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JRose · 03-20-2006, 03:13 PM

Had an interesting trip to Florida last week and looking for some explanations. This was my fifth trip from Delaware to Florida and back pulling my Citation 33'travel trailer. On the way back while making a pit stop I found that one of my tires was gone. (two axle unit) The tire, rim and dust cover GONE ! The hub was still there and you could see that all six lug bolts were sheared off. After a stop at a local truck service station we were back in service. Any one have experiences with this type of problem?? The lug bolts were tight, checked them before leaving Florida. I did make a really sharp turn about 1/2hour prior, could this snap the bolts?

JRose · 03-20-2006, 03:13 PM

Had an interesting trip to Florida last week and looking for some explanations. This was my fifth trip from Delaware to Florida and back pulling my Citation 33'travel trailer. On the way back while making a pit stop I found that one of my tires was gone. (two axle unit) The tire, rim and dust cover GONE ! The hub was still there and you could see that all six lug bolts were sheared off. After a stop at a local truck service station we were back in service. Any one have experiences with this type of problem?? The lug bolts were tight, checked them before leaving Florida. I did make a really sharp turn about 1/2hour prior, could this snap the bolts?

Bearman · 03-20-2006, 03:48 PM

It sounds like they may have been over torqued. I have seen this happen on highway tractors/trailers befor. Did you use a torque wrench to check them??
Cheers
Bear

JRose · 03-20-2006, 04:50 PM

No... I guess that is going to be my next purchase !! So, I guess the turning the trailer in a tight turn should not be enough to snap the bolts?? Thanks..

Bearman · 03-20-2006, 06:58 PM

That combined with over torque could be it. did you get a look at what was left of the studds? were they discolored or rusty on the sheared face? It could be something that has been happening over time. I would check/replace the rest of the studs on the other tires and buy a goodtorque wrench. Better safe than sorry.
Cheers
Bear

Arctic Owl · 03-21-2006, 04:12 AM

Good friend of mine had the same problem on his 5ver. He got a new torque wrench for his birthday 2 years ago & has not had the problem since. Most common cause of studs sheering is over-tightening. A good torque wrench is money well spent & will pay for many a new wheel, tire & studs. JMHO.

Reg

Joe-K · 03-21-2006, 08:04 AM

Using the torque wrench is a great idea.

Another thought you might want to look into is having a tire dealer dismount that single tire that remained on the rig after loosing the tire. Since you don't know how far you traveled with only one tire, that one tire could have run for an extended period of time in a severly overloaded condition. Just as a precaution, have the tire inspected inside for signs of separation or overheating.

You'd hate to have your return trip from Florida interrupted by a tire failure.

Loren B. · 07-07-2006, 09:38 AM

Another issue is that it's likely that the lug nuts for all the other wheels are overtorqued too. The ultimate fix would be to replace the lug studs for all wheels, but that may be overkill. At the very least you should re-torque them to the specifications for your wheels.

My last two travel trailers required 90 ft-lb for the lug nuts on 15" wheels. Yours may be different, but at least this gives you a ball park figure. Ninety foot-pounds is not a lot of torque.

If your wheels were installed at a tire shop with an air-powered impact wrench, the chances are high that they were overtorqued.

Good luck,
Loren