A note about lug nuts for new members

[GinoandLinda]

To those who are picking up their brand new Escapes, pay attention to the lug nut torque recommendations from ETI. I checked torque at the recommended intervals and found a couple of slightly loose nuts each time. As a matter of fact, the two subsequent mornings after the recommended mileage, I checked and found a loose nut each morning.

So here is the the interesting thing. Our Escape has steel wheels. Our Rpod had aluminum wheels and we never experienced a loose nut ever. Even when it was first new. Not sure if that has anything to do with it but I will continue my practice of torquing the wheel nuts frequently.

Check those nuts often. Safe travels.

 

[DT6]

Definitely something for the safety checklist before each trip. We experienced similar results during our pickup. Ironically, when we picked up our 19 four years ago, only one nut was ever loose. Still, that tells me that you are playing with fire if you don't check them. Even if you don't have a torque wrench, just using a standard lug nut wrench will suffice.

 

[splitting_lanes]

When we picked up our escape, I checked torque on the wheels at the recommended intervals, and had no changes, nothing was loose. So, your mileage may vary, but definitely check them.

 

[Iowa Dave]

I remember a gasoline de-icer jingle that played in the Upper Midwest years ago

My advice sir
Get De-icer

In that spirit:
If you don’t have one under the bench
Get and use a Harbor Freight Torque Wrench

If you’re rotating tires or need to put on the spare, put the wheel on and tighten down lug nuts by hand while rotating the wheel slowly. This will assure good centering. Then using the star pattern torque each nut to 35 ft lbs. then the star pattern to 65 ft lbs and finally to 95 ft lbs again with the star pattern.That’s how I do it and I do not have steel nuts working loose on either steel or aluminum wheels.

I check the lug nuts for 95 ft lbs each morning I’m traveling before I take off for the day I also check my cold tire pressure. Fine each tire inspection of the tread you can easily see.
It’s a strange double emotion when you find a loose lug nut or see a screw or nail in the tire.
First “I’m glad I discovered that”, second “Oh darn I gotta deal with that now. But they are both better than “I’m missing two out of five and where am I gonna get one of those”.

I bought a couple packages of the tamper resistant lug nuts from E trailer when we first got the 21. I asked for and received all 8 of the same “code”. I put one on each wheel on the trailer and three on the spare tire. The original lug nuts and the security lug nut removal socket went into a plastic bottle that I keep with my tools. So If I were to need lug nuts, I have some spares.

We checked the calibration of a couple of the 1/2 inch Harbor Freight wrench against two factory calibrated premium wrenches. The expensive ones both read 95 ft. lbs, the Harbor Freight ( Under $20) 93 ft.lbs.
Close enough for me any day. Don’t use your torque wrench to remove lug nuts. Use a breaker bar and socket or your lug nut wrench.

Your lug nut and tire maintenance routines may vary. This is mine and I’ve used it towing my trailers for 60 years. I started using a torque wrench after I made more than $.75 an hour and could afford one of the old “beam” type.
Have a great week ahead
Iowa Dave

 

[Ron in BC]

Funny thing is tho, I built my first trailer when I was still a teenager. Not easy then, no ready made axle assembly's like today. Had to go the the auto wrecker, buy some automotive front spindles, hacksaw off parts to get a flat surface and then weld up an axle. But I digress.

I've had several types of trailers since and ironically the first time that I ever heard about checking the lug nut torque was when I bought my Escape.

I do re-check the torque after installing a wheel and once in a while there's a minor amount of re-tightening. After that I rarely check them. I've never found a loose one. Guess that I just live right.

Ron

 

[WillyB]

On our 10 day 2500 mile return after pick up I checked them everyday and everyday a few would loosen a bit.

 

[Randy in Maine]

I was in Home Depot the other day and noticed they have a pretty nice 1/2" drive torque wrench for about $60. Reasonable money. Husky is the store brand and looks pretty well made and has a 50-250 foot pounds range. I think the Escape lugs get tightened to about 110 foot pounds.

 

[Mike G]

Nuts, one more thing to get torqued over.

 

[Suregrip391]

Check out the Schwaben torque wrenches. I think they are around $40 and honestly excellent quality. I have the 3/8 version for the Andersen funnel to torque it to 40 ft/pounds and also the 1/2” version for the wheels. You can buy them from ECS tuning and also from them (ECS) on eBay (I think their eBay price is less with free shipping last I looked).

 

[Iowa Dave]

Back in the day

Nuts, one more thing to get torqued over.

Should have been at the Mississippi River Rendezvous when we had the Torque Your Nuts contest. Three years, three different winners, three Harbor Freight Torque wrenches for the best torque “feel” and with instrument verification.
Iowa Dave

 

[nepaweb]

After several torque checks confirm my lug nuts are torqued to 95 ft.lbs. and there has been no movement I will place witness marks on my lug nuts and wheel. If the marks remain lined up I know my lug nuts are torqued properly. If the marks are misaligned I know the wheel torque has changed and needs attention. This is a quick and easy inspection and only takes a few seconds per wheel to pop the center cap and check my marks.

I know this is not a replacement for torque checking and always do at least 3 checks after mounting or rotating the wheels. In the rare event that the lug nuts will not hold torque I will not mark the wheels and continue to check with the torque wrench.

 

[Ian G]

The lug stud is splined & press fit into the hub, if the stud is not fully seated it will be pulled further into the hub which results in the lug nut needing to be re-torqued, this is common on a new axle (or vehicle hub with installed lug studs). Often the lug nuts will not loosen on the thread, the important message is to make a habit of checking the torque on both your trailer and tow vehicle wheels.

 

[GinoandLinda]

Should have been at the Mississippi River Rendezvous when we had the Torque Your Nuts contest. Three years, three different winners, three Harbor Freight Torque wrenches for the best torque “feel” and with instrument verification.
Iowa Dave

Personally, I think HF gets a bad wrap because of highly publicized tool failures on Youtube and being made in China. When I had my motorcycle business, my personal tools were always Snap-On or Cornwell and their sales trucks always had a box of failed tools as well. For tools I loaned to my mechanics, they would get HF because they would usually get lost. I still have my SO and CW tools, but those aren't what I carry in the RV. HF stuff usually gets the nod there and they work just fine. Frankly, the HF line of Bauer cordless tools are pretty darn good with a really nice selection.

 

[Donna D.]

When buying tools, my dad always said get sockets that FIT and really good screwdrivers. Because going cheap on either will cost money further down the road.


I buy HF screwdrivers and use them as paint stirrer sticks

 

[HABBERDABBER]

Buy the best you can afford

If you're using that tool for your living, buy the best. If you use it "once in a while", buy the best you can afford.

I've had to buy numerous tools, over again, as they weren't great quality, and didn't last, but they were what I could afford.

HF stuff seems to have gone up in quality over the years.

And no argument about the near freebie screwdrivers. They do work well also as tent stakes.

 

[GinoandLinda]

When buying tools, my dad always said get sockets that FIT and really good screwdrivers. Because going cheap on either will cost money further down the road.


I buy HF screwdrivers and use them as paint stirrer sticks

Wow. Sounds expensive. If I don't get stirring sticks for free, I cut them from scrap wood with my Bauer saw

 

[mfschu]

Can anyone explain why checking the lugnuts is so stressed for Escape trailers but doesn't seem an issue with other brand trailers? It seems that Escape uses the same axles as other trailer manufacturers. Thanks!

 

[Iowa Dave]

I drove interstate 80 and US 30 for 400 miles each way from our home to Fort
Wayne Indiana two weeks ago. Due to warm weather and rain the snow was about 95 percent gone out of the ditches.from the Indiana west line to Cedar Rapids. I saw no less than ten tires and wheels, inflated and complete. They were in the
ditches and a couple in the median. They had been lost and covered by snow until the thaw. Some were from semi trailers, and others, trailers in general.. it’s certainly just not Escapes and some are off of new trailers coming out of Elkhart. 10 wheels in 800 miles. Think about that.
Iowa Dave

 

[rubicon327]

I saw no less than ten tires and wheels, inflated and complete. They were in the ditches and a couple in the median. They had been lost and covered by snow until the thaw. Some were from semi trailers, and others, trailers in general.. it’s certainly just not Escapes and some are off of new trailers coming out of Elkhart. 10 wheels in 800 miles. Think about that.

That’s insane. I’m going to keep even more distance from trucks and trailers now. When I was a kid delivering newspapers the truck would come early and drop my stack of papers. One morning I was curbside and I noticed he had only one lug nut on an 8-bolt rear! He took off. I always wondered what happened to that wheel. I hope it didn’t hurt or kill someone. My sixth grade teachers daughter was killed by a tire that came across a median from oncoming traffic. Very sad.

 

[Iowa Dave]

For several reasons I am tuned into the lost wheel phenomena.

When I worked in the filling station with my dad, a tire came off of a semi- trailer as it tuned the corner by the station. I had just washed a big Buick sedan owned by a regular customer named Don Gogg. The tire rolled into the wash stall and bent the rear bumper on the Buick. My Dad called Don and he was back to the station in about 5 minutes as he only lived about 2
blocks away. About that time the truck driver came back and told us that he’d lost a wheel and that someone had flagged him down and stated he saw the tire roll into the station. As he headed to the wash stall to retrieve the tire, he found Don standing on the tire, arms crossed, feet apart. Looked like Mr.Clean meets a small Mr Green Jeans.. After a short discussion the driver gave Don $50 and got his tire back. You could get a like new bumper back then for $50 at the auto salvage yard and I helped Don put his replacement bumper on that 58 Buick a few days later.

Then, as you might recall, I dodged a flying semi trailer wheel on I75 north of Lima, Ohio while pulling the 21 a few years back. It took a little driving and the tire bounced about 10 feet off the passenger side corner. I was lucky that day.

Finally, I am a salvage hoarder and I see all kinds of good stuff along the highway. I look in the mirrors, off both front corners and straight ahead constantly as I was taught in Drivers Education many year ago.

If you stop at the I80 rest stop westbound near Joliet Illinois, on about any day, in the amount of time it takes to eat a sandwich, drink a soda and walk the dog around, there will usually be two or three tow rigs pull in with Elkhart built trailers in tow. If you pay attention you’ll see inspection doors on refrigerators missing, loose trim, AC covers missing and steps down, all kinds of stuff. What I’ve never seen is the driver with a torque wrench walking around his load. I have seen them checking hub temps with a thermal gun.

One thing I see every year several times especially the dirt thing in the Spring, is a boat and trailer setting on the axle on the shoulder, spindle broken off because bearings went out and she got red hot. Wheel bearing failure is another part of trailer towing not just problematic on Escapes.
Iowa Dave