Episode 9: X-Tra Seal Tire Repair Cabinet

Hi, I'm JJ Bock, Director of Operations of Rubber-Inc. Today we're on the road with In Stock With Bock, visiting our friends at 31, Inc. We're on-site in Ohio with our partners at 31, Inc., a leading manufacturer in high-quality tire repair materials, TPMS, and tire supplies. 31, Inc. is known for its rigorous quality control standards. If it's not good enough for their family's vehicle, it's not good enough for you and they will not send it out. Jerry, thank you for having us. Tell us a little bit about 31, Inc. So at 31 Inc., we've been manufacturing premium tire repair products in Newcomerstown, Ohio

for over 60 years. Not only that, but we're the number one manufacturer of tire repair in the passenger and light truck segments. We take pride in producing high quality solutions that meet or exceed industry standards. From tire patches to TPMS service kits. Our customers, ranging from small, independent shops to major fleets, trust our expertise and commitment to quality and keeping vehicles on the road. Fantastic. The Tire Repair Cabinet by X-Tra Seal has been on our episode list for quite a while now, and we're excited we can unbox it with you. This kit doesn't just come with everything you need,

it also includes a convenient wall cabinet for storage and organization. Before we dive in, what is this kit intended for? Great question, JJ. So this kit is designed for a wide range of vehicles, from passenger cars to light truck applications. We even have another kit for commercial truck and bus applications. Whether you're working in a small auto repair shop or servicing a whole fleet, these kits have everything that you need to handle professional grade tire repair. How many puncture repairs can be completed with one of these kits? JJ, you always ask the best questions.

So this kit can handle over 110 repairs. It includes multiple sizes of patches, plugs, and a full set of tools and chemicals to ensure an industry approved repair. This kit literally has everything you need to repair a tire puncture. Let's start unpacking. Safety first.

Jerry, can you give us a quick walkthrough of what all comes in this kit? Sure can, JJ. So like I said, this kit has everything that we're gonna need to complete an industry approved tire repair from A to Z. Okay, now the first thing that I like to start off with is our, what I call our tire repair Bible. Okay, this is 10 steps, okay, of what to do and what not to do for tire repair. So every shop should have one of those. They're included in every kit. And that is our training module right there. That's everything you need to know. Not only that, we have all of our tools

to do the job correctly. Proper lighting is important. We're gonna inspect the tire. We need proper lighting to do that. We have a probe here. We're gonna probe that injury, make sure there's no splits in the rubber. We have our scrapers for cleaning the inner liner, our stichers, everything we're gonna need for that process. And then most importantly, we have our bread and butter, which is our patches and our cements, our chemicals, everything like that. Now, not only are you going to get a one-piece combination unit like this, which is the industry standard, most popular,

you're also going to get a two-piece repair. So you can do any kind of repair that you need, one or two piece to fulfill the industry standard and make sure you're doing tire repair correctly. This is great. It's absolutely great. Jerry, thank you so much for letting us come and tour the facility and walking us through this amazing tire repair kit. This kit is loaded with all the essentials to perform proper tire repair and gets my stamp of approval. If you wanna get your hands on this must have repair kit, visit www.rubber-inc.com. Thank you. vital to perform a thorough external and internal inspection first to determine

if the tire should be repaired. Make sure to mark the injury with a crayon. Avoid inverting radial tires and excessive spreading of the beads. Look for weather cracking on the sidewall, exposing the cords, and check for any bead damage. Be sure the injury is in the tread area and does not exceed one quarter inch six millimeter. Use a probe in the injury to remove foreign material and to determine the angle of the injury. Always use appropriate lighting to enable you to clearly see all non-repairable conditions such as run flat, improper repairs, or damage to the external sidewall or inner liner. If the

angle of the injury is greater than 25 degrees you must use a two-piece repair system. Use rubber prep and a scraper to remove contaminants from the inner liner such as silicone and mold lubricants that will greatly reduce adhesions or even cause failure. Repeat this process two or three times where needed and be sure to clean an area larger than the repair. Using a low-speed drill maximum 1200 RPMs and the appropriate size carbide cutter, drill the injury from the inside first three or four times to cut away the steel and provide a round injury channel to accept the stem. Repeat three or four times from the outside of the

tire. Inspect to be sure you do not have splits in the rubber and have removed all the damage. If the injury gets larger than one quarter of an inch six millimeter the tire is non-repairable and therefore there is no need to buff the tire. Select the appropriate combination repair unit based on industry recommendations. Center the unit over the injury and outline an area about one half inch 13 millimeter larger than the repair unit. To prevent contamination and preserve the outline, buff within the marked area using a low speed buffer 5,000 RPM or less and a fine grit rasp. Buff the liner to a TRMG BT1 or 2 texture to obtain a velvety

looking surface. Remove all rubber dust with a brass brush and vacuum to provide a clean, dry surface. Apply a coat of cement to the injury channel using a spiral cement tool or probe, Then apply a thin coat of cement to the entire buffed surface. Stippling the cement can speed up dry time by moving the cement down into the buffed surface. Allow for the cement to completely dry. Do not use compressed air or hair dryers as they can contaminate the buffed surface. While drying, rotate the tire to the 12 o'clock position to prevent contamination. Normal dry time is 3 to 5 minutes and will vary with temperature and humidity.

When installing the repair, the beads should be in a relaxed position. You may install just a drop of cement to the lead wire end of the unit to help with installation but do not cement the entire stem. This can cause wet cement and even failure. Next, pull the stem above the lead wire through the injury channel until the repair unit begins to dimple and stop as shown here. Using your thumb, push down from the center outwards to seat the repair unit to the liner. Stitch the entire repair unit using a serrated stitcher vigorously from the center outwards.

Repeat this from the opposite direction. This will eliminate trapped air and begin the chemical vulcanization process. Cut off the stem on the outside of the tire to 1 eighth of an inch, 3 millimeter, above the tread surface. Without stretching the stem, apply a coat of inner liner sealer to the repair area, making sure to cover all exposed, buffed surface and the edges of the patch. This will provide integrity to the liner for the life of the tire.