Be prepared

As an Eagle Scout, I still try to prepare for any contingency. One of the common roadside emergencies is a flat tire.

For the past 35 years of driving, I’ve carried a traditional four way tire wrench to remove & install tires – but the Ridgeline doesn’t have a good place to store it!🤬

The good folks at The Ridgeline Owners Club have given me some sound advice.

Instead of the four way, a breaker bar & 22mm socket will work and fit in the spare tire compartment. (Sadly, the breaker bar can’t do the cool spin move that is so satisfying with the four way.)

22mm socket & 5” extension tucked into the factory tool kit like they belong.
Actually, the tool kit is a bit of a size queen and wants a 6” extension.

As seen on the photo above, the socket & extension seem to have been planned for by Honda (this wasn’t their plan). The breaker bar is strapped to the side of the jack.

It turns out, that if you purchase the Honda towing kit, it includes a locking receiver pin that this slot was designed to hold. The square space is for the receiver cover.

As far as the two other most common roadside faults – my jumper cables (dead battery) & recovery strap (vehicle stuck) live in one of the 5 gallon tubs under the back seat.

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Author: rexplex

With a bachelors degree in history, I turn wrenches for a living. I’m most at peace when I hear the wind in the trees or the gurgle of a brook. I’m a believer in the Renaissance Man, as epitomized by DaVinci engineer, artist, soldier, statesman. As Heinlein said, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

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