.

Thanks NL.

Cant believe how fast they posted it out, already have mine :biggrin:

Yeah :ebiggrin:. I got all the gear I ordered yesterday. Took me about 3 hours to work out how to set the tyre deflators accurately. The compressor came in real handy for that ...

Speaking of which, it inflated a 13" trailer tyre from absolutely dead flat to 30 psi in about a minute ... Very satisfactory.

I have spent most of today fighting with the new phone ... I just hate changing phones (or PDAs). Effectively doing both at once is driving me more nuts than usual!

I may have a look at buying a single cheapie CB portable handset tomorrow, for Saturday.

 

[mr turbo]

Speaking of which, it inflated a 13" trailer tyre from absolutely dead flat to 30 psi in about a minute ... Very satisfactory.

I have spent most of today fighting with the new phone ... I just hate changing phones (or PDAs).

From dead flat to 30psi in around a minute, now that is good.
Sounds like you got a good one there indeed

New phones & the fighting that goes with them give's me the too

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Mr T

From dead flat to 30psi in around a minute, now that is good.
Sounds like you got a good one there indeed

Seems to be excellent. Worth it just for the decent carrying case ... :iconwink:

New phones & the fighting that goes with them give's me the too

about 7 hours fighting with the PC s/w yesterday.

SIX HOURS on the phone today getting it sorted out. Seems someone put me on the wrong plan ...
A plan that didn't support the phone I have bought ...
Same costs ...

 

[mr turbo]

SIX HOURS on the phone today getting it sorted out. Seems someone put me on the wrong plan ...
A plan that didn't support the phone I have bought ...

Un believable
I'd be making sure they'd pay for that big time
Are they going to compensate you for their stuff up at all ??

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[stilson]

Same thing happened to me iPhone but no iPhone plan and got hammered with data charges. Worst thing is each month I would ring up and explain the problem to a new Indian and get a credit back and the next month have the total back on my new bill and it was coming out direct debit. I ended up with around $800 in credit and Optus couldn't understand that I couldn't pay my mortgage with Optus credit. Now I get my poor service from Telstra.

I'll be getting a set of this tyre repair kit.

 

[Ratbag]

G'day again mate

Gidday Mr T

about 7 hours fighting with the PC s/w yesterday.

SIX HOURS on the phone today getting it sorted out. Seems someone put me on the wrong plan ...
A plan that didn't support the phone I have bought ...
Same costs ...

Un believable
I'd be making sure they'd pay for that big time
Are they going to compensate you for their stuff up at all ??

They already have ... Upfront refund for the two year's costs ... :ebiggrin:.

At least that's something.

However, here it is 2050H and I have yet to start any preparation for tomorrow, with an 0530H start for me.

Also, apparently there is going to be light rain in that area overnight and tomorrow ...

I am not in the mood for doing anything "brave" or "exciting". Quite the contrary: I feel absolutely knackered after spending four full days just buying a new smartphone, and getting the bloody thing to work ...

Things still aren't right, because I cannot log into my Blackberry Enterprise Server account. It appears that some countries are banning Blackberrys altogether, because they use strong/"hard" encryption for email and all messaging (4096 bit; Diffie-Helman ... basically unbreakable by anyone).

I reckon that just getting the flaming thing to work is hard enough ...

That having been said, it shows a two bar stronger signal in my study than my Motorola, which was also certified "remote rural use" - the 'Blue Tick'. Some other phones also qualify, such as the top of the line Apples, except that none of them will work properly in the bush at all ...

 

[Ratbag]

Photos of PluggaII tyre repair kit

Gidday All

I finally got around to it ...

Closed up for travel:

Packed up in its carry case:

The whole kit laid out:

The little bits:

A few more shots here PluggaII

BTW, the Victorian Road Rules specifically forbid the use of ANY kind of tyre plug for repairing tyres. The tyre must be demounted from the rim; inspected for internal damage; and fitted with a tube if the casing is OK.

This kind of repair kit is ONLY intended to get you to that tyre repair workshop.

The reasons that this kind of repair were prohibited when I was in my 20s (around 1965 sometime ... ) is that:

• they are not safe as a permanent repair;
• they may fail without warning; and
• the ONLY way to tell if the carcase is damaged is by demounting the tyre and expertly inspecting it.

 

[Barry]

C'mon Ratbag, way back then, just before I reached double figures, no tyre didn't have a tube - unless it was of the solid rubber variety!

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Barry

C'mon Ratbag, way back then, just before I reached double figures, no tyre didn't have a tube - unless it was of the solid rubber variety!

Almost all of the tyres I have driven on - started in Dec 1965 - have been tubeless, at least to begin with.

They invented an arrow-shaped repair plug for tubeless tyres.

After a few years they discovered that these could be pushed into the tyre, causing catastrophic failure of the tyre at high speed; so added the requirement that the tyre be demounted from the rim; inspected, and had a tube fitted.

I would leave the temporary plug in place, but still fit a tube as soon as possible.

It is mandatory to do all this under AS1973-1993, AFAIK.

I have done this with all the punctures I have had, up to the present day. I have never had a problem with any tyre overheating from being tubed (intubated? LOL).

 

[Barry]

These kits on special at Anaconda 30% off... 14/12/2012

Picked one up today.

 

[NachaLuva]

Isnt it funny how we buy Xmas pressies for ourselves hahaha :rotfl:

 

[Barry]

Isnt it funny how we buy Xmas pressies for ourselves hahaha :rotfl:

True, but will need them for the January trip, my existing gear having been 'disappeared'.