You know there is a problem when you see your back wheel pass you while you are driving.
For several days we have heard a wobbly noise coming from the back of the van. We looked under the van and didn't see anything obviously wrong. So we figured that we would have to take the van in to be serviced. We are currently cleaning and painting a house that we will be moving into soon so we really do not have time for such things right now. Today we were driving out to where our container is located (about 25 minutes away) and the noise suddenly got worse. The whole van started wobbling and John slowed and pulled off the road. As soon as he pulled off the edge of the road, we saw our back wheel rolling past us. Evidently the lugnuts worked themselves loose and fell off. We had this wheel fixed recently, so the nuts must not have been tightened properly. Within 30 minutes the van was back together and we were back on the road! God is so good to watch over us through this whole situation.1. This didn't happen yesterday when I (Sophie) was driving alone. And it wasn't raining.
2. We were on a part of the road that was level and had room to safely pull off. We were coming up to a hill where there is a deep ditch at the side.
3. A large portion of roads here have a large dropoff, but it was minimal where we had to pull off.
4. The wheel did not come completely off until we were off the pavement, so the brake system did not get ground off on the road.
5. The wheel only rolled a short way instead of rolling all the way down the hill in the tall grass. Who knows what else may have been in the grass.
6. Three young men were walking along the road and helped us get things put back together. They were given some Kwacha and tracts for their efforts.
7. We had the needed equipment in the van to get the tire back on.
8. One lugnut was found on the side of the road and three others were borrowed from the other wheels.
9. Once back on the road we were glad that the wobbling noise (and motion) had stopped!
Life is good when all four wheels of your vehicle are securely attached. 100% is definitely a must in this area. When just one of four wheels comes off, the whole vehicle stops.
