Grandpa – My Dad – He’s Amazing!

I would like to introduce you to my dad – Randy Shropshire.

He is the man who raised his 2 sons to be men of common sense like himself who could take care of business. Not necessarily in the “business” sort of way though. Dad is a man who can always get things done and he passed that Yankee ingenuity on to me. He was a man who inspired his sons in such a way that as young boys we would exclaim – “My dad can do anything!” And truly mean it. Funny thing is… I have never outgrown that impression of my father. I am not a young boy any more! I am 50 years old, but I am still and always will be my dad’s boy! And though dad is 73, I can still exclaim to you and the world, “My Dad Can Do Anything!” My fathers ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. I can never remember a time in my life when dad was not able to rectify just about any problem that came along. I am proud of him, he’s my dad, he’s amazing!

I have to give you just one example that came up the other day where dad’s knowledge and ingenuity surpasses my own.

How to Fix Flat Tires

We have a small trailer that we pull behind our 4-wheeler to haul dirt, rocks, manure, compost and a myriad of other things around the place. I doesn’t haul a lot so I added side boards to double it’s capacity. I bought this trailer years ago and it has served us well…that is until last week! It has been getting very rickety. It rattles to high heaven and the tires will not hold air for more than an hour or two. I have been meaning to get some “Tire Slime” to attempt to seal all the leaks but I never quite got around to it. I just put up with airing up the tires every trip we make. I tend to get a little exasperated at it every time I use it anymore. Well the other day I loaded it (actually way overloaded it!) up with compost and headed out across the corrugates of the alfalfa field to our west garden. Half way across the tongue collapsed, causing it to dig into the ground, which collapsed the frame and bent the axle. On the bright side though, the tires were still aired up (it was the 1^st trip). I had had it! We shoveled out the compost and I drug it over to throw on the junk pile to be taken to the dump. I would be rid of that old rattle trap once and for all! Well… it sat there for a week when dad came over and asked if he could take it. I figured he would strip it for parts or scrap metal, so I told him to go ahead, but the tires were no good. I didn’t think there was anything worth saving.

I came home from the fire station the next day to find the trailer by the haystack, and everything was straightened out. As I was looking it over dad came over and showed me where he had beefed up the tongue, straightened the frame, and welded in extra supports. He then poked the tires, which were firmly aired up. I asked if he had bought some Tire Slime to which he harrumphed “No” and just smiled, causing me of course to probe further. He replied simply “Newspaper” I now had to be very direct and ask him to be clear! He told me he had shredded up some newspaper, mixed it with some soap and water and put it inside the tires and aired them up. “Fixes all kinds of leaks.” He said. I was dumbfounded! Not only am I part of a generation who throws things away when they can be fixed, I buy things to fix things with. I spend money to make up for my lack of knowledge and ingenuity. If you asked me, I would have told you those tires were beyond repair, but fortunately dad didn’t ask me!

It seems that when you shred newspaper and mix it with soap and water, it breaks back down into the cellulose fibers in a paste which will be forced into leaks by air pressure, sealing the holes. This stuff works better than Tire Slime! Those tires were so weather checked that they leaked all around the sidewalls, but they haven’t leaked any air with this stuff in them.

I was so impressed that I have to pass this on to you for use on your own homestead! Your wheelbarrows, 4-wheelers, lawn mowers, etc. will thank you. I have included the following pictures of the process as dad described it to me.

Yes, my Dad can do anything – He’s Amazing!

Below you can find instructions and pictures of the process.

Shreading the newspaper

cutting into small pieces

Ingredients: newspaper, soap, water

soap & water

mix it up

let it soak a few hours

Break the bead on the flat tire

Pour paste inside tire

work it in

Air it up to set bead

No more leaks! Costs-zero

Allen