Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

[boltdude73]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

seeing as i torque large bolts for a living, NEVER use any kind. any type of lube can effect the final tensile stress on that fastener, with that being said, lug bolts and studs are designed not to have any lube. they even have a taper fit to the flange of the wheel that acts as a locking device. this is why they stopped making Unilug wheels. p.s. i have been doing my job for 16 years. just incase you have any doubts.

 

[moterboat]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

seeing as i torque large bolts for a living, NEVER use any kind. any type of lube can effect the final tensile stress on that fastener, with that being said, lug bolts and studs are designed not to have any lube. they even have a taper fit to the flange of the wheel that acts as a locking device. this is why they stopped making Unilug wheels. p.s. i have been doing my job for 16 years. just incase you have any doubts.

AMEN.. I REST MY CASE..

 

[tjl76evinrude]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

harbor freight has clicker torque wrenches usually for less than 20$ and they work quite well. i always torque mine and i will NOT use lug studs on anything. i just dont like em and dont see any benefit to using them over a traditional stud and lugnut.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

If you run in salt water, its almost a must to keep the lugs or studs well lubed, if not, you'll need a drill and chisel to remove the wheel when the time comes. It is important to recheck each wheel after installation, I normally re-torque them after a few miles or so. It's easy to tighten a wheel and not have it completely seated just right and as soon as it moves and flexes under some weight, it finds its place and consequently the lugs are now loose.

I do paint my lugs and studs, it gives them a bit more corrosion resistance. I have been working on automobiles, boats and trailers for 25+ years, all threads should be lubricated, even if it's just a drop of oil. If you read any shop manual, whether you're working on and engine or chassis, it's normal procedure to lube the threads before torquing to spec. The lube allows the metal to glide and not bind to prevent a false torque reading. Lubricant is used so as to differentiate between friction and true torque readings.
Proper torque will prevent the bolts from stretching or over stretching.

(Here's a bulletin from ARP fasteners that better explains this,
http://www.minimania.com/ArticleV.cfm?DisplayID=1539).

On the other hand, on fasteners which you do not wish to remove regularly, there is Loctite, this lubricates the threads during installation and then crystallizes to form a mechanical wedge of sorts to prevent loosening.

 

[smokeythebuyer]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

This is a very interesting thread.

In Florida we always used anti-seize and always retorqued the lugs after a couple hundred yards down the road, there is no worse feeling than having one of your wheels roll past you. . .

 

[jnl001]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

This has happened to me twice. In both cases, it was the driver side trailer wheel on a hub using 4 lug bolts per rim. In both cases, I distinctively recall having just tightened the bolts before the trip. I did not use anti-seize or grease on the bolts. I did not torque them, however.

These were different boat trailers each time, but they were both 1960's vintage and very similar in design.

On the first time, the tire rim rolled off on the highway going about 60 (minor axle and hub damage). The second time, I saw the wheel wobble in my side mirror and was able to re-tighten before it got away.

In both incidents, the threads were in perfect shape initially. Never found the wheel or the bolts on the first incident, but on the second incident, I found the bolt threads damaged from the tire rim wearing on the threads as they came loose.

I have always wondered what could be causing this. Having ruled out foul play, I was left with trying to come up with some theory. The first post, which mentioned the physics of the driver side rim turning in the Counter Clock wise ?loosen? direction, is interesting I think. Adding to that could be the fact that the boat trailer bounces around more than a car (since it does not have the suspension), which could be causing the lugs to ?jerk? loose. I have wondered for a while if 5 lug nuts would be safer than 4 lug bolts.

To prevent future occurrences, I would say to avoid any grease or substances (like they are saying above), torque the bolts, and check the tightness from time to time.

John.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

Always retorque the nuts after 100 miles or so.
Never use grease on the threads.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

Looks like someone drug up another four year old thread.

 

[QC]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

Yeah guys, let's let this one die off. The OP hasn't posted in four years. Thanks

 

[90stingray]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

I use antiseize on all my wheel studs and torque to specs. I have only had one close call on my 49 IHC and that was on an old aluminum slot wheel that had the horrible unilug wheels with the oval washers. Yikes. Here's a link to tirerack about lug nut torque and antisieze...

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=107

 

[oops!]

Re: Wheel came off trailer. Root cause?

wheel came off trailer.

as qc mentioned.....lets let this one die in the archives.

if a new question pops up.....lets start a new thread !