Wheel lug tightness warning

[Jimg]

We purchased a new RV not long ago on a Ford 5-53 chassis. After about 3000 miles a wheel lug fell off.

In checking the manual it states that the lug tightness must be checked at 50 miles and again at 1000 miles. It is highly unlikely that the RV transport companies or sales dealerships ever do this.

I put my rv in a pilot truck shop to check the lug nut tightness and not a single one was within tolerance.

It cost me 65.00, and seems like a good investment considering the chance of losing a wheel.

[Ray,IN]

Yep, That was a good deal. Torquing lug nuts to 450 lb/ft is not something the vast majority of individuals have the tools for.
Compare $65 to the cost of a new Alcoa aluminum rim, and having it performed at mfgrs scheduled intervals is a great deal.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by Jimg

We purchased a new RV not long ago on a Ford 5-53 chassis. After about 3000 miles a wheel lug fell off.

In checking the manual it states that the lug tightness must be checked at 50 miles and again at 1000 miles. It is highly unlikely that the RV transport companies or sales dealerships ever do this.

I put my rv in a pilot truck shop to check the lug nut tightness and not a single one was within tolerance.

It cost me 65.00, and seems like a good investment considering the chance of losing a wheel.

Ok,
Let me ask you. You're stating you have an F-53 chassis, correct? May I ask, what size wheels and tires do you have, 19.5" or 22.5"? And you state you had a "lug" fall off. Was that a lug NUT or, the entire lug (stud)?

I have read that lug nuts should be checked for torque within 50 miles of installing them. Well, for me, if I did any wheel service and left for a trip, in any direction from home, 50 miles would put me in the middle of a freeway or, on a very high traffic two-lane road. Our coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP and it has lugs that I torque to the mentioned 450 ft. lbs.

We've owned and operated this coach now for 7.5 years and 83,000 miles. I do all my own work which, includes removal of wheels and tires for various reasons. I have never, ever rechecked the torque after I've installed them. I used a 3/4" drive, clicker type, K & D 100 - 650 ft. lb. torque wrench. Normally, I might remove any one of the wheels oh, maybe once or so a year for a specific reason and, I have to say, it takes every bit of 450 ft. lbs. to break them loose. So, without a doubt, they're not loosening up.

I piloted several fire trucks in my career and, dealt with tire and wheel changes zillions of times and, I can say, after an install of hundreds of new tires, those lugs were never, ever checked for re-torque at 50 or any amount of miles.

Now, I'm not saying it's not necessary, not at all. If one feels the need to check or, retorque their lug nuts after any form of service, by all means, jump in there and get it done.
Scott

[alank]

It wasn't mentioned, but what I have read is 450 ft. lbs for 22.5" wheels and 150 ft. lbs for 19.5" wheels. The OP said an F-53 chassis but didn't state what wheel size.

[bluepill]

The lawyers make them publish that warning. Just one more way to shift responsibility away from the factory when they screw up.

[jelag]

One way to put your mind at ease is to talk to a commercial Goodyear truck dealer and purchase the bright yellow/green plastic caps for your lug nuts... these plastic caps are designed for trucks/school buses and allow the driver on a walk around to look at each cap and the arrow on the cap and identify in a fraction of a second if the nuts have moved...


My RV doesn't have hub centering wheels, in my case the lug nuts center the wheels which means that its common for a nut to work loose... after my son lost a wheel I purchased a set of these indicators for my unit... Hub centered wheels are much less a problem for a loose nut...


BTW if you don't understand the difference between HUB CENTERED and LUG NUT CENTERED you might want to do some research and find why one is much better than the other..



On any walk around in the rest stop I can see if any of my lug nuts have moved.. The most common manufacture is called Wheel-Check.. here is there web site...


Wheel-Check, loose wheel-nut indicator, made in North America

[Randy125]

I have 22.5 in wheels and whenever they are removed I mark them with what I call inspector laquer. It’s bright orange and when a nut or bolt moves then it cracks showing evidence of movement.

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by bluepill

The lawyers make them publish that warning. Just one more way to shift responsibility away from the factory when they screw up.

X2 - Exactly. If done properly the first time they won't loosen on their own.
Lynn

[Sweetbriar]

My home state requires annual vehicle safety inspection, including the coach. Part of the inspection require removing two wheels and inspecting the hub assembly. After each inspection I check the wheels that were removed for proper torque. Pretty much every time the coach is under torqued and the daily drivers are over torqued. I trust myself, most of the time, but the other guy not so much. 19.5" on the coach so easy to check.

[Superburban]

Aluminum wheels, that do not have the lugnut with the built in coined washer, need to be checked after driving a bit.



A steel wheel, or the coined washers on the lug nut, give a spring action effect, and help to prevent any loosening when the wheel goes through the driving, and turning forces.


Acorn, or the straight flat face lugnuts, have to rely on the crushing effect of the aluminum, and the stretching of the lug, to keep them tight.


99% of the time you hear of a wheel coming off while driving, it is an aluminum, or aluminum alloy wheel.


When you have a lug stud break, it is often from the other lugnuts being loose enough to allow the wheel to rotate, and the tight lug bends enough to break.


If you do not like those plastic snap on indicators, You could take a small paint brush, and paint a line on the lugnut, either all pointing inward, or outward. not as noticeable as the indicators, but just as effective, if you take the time to check.

[sdennislee]

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Ok,
Let me ask you. You're stating you have an F-53 chassis, correct? May I ask, what size wheels and tires do you have, 19.5" or 22.5"? And you state you had a "lug" fall off. Was that a lug NUT or, the entire lug (stud)?

I have read that lug nuts should be checked for torque within 50 miles of installing them. Well, for me, if I did any wheel service and left for a trip, in any direction from home, 50 miles would put me in the middle of a freeway or, on a very high traffic two-lane road. Our coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP and it has lugs that I torque to the mentioned 450 ft. lbs.

We've owned and operated this coach now for 7.5 years and 83,000 miles. I do all my own work which, includes removal of wheels and tires for various reasons. I have never, ever rechecked the torque after I've installed them. I used a 3/4" drive, clicker type, K & D 100 - 650 ft. lb. torque wrench. Normally, I might remove any one of the wheels oh, maybe once or so a year for a specific reason and, I have to say, it takes every bit of 450 ft. lbs. to break them loose. So, without a doubt, they're not loosening up.

I piloted several fire trucks in my career and, dealt with tire and wheel changes zillions of times and, I can say, after an install of hundreds of new tires, those lugs were never, ever checked for re-torque at 50 or any amount of miles.

Now, I'm not saying it's not necessary, not at all. If one feels the need to check or, retorque their lug nuts after any form of service, by all means, jump in there and get it done.
Scott

I missed the point of this post, got really lost trying to figure out what your engine size has to do with lugs nuts.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by sdennislee

I missed the point of this post, got really lost trying to figure out what your engine size has to do with lugs nuts.

Well,
Sorry you got lost. It's not rocket science. It's simply plain info that I sort of auto-install when answering questions on anything that pertains to chassis questions.
Scott

[slickest1]

I have drove commercially for many years. Most times once a wheel is torqued properly they don't come loose. There is that chance that one will come loose and by checking it, it can avoid an expensive repair that can also be a dangerous situation. That is why tire shops will tell you that because it can happen.

A truck I was driving had a tire go flat over the weekend so my boss took it in and had the flat fixed. I didn't know anything about it and the following week I heard a funny sound and stopped to check it and sure enough I had broken wheel studs. New hub and 2 new wheels later I was back on the road.
A visual check every morning did not show any sign of a loose wheel. Had I known it was off I would have re torqued it. It does not happen very often but it really can.

[rarebear.nm]

IMO maintaining stud torque on large wheels 22.5" for a Class A and smaller trailer tandem axle wheels are two different worlds. I always check the torque on trailer wheels after they have been off for any reason. I do this at about 50, 100 & 500 miles. They are torqued at 110 ftlbs. Frequently, I'll see a little adjustment at each of these intervals. After that I do recheck torque before every trip and every week or so into a long trip. I seldom see any movement then. But I was a passenger in a pickup that nearly lost a front wheel due to a tire shop failure in remounting a wheel.

On our MH I don't recheck torque except as an annual inspection, but they are only torqued at 150ftlbs.

A few years back when I was replacing the axles and springs my 5th I found some the spring U-bolts to be only finger tight! A "professional" RV shop had replaced the springs right before we bought the unit used. I recheck the torque on all suspension nuts on my 5th every year when I do the bearing repack.