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Textronics · 10-08-2017, 08:28 AM

We bought a used tow dolly and this was our first time out with it. Not sure what went wrong, but the bolts sheared on the passenger side hub sending the wheel down the embankment into a fence and delivering a huge spray of sparks before I could get her shut down and off the road. Luckily, there was no fire, no damage to the rig, and us, 3 cats and a dog are all fine. Slept last night on the side of the road. Surprisingly, this morning, DH found the wheel and tire (tires were brand new) so that saves a few bucks. What I hate is sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow. We'll lose one day at the balloon fiesta, but it could have been so much worse.

plasma800 · 10-08-2017, 08:46 AM

Likely the lug nuts were either not tight enough, or had been over tightened.

nosticks · 10-08-2017, 08:55 AM

Any trailer, be it boat, lawn, travel trailer, tow dolly, needs to have you check torque on each lug prior to embarking on a trip. Plus, new tire mounts need torqued after the first 25 miles of towing.

MSHappyCampers · 10-08-2017, 10:42 AM

Bummer! But as you say, it could have been a lot worse!

Glad you guys are OK!

Old Scout · 10-08-2017, 10:55 AM

....tough start.. agree--sounds like lugs were not torqued.....think I would have temporarily abandoned the dolly and drove the rig and toad to a comfortable location pending resolution of the dolly and tire.....pretty hard to steal with tire missing???

TeJay · 10-08-2017, 11:18 AM

The torquing of lugs was something that was stressed while teaching. If wheels were removed no vehicle left the shop without proper torquing.

The tire shops these days use torque sticks on their impacts. From what I've learned they will torque as correct as needed. I'm still one that likes to see a torque wrench used. They tighten them at a tire shop then I check it when I get home.

You did find the tire so if you look at the tire rim holes and if the lugs were loose the holes will be wallowed out. That's a sure sign of loose lugs. It would have taken a few miles but the holes as they wallow around will act like a saw and chew the lug nuts heads off.

If you see the remains of a lug still in the wheel hole with no head and no wallowing of the rim hole then they were over torqued and the lug heads came off. Those lugs are pretty tuff so my guess is they were not torqued correctly.

In my 35 years teaching HS teen boys I seldom saw a lug overtorqued and broken.

Textronics · 10-08-2017, 09:17 PM

3 of the rim holes were oval. DH put the lugs on by hand, no torque wrench used. I'll tell him what ya'll said.

Textronics · 10-08-2017, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Scout

....tough start.. agree--sounds like lugs were not torqued.....think I would have temporarily abandoned the dolly and drove the rig and toad to a comfortable location pending resolution of the dolly and tire.....pretty hard to steal with tire missing???

We were going to be gone for over a week. We parked the dolly & the toad & finished our journey. We are safely at ABQ BALLOON!

Fiesta48 · 10-09-2017, 05:57 AM

I pulled a new utility trailer 1100 miles. Looked at lug nuts at destination. 4 out of 5 lug nuts were very loose on both tires. New does not mean things were done right.