Deflating Start

Now this is going to be a good weekend.  As we were backing into our site a Prairie Creek campground yesterday, we blew a rear tire.  Not a big bang, but more whistling loud escape of air that took about 1 minute to fully go down.

No problem.  I have roadside service with AARP Hartford insurance and I have a good spare.  The worst case will be I need a new tire, but hey, that's the cost of doing RV business.

So, I call the Hartford roadside service number on the paperwork they sent us.  Three hours and $30 in phone calls later, I gave up.  They can't find me in their database.  Oh, Hartford can, but they contract with Allstate for the actual roadside service and Allstate has some kind of system set up with phone answerers that don't know squat and can't do squat if it's not written on the screen in front of them.  They left me with the option to call someone to help me out and then try to get reimbursed.  Yeh, right.

Well, I can change it myself.  I'm sitting in a campsite with a paved surface and no big trucks whooshing by to scare hell out of me.  But, wait.  I forgot to pack my usual assortment of tools.  In the rush to try to get this site (and one for Stephen) reserved on such short notice and then having to rush around yesterday so I could make my medical test appointments, I didn't follow my regular checklist.  To top it off, I had earlier bought a 20 ton bottle jack for just this occasion and it is still sitting in the garage.  Crap, crap, crap.

After worrying what seems like all night, I got up this morning with the realization I did not need the jack.  The flat tire is on an outside (luckily) rear and I have some leveling ramps I can use.  All I have to do is pull up on one with just the inside tire.  As for tools, well, I have a lug wrench and the special handle to lower the spare from its storage spot underneath.  But, I was concerned about the chrome wheel covers.  They  require a special wrench, too, and the last time I saw my wrench it was in the little red toolbox along with several other "camping" tools and, of course, the little red toolbox is sitting in the garage next to the jack.

So, I resigned myself to calling a local service, pay for it out of pocket then try to get reimbursed.  Even then though, I would need a good spare.  So, this morning Ditto and I went out to lower the spare tire and check it out.  As I reached for the special wrench to lower the spare, I noticed the special wrench to remove the wheel covers lashed conveniently to it with a little bungee cord.  I hate getting old...

Now the only thing I need, besides some muscle, is a 3/8" or 7/16" wrench to remove the valve stem extensions - and Stephen said he has some tools.  I might make this yet.