So, I think most of the people here are prepared for your average unplanned overnight in the woods, vehicle problems, or general abuse that Mother Nature and life can throw at you. I’m no different, or so I thought. About 5 months ago I picked up a 2012 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4 in great condition for a somewhat good price. It has cool aftermarket wheels and a good set of Khumo A/T tires. I loaded it up with my giant Plano box of endless emergency goodies and tools. So, I’m good right? Yesterday on the way home to enjoy a nice peaceful weekend, I took my usual route home, almost to the train tracks, only 2 miles from home. Cold beer in the passenger seat. Life’s good. Booom!!! Booom!!! Started coming from the back of the truck as I go over the train tracks. I pull over and there’s a dime size hole in the back passenger side tire. Crap. No big deal. I have the spare on before the beer gets warm. Get a new set Monday. Get the spare out, good shape, get the jack out,start jacking. Too short due to the 3 inch lift I just added. Crap. No biggie, a quick phone call to my brother and he’ll bring a few blocks to make up for it. I’ll pull the center caps to get to the lug nuts while I wait. They take Allen wrenches, only tool I don’t have on the truck. Another call to my brother. He’ll bring some from work. So I wait. A good friend of ours, who drives a flat bed wrecker, happens up on us recognizing the truck stops to help. He’s got Allen wrenches and offers to lift the back of the truck to make the tire change easier. Score. Trucks up, center caps off, Toyota factory lug wrench doesn’t fit the aftermarket wheel lugs. So, I ended up getting towed to my tire shop just to put the spare on. Pretty ridiculous. Just to put a spare on. This doesn’t happen to prepared folks like me. It was a learning experience for sure. Glad it didn’t happen out on the trail. Would have been a nightmare. Allen wrenches ✅ Hi-Lift jack. ✅ New 4 way with a big ass cheater bar✅ Lesson learned✅✅ Hurt pride✅✅✅ Swapping to a new vehicle is not as simple as loading up the stuff from your old vehicle and dropping it in the new. Sounds simple enough but there were some significant holes in my gear because I had tools for a GMC Yukon not a lifted Toyota 4Runner. Side note, got new Nitto Terra Grapplers ordered to be put on Wednesday. I wanted some bigger tires anyway.
Great post and thanks for sharing Casey! That's a great lesson that we can all learn from...like you stated I know many of us share a mindset where we roll around in a higher than normal state of preparedness...yet something as simple as a flat tire can turn us on our head.... Thanks for being humble enough to share your lesson!
Funny when I saw the title and looked at the pic I KNEW it was going to be that the lug wrench didn't fit....not because I am smert simply because I could have seen that happening to me !!
I had a similar experience afew years ago in my old shop truck. I was headed to the welding supply shop about 30 miles away for a couple pieces of steel. I noticed the truck had developed a shake at low speed when I got to town. It smoothed out when I got on the highway. I was rolling along about 70 in the left lane when the right front tire blew. It snached me into the right lane instantly. Luckily there wasn't anyone in that lane and I had just passed all of the construction barriers. So here I am on the side of the four lane it's 95 and sunny. The boss had put a tiny bottle Jack in the truck because he blew a tire in Atlanta. I can't find the lug wrench, then I remembered Ford put them under the hood. So I am in the ditch changing the tire. I have a his little bitty bottle Jack on soft ground on an incline. I snatched the outside rear wheel off before the truck can fall off the Jack. Now I move to the front tire. I am sweating my ass off. The dang Jack will not fit under the front end. I tried several different ways still no luck the bottle Jack is too tall. I ended up taking the hitch off of the back and wrapping it with a ratchet strap, then driving up on it to make clearance for the Jack. I finally made it to the welding supply about 10 minutes before they closed.
Thanks for sharing! I've been in a similar situation a couple of times! I now keep a cheap harbor freight mechanics tool set, a small floor jack and a couple of jack stands in the back of my SUV. Also make sure if your rig has one of those security adaptors for the lug nuts you know where it is lol
good lesson, fortunately learned in an easy fashion as opposed to a hard one. hi-lifts are OK, but they can be super dangerous, and you need specific jack points that will withstand the point load. i carry one in my off road rigs, sure, but it won't replace a bottle jack / scissor jack get a couple of chunks of 4x4 and a couple of chunks of 2x4 to use as cribbing so your stock jack works. also, good to have enough extra for wheel chocks.
^ local 4x4 guy here had his face smashed badly when the hi lift jack handle suddenly swung up...he had left in a horizontal position.......