Wheel Lug Nut Torque ?

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: Iowa Dave... I haven't rotated my spare tire in years. We just don't get out dancing any more!!! I have been known to "Grease a palm" now and then. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Hey Alf, I have known and seen people camping who have two spare tires. That would make rotating them even more difficult! What rotational pattern would be used?

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Hey Alf, I have known and seen people camping who have two spare tires. That would make rotating them even more difficult! What rotational pattern would be used?

Hi: C&G in FL... That's the most difficult pattern. You'd have to do it twice!!!
Here's a pic of our front garden at the moment!!! Winter rotation? Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Iowa Dave]

We were at 20F this AM. Warming up some now. I’m behind as usual on my vegetable garden this spring as it’s been pretty cold and I’m doing some renovation so multiple tilling are needed. Trying to stay up with things but it’s hard to get excited in this cool weather. Next week is supposed to be better and will end with a short overnight with our son and family and a birthday party for a grandson. Things are looking up.
Iowa Dave

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Hey Alf, I have known and seen people camping who have two spare tires. That would make rotating them even more difficult! What rotational pattern would be used?

The pattern doesn't matter much. It can simply be circular: move each tire one position clockwise. Of course moving a spare from one holder to the other seems silly, but it would keep track of them. And of course rotating with a spare only makes sense if the spare is mounted (some people carry an extra spare not mounted on a wheel, if they are prepared to mount it at the roadside if required).

[C&G in FL]

The spare tire(s) to which Alf was referring, and the two spare tires I followed up with are not the spare tires that one uses to replace a tire that has gone flat. The “spare tire(s)” in question are those that are result from overeating and/or drinking too much beer! The rotational pattern refers to moves on a crowded dance floor!

[Iowa Dave]

I can see Alf out there tripping the light fantastic. Mary Anne in steel toed shoes and Alf in sandals doing the old Circle two step sweating profusely.
Iowa Dave

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I can see Alf out there tripping the light fantastic. Mary Anne in steel toed shoes and Alf in sandals doing the old Circle two step sweating profusely.
Iowa Dave

Dave, would that image be with a glass of Iowa bourbon in one hand?

[Iowa Dave]

That’s what’s causing the sweat. Cedar Ridge, it’s pretty good corn likker. Always a jug on reserve here.
Iowa Dave

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: C&G in FL... That's the most difficult pattern. You'd have to do it twice!!!
Here's a pic of our front garden at the moment!!! Winter rotation? Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

It looks like things grow sideways over there.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

It looks like things grow sideways over there.

Hi: UncleTim... No comment. My wife's photo op. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[dlakeman]

Originally Posted by Great Eggstrications

Think I'll try to loosen and re-tighten them every 6 months or so while in storage from now on.

Hurray! Someone who knows the correct method to torque lug nuts, or any nut for that matter. Escape's video is incorrect.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by dlakeman

Hurray! Someone who knows the correct method to torque lug nuts, or any nut for that matter. Escape's video is incorrect.

First objective is to roll the camper down the road to the degree that the brakes need adjusted and the tires need rotated. Those jobs get you the loosening, tightening and lug nut torque reset. I checked the inflation on my tires a couple days ago. All good.
Iowa Dave

[dlakeman]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

First objective is to roll the camper down the road to the degree that the brakes need adjusted and the tires need rotated. Those jobs get you the loosening, tightening and lug nut torque reset. I checked the inflation on my tires a couple days ago. All good.
Iowa Dave

Escape says to torque lug nuts 3 times after purchase. Their website shows a guy with a torque wrench simply applying 95 ft-lbs to already tight lug nuts. The point I was trying to make had nothing to do with rolling down the road or rotating tires. To properly torque any nut is to loosen it first then torque to the correct value. As a licensed aircraft mechanic, if I did what Escape's video shows, my airline employer would fire me!

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by dlakeman

To properly torque any nut is to loosen it first then torque to the correct value.

Those are the instructions that came with my torque wrench, but I have to ask, what happens if you don't loosen them first? How does the result differ?
If they aren't at 95 lbs, say 92, then they would be loose, wouldn't they?
I can see loosening all the way and re-torquing if the trailer is on a hoist, but it's not something I would likely do on the road.

[dlakeman]

Originally Posted by Great Eggstrications

I just removed my lug nuts a couple of days ago getting ready to do bearing repacks and get new Goodyear Endurance tires (!). They had not been off or on for about 20 months, and really were not in a very coming off sort of mood - there's nothing quite like a 6' length of 2" metal conduit over a 18" breaker bar to get things moving again. I've been (final) torquing them to 85 ft lbs, with occasional (un-needed) checking / tightening while on the road. Think I'll try to loosen and re-tighten them every 6 months or so while in storage from now on.

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Those are the instructions that came with my torque wrench, but I have to ask, what happens if you don't loosen them first? How does the result differ?

If you don't loosen any nut first you don't know if it's over-torqued, which is also bad because over-torquing "stretches" the bolt or stud, which could lead to failure. Let's say the actual lug nut torque is 150 ft-lbs for whatever reason. You set your torque wrench to 95 ft-lbs and simply apply force to the lug nut. Your torque wrench will "click" indicating the lug nut is 95 ft-lbs, when in reality it's 150 ft-lbs.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by dlakeman

If you don't loosen any nut first you don't know if it's over-torqued, which is also bad because over-torquing "stretches" the bolt or stud, which could lead to failure. Let's say the actual lug nut torque is 150 ft-lbs for whatever reason. You set your torque wrench to 95 ft-lbs and simply apply force to the lug nut. Your torque wrench will "click" indicating the lug nut is 95 ft-lbs, when in reality it's 150 ft-lbs.

Got it.
Have to admit, I've had my torque wrench for three or four years and never used it. Steel wheels is my excuse.

[gbaglo]

Continuing to theorize, if I torque my nuts at home to 95 lbs, so I know they aren't over-torqued, then I shouldn't have to loosen them to check torque? However, if some shop torqued them, should loosen them?

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by dlakeman

If you don't loosen any nut first you don't know if it's over-torqued, which is also bad because over-torquing "stretches" the bolt or stud, which could lead to failure. Let's say the actual lug nut torque is 150 ft-lbs for whatever reason. You set your torque wrench to 95 ft-lbs and simply apply force to the lug nut. Your torque wrench will "click" indicating the lug nut is 95 ft-lbs, when in reality it's 150 ft-lbs.

Dana, I am not trying to be a wiseguy here, but are you suggesting that if I were to remove a wheel for whatever reason, install it back on the hub and, then use a calibrated torque wrench and personally torque the lug nuts to 95 ft-lbs, 3 months later while preparing for a trip I should loosen them and again torque them to 95 ft-lbs? Are you suggesting that I should assume somehow they magically further torqued themselves to 150 ft-lbs? Or perhaps torque wrench possessing gremlins snuck in while I wasn’t watching and over-torqued the lug nuts which I previously torqued to the correct value?

Please don’t misinterpret what I ask. I get it. You, especially in your licensed profession cannot and do not know the actions of the previous technician who serviced the aircraft. When I have new tires put on any vehicle, as soon as it comes out of the service bay and before driving away I follow the procedure you have discussed. I loosen every nut and torque them all to the manufacturers specification. That makes sense to me because tire shop employees (yahoo’s) using pneumatic torque wrenches can really screw things up. But please tell me why I should periodically loosen every lug nut on my trailer so that I can ensure they haven’t been over torqued, when it was me who torqued them previously, or why I should even believe something I personally torqued to a specified value is now over-torqued. Am I missing something?

[Iowa Dave]

I feel like Prissy in Gone With The Wind when she said “I don’t know nothin’ about birthing no babies.”
I guess after nearly 60 years of temoving, tires and wheels fixing tires, balancing tires and wheels, reinstalling tires and wheels, “I don’t know nothin about torquing no nuts”. Oh well, never had one come off, never snapped off a stud and never screwed one up for the next guy or a customer, I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing.
And to paraphrase Rhett Butler, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn......about how you torque your nuts.
Iowa Dave

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I feel like Prissy in Gone With The Wind when she said “I don’t know nothin’ about birthing no babies.”
I guess after nearly 60 years of temoving, tires and wheels fixing tires, balancing tires and wheels, reinstalling tires and wheels, “I don’t know nothin about torquing no nuts”. Oh well, never had one come off, never snapped off a stud and never screwed one up for the next guy or a customer, I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing.
Iowa Dave

Hi: Iowa Dave... All this "Torque" is driving me nuts!!! It's only to CYOA by anybody that has anything to do with your wheels!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie