Community Forums

alan1 · 09-15-2012, 07:22 PM

I am going to have new tires put on my rig and was told they are ordering a centering tool to correctly mount the front wheels. This tool amounts to a sleeve that goes over three of the studs and then tightening down the lug nuts on the other studs, then removing the sleeves and putting on the three remaining lugs. The lugs on the front do not have a tapered bottom. Anybody know about this and should I have one in case I have a problem on the road and the tire service is clueless.

Skip426 · 09-15-2012, 08:26 PM

Spartan, or Freightliner? Did the tire store give you an idea of the cost ?
I've heard of this kind of issue, rim off center to the wheel hub on uni-fit aftermarket rims on cars, but this is the first time on a large chassis.

Mr_D · 09-15-2012, 08:35 PM

Never heard of it on hub centered wheels. The hub and wheel are machined so they self center and the jugs just hold it in place. On the hub there are metal stubs that stick out and are machined concentric to the bearing bore. The wheel center is machined to just a few .001" of an inch larger. The lugs have no taper and hold the wheel in place with high torque (ours are 500 ft lbs each and there are 10 of them)

I know Ford had problems on their chassis but I've never heard of it on Spartan or Freightliner chassis. Nor on any Class 8 truck, nor at the truck shop when I had new tires mounted.

There's nothing in the manual for the Reyco Grannning IFS 14,600 axle nor the Hendrickson IFS axles that Spartan uses either.

I'm not saying they don't make such a thing, but I am saying that I've never heard of it. Personally I think they're blowing smoke!

newmar10 · 09-15-2012, 11:10 PM

that sounds like an old bud rim style. I have never seen a mh that requires that

alan1 · 09-16-2012, 07:15 AM

I guess it is time to call Spartan. When I had the inside tires moved to the front a while back these sleeves were used and this was done at a different truck tire place. This other place is not charging anything and said he needed them anyway.

Dunner · 09-16-2012, 08:01 AM

If the lugs on the rear have tapered bottoms, why don't they use 3 of them?

HHIDan · 09-16-2012, 09:48 AM

I had my two front tires replaced two weeks ago. Had a vibration/noise at about 68mph. I asked them to check the wheels be4 replacing the rubber. One was well balanced and just a little "out of round" (less than 1/8th of an inch). My other wheel, however, was totally unbalanced and when it turned the thread shift side to side no less than 1/2 inch. The guy said either the wall was broken or the tire was not mounted properly. When he mounts a tire, he says he always likes to lay it flat on the ground before loading the air so that it mounts to the rim more even.

I am guessing if a tire was not centered on the rim, it would look like it was "out of round" but like previous posters have said, I really can't see that happen with the way the wheel hub is designed.