My kingdom for a Rubber Mallet!

One of the worst things about winter is not the snow and ice but the damage it can do to the roads. If I only judged by them, I would have thought we’d been hit with artillery fire. Pot holes are everywhere with some seemingly big enough to swallow a small car. I have noticed some patching recently but not soon enough to save me from the fun which greated me thursday morning. I was on my way into work and making good time. There is a short, industrial stretch near campus which I pass through. This is also where I sometimes get delayed as there are a pair of railroad tracks to cross. As I got there this time though, no trains but as soon as I went over them, my car started handling roughly. I pulled into a nearby parking lot to see what had happened. It was then I noticed a hole in the side of my back tire.

I was in no mood for this as it was in the 40s and misty. Not the weather to change tires (not that there is ever such a time). Oh well, it was time to get to it. I set the emergency break, got out the jack and got to work. First I removed the spare which is a full sized tire from the back of my CRV. I then set the jack in position and began to spin. It amazes me all the different and largely ineffective ways they have to design a car jack. This one was par for the course. I hooked metal rod loops around a few holes. At the other end of the rod, you attach the tire iron, forming a "T". It took a while but I finally got the hang of rotating it while keeping all the pieces in place. Finally  it was high enough to remove the bad tire. The bolts had already been loosened. Once they were completely removed, I could finish this task and get out of the misserable weather. At least that was what I thought.

I kneeled down, reached around the tire and started pulling it toward me. I’ve done this many times before. It seems that at some point, I always have to change at least one tire for each car I own. Problem this time was that the tire didn’t budge. I pulled harder. Still nothing. I tried kicking the tire to loosen it. Nope. Didn’t help. Perhaps the car wasn’t jacked high enough. I released the emergency break and verified that the tire could rotate. That wasn’t it. I reset the breake and retried, again and again. I was getting colder and more irritated by the minute.

Finally I decided it was time to bring in the big guns. Out of my wallet, I pulled out my recently renewed AAA membership card. After a few moments on the phone, the calvary would be dispatched. Now came the wait. I feared it would be long so I got into my car (the good side), pulled out my phone and started checking my emails. To my pleasant surprise, I didn’t have to wait for long. Within 20 minutes, a truck pulled up along side. I explained what I had done to this point then after rummaging around his toolbox. Out came a rubber mallet and after several sharp hits, the tire was free. What I wouldn’t have given to have had that an hour before. My rescuer also had an air compressor ratchet and in a fraction of the time it would have taken me, the new tire was on, the bad one mounted on the back, and air pressure checked. I set about lowering the jack and put everything else away. Finally I was back on my way.

Note to self… buy an rubber mallet next time I’m at the store.