re-torque of trailer wheels/what's the ft.lbs.

[azjack]

If you have any experience with old, prior to 1967 VW's you would know not to over tighten or to have unequal torque or you would distort the brake drum. I was careful and went across the bolt pattern using what ever wrench those Germans gave me to use. Worked fine for ever, well 30 to 40 years. When working for NASA on a convair 990 I broke a #10 an bolt with a 4" 1/4 drive ratchet. The an stock was checked and there were so many failures that we switched to NAS stock. All of our torque wrenches were checked frequently but we didn't use them for every bolt, too slow. Just for the important ones. I do use my torque wrenches for engine components, but thats about all. Guess I'll get my tire tool out and check the lug nuts, not sure If I ever have.
Jack

[azjack]

Dave, you may want to check those lug nuts.
Jack

[rfs]

Jack,
You still have the touch. I checked the torque when we go home, very even all around. I packed the bearings last August, towed about 5000 miles last fall and they really would not have to have been packed before I left. I just checked them this week, they were fine, I checked the brake linings, well over half left, set tire pressure to 48 all around, and retorqued the wheels. I'm set to roll now. I did have to take out a small bank loan to replace all the batteries in the LED light fixtures. See you in Canada, I've got something for you to look at.
Dave

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

13/16
same as your Toyota

13/16" is 20.6 mm, which is pretty close to the 21 mm of my Toyota. Not close enough for me, except in an emergency.

[dfandrews]

I just visited the local Harbor Freight store (4/4/2015):
In the suspension and brake tool aisle (not the tool aisle) they have a
lug nut socket kit, w/a set of sockets for all the standard lug nut sizes (eng. and metric) and a 3" or 4" ½" drive extension. All for about $15.
If I hadn't bought sockets and an extension 2 weeks ago, I'd have gotten it.
(Yeah, I know HF tools are junky, but there's enough metal in these to
accomplish the occasional assigned task!)

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

I just visited the local Harbor Freight store (4/4/2015):
In the suspension and brake tool aisle (not the tool aisle) they have a
lug nut socket kit, w/a set of sockets for all the standard lug nut sizes (eng. and metric) and a 3" or 4" ½" drive extension. All for about $15.
If I hadn't bought sockets and an extension 2 weeks ago, I'd have gotten it.
(Yeah, I know HF tools are junky, but there's enough metal in these to
accomplish the occasional assigned task!)

AND, Harbor Freight has a 25% off coupon good online or instore, only for tomorrow. So, you can get it cheaper still. Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

[cpaharley2008]

would any of those fit the water heater plug?

[LeonardS]

Do most of you really loosen the lug nuts, then re-tighten? I've always just tested to see if they got loose by simply re-applying torque in the tightening direction.

With my last trailer axle replacement (for a boat that I subsequently hauled up to Alaska) I had new hubs, new wheels, new nuts, everything. I stopped at 50 miles and got almost a full turn on every nut! THAT opened my eyes! I got another half turn a couple hundred miles later, and a quarter turn after that. Subsequent checks showed they were tight, maybe one or two got an eighth turn or so.

But I wasn't loosening first, just tightening some more. The whole process of loosening, while wheel has load on it, just doesn't seem right. When I put the wheels on in the first place, I had the wheel suspended, and could make sure that I put even torque all the way around, got them pretty snug, then lowered that side to load up the wheel before final torque.

[Kountrykamper]

The only time I loosen is when I'm taking the wheel off.

Page 74
http://www.dexteraxle.com/i/u/614960...ice_Manual.pdf

[Ron in BC]

OK, enough talk, time for some action

Since I've gone a couple of thousand miles or more since I last checked them I thought that it might be interesting to re-check them.

Checked the first one with my cheapie torque wrench, readings were good, then checked with a higher level wrench and the readings were still all good. Out of 20 lug nuts 2 almost imperceptibly moved.

It looks to me that once the initial re tightening is done and things are well seated that the need to re-check them goes down. Certainly I've had other trailers that went for years without me checking.

Ron

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

It looks to me that once the initial re tightening is done and things are well seated that the need to re-check them goes down.

I believe that's the key: the nuts only need to be tightened after initial installation because they are not yet properly seated. Most light trailer hubs with studs - including all Escapes - are bolt-centric, meaning that nothing is locating the wheel properly centred on the hub other than the tapered nuts and seats. If the wheel is not perfectly centred and so the nuts are not fully seated, the nuts seem tight until the wheel shifts under load and the nuts get looser. Once the nuts are fully seated, with the wheel properly centred, re-torqing is rarely necessary.

Wheels on cars - even alloys - have little need for re-torqing; they all essentially all hub-centric.

[Rossue]

Hi Ron- maybe you're right about frequency declining over time. Or maybe not. Why risk it? Also, steel wheels(especially when new) need checking more frequently until the paint is ground out.

It seems the worst thing one can do is over-tighten past the stud's yield point. Am going to use 95 as my upper limit to account for incorrect calibration and check regularly.

Like the Ole' aircraft mechanic's quote:"when using a torque wrench, do NOT just yank on it until it clicks or otherwise indicates the correct torque. Doing so will NOT result in accuracy.
Also, if you have one of the micrometer adjustable types, ALWAYS return it to the lowest torque setting after use. However, do not go below the lowest setting.
As stated, this is a precision instrument. Treat it kindly. Misuse and abuse will eventually result in inaccuracy. When "checking" the torque, you should loosen the nut or bolt about half a turn, then bring it back to the proper torque. Just pulling on the wrench until it clicks proves nothing except that the nut is AT LEAST that tight. You don't really know how tight it is!"

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Rossue

When "checking" the torque, you should loosen the nut or bolt about half a turn, then bring it back to the proper torque.

If you follow that advice, would you not have to check and re-torque every hundred miles for the entire length of your trip?

[Rossue]

Errr-no. What makes you think that?

[gbaglo]

If you take the wheel off and put it back on, the procedure is to re-torque after a hundred miles or so, so if you undo the nuts ( even one at a time ) would you not be in a similar situation?

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

OK, enough talk, time for some action

Since I've gone a couple of thousand miles or more since I last checked them I thought that it might be interesting to re-check them.

Checked the first one with my cheapie torque wrench, readings were good, then checked with a higher level wrench and the readings were still all good. Out of 20 lug nuts 2 almost imperceptibly moved.

It looks to me that once the initial re tightening is done and things are well seated that the need to re-check them goes down. Certainly I've had other trailers that went for years without me checking.


Ron

Reminds me when I had a tent trailer for 4 years I never torqued them in the 4 years . Never knew you should do that and no one told me . I guess I was lucky .

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

If you take the wheel off and put it back on, the procedure is to re-torque after a hundred miles or so, so if you undo the nuts ( even one at a time ) would you not be in a similar situation?

Who said anything about removing the wheel? My take on the aircraft mechanic's quote was what I said earlier: release the tension on the lug to be able to properly torque it to spec. It's not complicated.

[gbaglo]

I didn't say anything about removing the wheel, nor did you.
I said, how is it different from removing the wheel if you undo the lug? Don't you have to re-torque in a hundred miles?

[Rossue]

Kinda like where the hole went I guess.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

... how is it different from removing the wheel if you undo the lug? Don't you have to re-torque in a hundred miles?

Maybe not. If only one nut is loosened at a time, the wheel doesn't shift on the hub, and the primary reason for re-torqing does not exist.