Field Improvised Fixes, whats yours?

[MistWolf]

I have used Super Glue to repair good sized holes in tires. One repair was of a hole about 1/2 inch long in the tread. For an experiment, I left it and it went three months before it started leaking so bad I had to do something about it. Super Glue accelerator will make Super Glue set up quick!

Always carry two or three tug straps and D rings and a tow hitch pin in your vehicle. Never know when you or someone else will need a tug.

There is this elastic tape that sticks just to itself. I've used it to repair a radiator hose that split. I forget it's real name, but we called it "F-4 tape" in the Air Force.

One fellow lost the alternator in his Toyota way up in the Tehachapi Mountains in the high desert of California. It was a long drive back to Los Angeles. I started my Cherokee, removed it's battery and installed it in his Toy. His battery I put in my Cherokee and while we drove, his battery was charging. When the battery from my Cherokee started getting low, we swapped and it was enough to get us home.

A GI can opener on a keyring can have many uses. Mine is mostly used for cutting the tape on boxes and as an emergency common screw driver.

On one hunting trip, cookware was forgotten. We plunked a large flat rock in the middle of our campfire and fried our food on it. I have for years dug a slit trench and rolled rocks set around the campfire for such a purpose and buried them. I'd set my sleeping bag on top and let the heat warm me through the cold desert nights. Only trouble was getting up halfway through the night to put another layer of dirt on them when things got too warm!

I also like to carry small cans of Sterno for instant fire. Open the top, light the Sterno and set the whole thing into the firepit. Usually works real well

[Norinco]

I once jump started a buddy’s car with a power cord we cut off a lamp that was sitting on the curb.

[Norinco]

It works very well. When mounting HMVEE run flats in Iraq we would use a heavy duty 3" ratchet straps. When they become too hard to ratchet put a piece of metal in the handle for leverage.

I’ve done this to a four-wheeler. lol

[GTifosi]

If your driveshaft throws a weight use a hoseclamp to replace it. Just put the clasp where the weight was. If you cant tell, just clamp it down and drive, then shift it a bit. If the vibration gets better you're moving it the right direction.

To carry that one step further:
If you've access to a bathtub and can get the driveshaft off, float the shaft in the tub and put the clamp on so that when the shaft is gently spun along its axis it floats level and comes to rest in a random spot rather than always stopping with a certain side up.

Regarding starters:
Sometimes they actually do spin, but don't engage the flywheel/ring gear.
Get hold of the crank pully, alternator pulley or if an utter emergency, the fan if its belt drive and roll the engine a bit, or if a stick, put the trans in gear and push the car a bit to get the engine to turn a few degrees then try the starter again.
If the bendix is working properly and you got the engine to move enough, the starter will engage the 'fresh' spot and start to crank the engine. (an engine will always stop in the same place when shut off, so there's always a bit more wear at that point in the teeth)

In an emergency, a failed brake hard line can be cut, folded over and crimped with pliers or what have you to get you home.
You'll lose the use of the brakes at that wheel, but 3 out of 4 is far better than 0 when the fluid all runs onto the ground.

[hobbeslt]

Along the lines of what Legion Prime wrote. I knew an old farmer when I was gowing up, ( early 1960's). He would always top off the batteries in his tractors and cars with distilled white vinegar. He explained that it's an acid and distilled water. He would routinely go 10 to 15 years on a battery. When I started driving I remembered the trick and have used it many times on different vehicles. I usually get twice the listed service life on the battery. I've also used a large juice can and hose clamps to repair a broken tail pipe. I cut top and bottom off the can then cut the can up the side the long way. Wrap the can around the tail pipe break and secure with hose clamps. I went two years with that repair on my jeep. The inspection mechanic missed it. It blended pretty well.

[Kfgk14]

If your Camelbak fails on you, take a bike squirt bottle (the kind with a deep groove around the body) and tie it with paracord to the shoulder strap of your pack/armor/vest/etc with a piece of paracord just long enough you can get the bottle to your mouth. To secure it, you can put a little EMS carabiner at a sufficiently lower on the vest or further down the shoulder strap into a loop of webbing and then take another piece of cordage tied to the bottle with a loop in the end so that you can clip it into the lower carabiner. I know that's kinda confusing, but I could do pictures...

[TommyG]

We have always saved ruined bicycle tubes and I usually have one in the truck. Cut them to width and you a very strong rubber band. I have used a length of it over a worn smooth pistol grip for better purchase. Long strips can be cut for binding, tourniquet, etc.

Squares of tube and duct tape make a passable waterproof patch for containers, etc.

The entire tube is easy to configure into a useable sling in a first aid situation.

I have not had to use it yet but I suspect a cut strip of the complete loop doubled or tripled over for length would make a passable fan belt for the vehicle in a pinch.

They weight very little, are small, and have come in very handy in many situations.

Oh yeah, if you are out riding your bike and get a flat and have no spare tubes, stuff your tire as full as you can with leaves and pine needles (or the equivalent from the local environment) and re-seat the bead. It will be like riding on a tire with low air, but it will keep you from having to walk the bike or damaging the wheel by riding on the flat tire.

[Kfgk14]

carry really fine steel wool for use as tinder. even soaking wet, just wring it out and it lights fast; it will rust, so rotate it if you have it in a bugout kit.

A solution to the rust might be just some lubrication. Keep it in a plastic bag and when you need fire, pull it out, squeeze the excess lubricant, and light. Make sure to wipe your hands down after though (lube while trying to put other materials on the fire=bad burns) and always wear gloves around the fire.

[Reagans Rascals]

Use pure Aspirin tablets to unclog a sink... Russian Cosmonauts pioneered this in the ISS... the acetylsalicylic acid will gradually eat through minor clogs.

[RogerinTPA]

I didn't want to start another thread along similar lines, so I'll add to this one.

As a former 11B, we used to game how many ways 550 paracord, a trashbag and 100 mph duct tape could be used. Continuing on this thought, I want to get members opinions on what they use it for (fixes, survival, emergencies, camping/backpacking, etc...).

550 cord: I've used it to make survival bracelets, fishing line, boot laces, lashings for a vehicle, poncho hooch, field shelter, dummy cords on weapons, trip wire, and snares.

Trashbags: I've used it for solar still/water collector, rain gear, ground cover, rucksack content water proofing, sleeping bag liner to retain heat.

100mph tape: hard shell repair, tent repair, inflatable raft repair, hose wrap, emergency butterfly stitches, tape up roommate's hairy ass while drunk(yes I know, we removed skin and drew blood on that one).

What say you?