Bad work almost killed us

[mrrob1]

The tire size is 19.5 spit rim. I changed the tires because the tire dates were 1700. The unit is a 2001 Bounder so they tires may never been changed. I had driven the rv on a short trip and around town to get use to it. I had know trouble with anything ,I was just trying to be safe. The roadside mechanic was just good at what he did that why it didn't take but a couple of hour to get us back rolling. The rv rode very good after the studs were removed and torque correctly.

[mrrob1]

The wheelcover didn't come off untill the return trip. That's when the studs became visable

[rvrepairnut]

Originally Posted by Darrel

Did you have your tires replaced at a "large truck" establishment? I had that done on my first MH and heard the same strange rumble as you. Before I could pull over to check, the driver side rear duals came off . Strangely enough it was almost a non-event. One wheel passed me and the other was fliping end over end in the other lane. I just pulled over onto the shoulder without braking and told my DW to keep track of the rolling tire as it headed into a cornfield.

The tires didn't cause any damage and I pulled the floating rear axle and popped in 8 new lug bolts and was on our way in about an hour. When I talked to the tire dealer he said that "we always torque them the same" but when I told him my tires needed 85 footpounds of torque he denied everything. Since I was lucky and no trafic was in the other lane I didn't pursue it but in my mind I thought that my bolts had been torqued to semi truck specs of 350 footpounds.

Have a nice day - Darrel

duall rear wheels even smaller 16 inch require around 190-210 lbs torque not 85

[DonDee]

Originally Posted by rvrepairnut

duall rear wheels even smaller 16 inch require around 190-210 lbs torque not 85

True, my old 16's need 180!

[Tony Lee]

duall rear wheels even smaller 16 inch require around 190-210 lbs torque not 85

And he was certainly lucky he was carrying a full set of bolts and the tools to fit them.

My OKA 19.5 wheels (DANA 60/70 axles) require 150 ft-lbs with lubricated threads, my 22.5" ones on the MCI require 500 ft-lbs dry clean threads - so perhaps we could turn this into a discussion about lubrication or no, antiseize or no, and maybe get stuck into the usual sloppy - and dangerous - practices of tyre shops.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Darrel

but when I told him my tires needed 85 footpounds of torque he denied everything.

Tires need torquing?

On our rig the lugs take 500 ft lbs and that's with them lightly lubed according to the specs.

[demoon]

[B]My manual for my F-53 with 19.5" tires reads as follows. They make it sound like torque is determined by bolt size. Also sounds like they do not recommend lubing the threads.

Bolt size Wheel lug nut torque*
lb.ft. N•m
M14 x 1.5 150 lb.ft.
* Torque specifications are for nut and bolt threads free of dirt and
rust. Use only Ford recommended replacement fasteners.
On all two-piece flat wheel nuts,
apply one drop of motor oil between
the flat washer and the nut. Do not
apply motor oil to the wheel nut
threads or the wheel stud threads.
When a wheel is installed, always remove any corrosion, dirt or
foreign materials present on the mounting surfaces of the wheel
or the surface of the front disc brake hub and rotor that contacts the
wheel. Installing wheels without correct metal-to-metal contact at the
wheel mounting surfaces can cause the wheel nuts to loosen and the
wheel to come off while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in loss of
control.

[wa8yxm]

Could anyone tell if its anything legally that I can do about the work that was done on my unit?

Two answers.

First, if you are asking about legal actions.. The answer to that question (NOTE I am reading the question exactly as quoted) is YES.

Now there is a question implied and a question not asked.

the implied question is "Can I do anything" .. There are two answers to that, I will give one and the other requires you ask a LAWYER

The implied question not ask is "Who can tell me" and that is a lawyer

Thus, you may wish to contact a lawyer, however since damages were more potential than real.. i'm not sure how much you can do that way.

You can do more damage to the service center by understanding this.
With the exception of a pump jockey who fills your tank for you, ANYONE who is paid to work on your car, Tire technician, Mechanic, Anyone PAID to work in it in, as far as I know, every state, must be licensed.. In addition the shop (Including the gas station where the pump jockey works) must be licensed, these licenses are normally handed out by the Department of motor vehilces (In Michigan that is the Secretary of State).. You can go to the state's web site, navigate to the DMV and from there download a complaint form.

Send it in.

There is a joke.. I do not know how true, but the joke is based on another joke.

When the weight of the letters of complaint exceeds the weight of the investigator.. The service center will be closed by the state.

(the older joke has to do with aircraft and the weight of the paperwork needed to get the FAA to approve the design).

[slickest1]

In years of trucking I have always re torqued wheels after being off. Sometimes they need it sometimes not. The fact that you did not have them checked would leave you at fault. They should have told you that and if they didn't they are wrong but it is their word against yours type of thing. Even if they didn't tighten them properly, if you had checked them you may have saved yourself a problem. I would recheck the torque on them again after having them fixed. Happy trails.

[TXiceman]

Sounds a bit like someone that does not follow proper maintenance and check over procedures on their RV. Whether the RV has steel or aluminum wheels, you need to retorque the lug nuts at least once and if you find many loose ones, check them again.

Ken

[Francesca]

Originally Posted by mrrob1

Could anyone tell if its anything legally that I can do about the work that was done on my unit?

You only have a claim if you have a loss.

You don't mention how much if any money you're out-

[Jim_HiTek]

My 19.5" require 475 ft-lbs of torque. I didn't think I'd need to tell a Les Schwab truck tire center that and trusted them to do it right. Hundreds of miles later, with it never having been convenient to have them checked, 3 out of 5 lug nuts busted loose on a steer tire. Scared the you-know-what out of me. Happened after hitting a highway to bridge transition. At 60MPH. Turned out that Les Schwab had only tightened them to 150 ft-lbs. No damage done, but could have been real exciting if I had been somewhere other then on a flat piece of freeway with four lanes and plenty of places to pull over.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, "Know your torques, and don't be shy about telling the tire shop boss and the guy working on your rig what they should be."

[scoutmstr]

Not only do I not trust any tire shop torqueing my MH lug nuts even though I watch them and they claim a torque stick is correct, I loosen the nuts as soon as I get home (three at a time) and retorque them with a torque wrench. 36" long 600# 3/4 inch drive torque wrench from Harbor Freight. Carry it in the coach. So the 450# on the wrench may not be exact but it's a lot closer than an impact tool.

[caissiel]

Every time I get new tires I received a warning sheet with the warranty papers. WW says return for retorking after so many miles.
I always carry the proper torque wrench. To much torque is possibly worst then not enough.