In a recent post a repair to a tire using a needle and thread was described.

Getting a vehicle back into action.....

do YOU have any good tips for those who find themselves in the middle of nowhere (or even at home) with no proper tools and a "dead" vehicle.

e.g. - One of my favourites was stuffing a flat tire with grass to give it enough inflation to continue on its way.

My motorcycle clutch cable broke once in Pattaya. It snapped right at the bar end where the cable passes through the lever. I pulled into a bike repair shop with trepidation. Would he have a spare cable. where could he find one? No worries he took the cable off the bars, used a small nut, placed the cable end in the nut and flattened the nut with a club hammer, then with an angle grinder he ground the points off the nut and radiused the edges until it fitted back in the hole in the lever.

It is still like that many years and km's later. Quite a clever solution as the threads in the nut grip the cable.

Bush mechanics? It depend on the technique and the situation.

My motorcycle clutch cable broke once in Pattaya. It snapped right at the bar end where the cable passes through the lever. I pulled into a bike repair shop with trepidation. Would he have a spare cable. where could he find one? No worries he took the cable off the bars, used a small nut, placed the cable end in the nut and flattened the nut with a club hammer, then with an angle grinder he ground the points off the nut and radiused the edges until it fitted back in the hole in the lever.

It is still like that many years and km's later. Quite a clever solution as the threads in the nut grip the cable.

Bush mechanics? It depend on the technique and the situation.

"Bush mechanics? It depend on the technique and the situation." - how do you mean?

My motorcycle clutch cable broke once in Pattaya. It snapped right at the bar end where the cable passes through the lever. I pulled into a bike repair shop with trepidation. Would he have a spare cable. where could he find one? No worries he took the cable off the bars, used a small nut, placed the cable end in the nut and flattened the nut with a club hammer, then with an angle grinder he ground the points off the nut and radiused the edges until it fitted back in the hole in the lever.

It is still like that many years and km's later. Quite a clever solution as the threads in the nut grip the cable.

Bush mechanics? It depend on the technique and the situation.

"Bush mechanics? It depend on the technique and the situation." - how do you mean?

Well if you want something simple fixed they can be OK. Want something diagnosed not so. The post is about ad hoc repairs not planned maintenance. I guess it also depends of ones knowledge of ones vehicle and what to ask them to do.

Are you talking about urban myth-type suggestions that are practically impossible to do? Like stuffing a tyre with grass. How would that work, assuming it was possible in the situation that required grass-stuffing to be able to remove the tyre from the wheel and replace it. Not many people carry the tools or have the ability to remove a tyre from a wheel.

Are you talking about urban myth-type suggestions that are practically impossible to do? Like stuffing a tyre with grass. How would that work, assuming it was possible in the situation that required grass-stuffing to be able to remove the tyre from the wheel and replace it. Not many people carry the tools or have the ability to remove a tyre from a wheel.

THere's a video going about that shows you how to do it...with any tools, just using stuff around you.

My motorcycle clutch cable broke once in Pattaya. It snapped right at the bar end where the cable passes through the lever. I pulled into a bike repair shop with trepidation. Would he have a spare cable. where could he find one? No worries he took the cable off the bars, used a small nut, placed the cable end in the nut and flattened the nut with a club hammer, then with an angle grinder he ground the points off the nut and radiused the edges until it fitted back in the hole in the lever.

It is still like that many years and km's later. Quite a clever solution as the threads in the nut grip the cable.

Bush mechanics? It depend on the technique and the situation.

"Bush mechanics? It depend on the technique and the situation." - how do you mean?

Well if you want something simple fixed they can be OK. Want something diagnosed not so. The post is about ad hoc repairs not planned maintenance. I guess it also depends of ones knowledge of ones vehicle and what to ask them to do.

Yes,ad hoc is the key here.....and with a little bit of improvisation it's amazing what can be done. There idea is that you learn from others....it appears that others don't have any ideas.

ever tried fixing a fan belt with stockings?

what about un-seizing and engine with coca-Cola?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_Mechanics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-tsKPlDn7U

http://www.bushmechanics.com/home.htm