Check your lugs!!

On our first camper I always checked the lugs. They never did anything. I did that a few times when we first bought the cat but then it slipped my mind and never messed with it again. So, this last July, we took a 1600 mile round trip from NM to TX. We left early in the morning, and made a stop at a rest stop about 180mi out of town. After the stop, I kicked the tires walked around it, and we left. We were got back on the interstate I heard a clunk. It sounded as if something fell from my cargo pants pocket, I looked down but saw nothing. We kept going for a few more seconds and I looked in the mirror and noticed the trailer seemed off kilter. Had the wife look for anything out the mirror, contemplated stupid ideas like a peak was in the road causing the trailer to do that, but then figured out the truck would be at the same angle. Then the wife said to pull over she saw the plastic well shredded up. We pulled over and found the wheel well was only popped out, but the wheel was missing.

As I was thinking how wonderful it is to have a spare it, my hope turned to disgust as soon as I thought it through that the wheel could only be missing if the lugs were sheared off. Small towns near by got me 1 new brake drum with lugs (no lug could be found anywhere near), and the rear wheel had sheered 2 from the extra stresses. That small town drum cost me $145 which just got me to the next town where then I had to drive back home to get another drum 180miles back. Cost was $60. Stupid small town road-side repair guy cost me $450 in parts and labor, then $60 for the new drum at home, then $100 for a new tire/wheel from home, and the diesel to get it all. I paid less in diesel for the whole trip then the stupid mistake I made of not checking the lugs before the trip. I checked the tire pressure on all tires etc... but left this part out.. expensive whoops!



Joel

Thanks for sharing. Lug nut torque and tire pressure are checked before each trip, even if it is only 50 miles. I keep a torque wrench in the toolbox of the camper all the time.

I admit that I've gotten a little complacent. I've checked it so many times that my torque wrench wore out and they never needed any further tightening anyway. I guess I'll start checking them again.

Joel, is it possible that the lugs sheered off and lug nuts were tight and the failure would be with the threaded part of the lugs?

Do many of you find that your lug nuts loosen up???

bsmall2800 wrote:Do many of you find that your lug nuts loosen up???

I think it is more prevalent on aluminum wheels. They expand and contract at a different rate than the steel hubs and lugs. I do check mine at the begginning of each season. Thanks to Joel I'll be checking more often.

John

Ok thanks for responding John.

I don't understand why trailer lug nuts are any different then car or truck lug nuts. They always say to retorque the lug nuts on your car 100 miles after installation but no mention about regular checks after that. Why would trailer lug nuts be any different?

kcnielsen wrote:I don't understand why trailer lug nuts are any different then car or truck lug nuts. They always say to retorque the lug nuts on your car 100 miles after installation but no mention about regular checks after that. Why would trailer lug nuts be any different?

Don't know, except that with the trailer there will be a lot of damage done before you notice the problem. With your truck, you'll feel it right away.

I carry a torque wrench and check them often.

I check lug nut torque each spring and before any long trips. I also check the torque on all my hitch hardware and the trailer suspension hardware each spring and before any long trips.

Earl

scottz wrote:

kcnielsen wrote:I don't understand why trailer lug nuts are any different then car or truck lug nuts. They always say to retorque the lug nuts on your car 100 miles after installation but no mention about regular checks after that. Why would trailer lug nuts be any different?

Don't know, except that with the trailer there will be a lot of damage done before you notice the problem. With your truck, you'll feel it right away.

I carry a torque wrench and check them often.

I wonder if they loosen due to all the sideways scrubbing they do during turns ~ just a wild guess.

I think that another reason might be the nature of the suspension. Very short leaf springs, no shocks and the scrubbing that was previously mentioned probably all contribute to the problem.

After that trip we've gone 2 other places since then as well as the trip back. At every stop I've been checking them, it took about 800 miles for me not to have to re-tighten them so much. Now, it seems, when I check them only once in a while do I get a turn on one. My wheels are steel. likewise, right before they sheered, I had done a 180 degree U turn in the parking lot to get on the freeway onramp from the rest area. I think the tight turns and constant strain on the sidewalls contribute.

I had just pulled off all the wheels a couple months earlier to get the tire valves replaced as they were rotted out. I am thinking it was due to this, so I think they were loose. I had checked them once after the initial torquing then 200 miles and 2 trips later. The guy that bent me over and emptied my wallet for the roadside service said he sees it all the time and it was due to loose lugs. Who knows?

Complacency caused this error.

Joel