Page 77 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

central reservation and scoot into the verge at the far side.

I had hardly had the time to
appreciate that it could have
something to do with us, when a
second and larger ring of steel did
exactly the same thing.

This time as it scooted across the
opposite lanes it was big enough to
make the vehicles coming the other
way swerve out of the path of this
steel missile.
My steering became difficult and the
lorry was rapidly pulling into the hard
shoulder, then we had the tell tale
bump bump bump of a flat tyre.

As you will realise by now, Wonderbun was a lorry from years past, many design items
have been superseded by now and one of those was wheel design.

Wonderbun had cross ply tyres with inner tubes and the whole were secured onto the
“three piece wheel” by a locking ring and flange. The whole is held in place by the tyre
being inflated and ours was inflated no longer.

As it had punctured, the locking ring had been the first thing to fly away, at a good 50mph.
This was quickly followed by the flange and then the tyre just began to come off the wheel.

We had stopped by then. Being well prepared, it did not take too long to jack up the front
of the lorry and change the wheel and we were away once again.

That sort of thing can not happen now as wheels are made in one piece and the tyres are
normally tubeless just like those on your car only very very heavy.
That must be one good thing about progress!

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