Lug nut torque

As a Snap On Dealer I sold lots of them. They are as good as the user. They are rated to be used at a 225 ft lb. output on an impact gun. So you have to set your impact gun for example level 1 or 2 then verify with a torque wrench. If not tight enough try level 3 and so on. The problem also lies with the compressor. Did it just kick in or just kick out as that also makes a difference. If you are carrying a small portable for adding air to a tire with a 1 gallon reserve it would be totally out of question. As I mentioned I read the instructions and sold lots of them took the time to explain procedure but can't say I ever noticed anyone ever listened or cared. They only wanted the service manager seeing them using a torque stick. At the time I retired I sold guns putting out 800 ft. lbs. of torque and some used 1 torque stick for any application and in most cases were severely over torquing.
Hope this answers the question of how accurate can they be.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Goostoff wrote:
I have a set of torque sticks, so I use the 140 ft lb

Not a good choice IMHO.

How do those torgue sticks work and how accurate can they be.
Don

Goostoff wrote:
I have a set of torque sticks, so I use the 140 ft lb

Not a good choice IMHO.

luvglass wrote:
We've been out almost 8 years now, over 60,000 miles towing and 3 sets of tires and the wheels are still turning and I've never checked the torque. Never did either in 60 years of driving a car.
Simply don't understand what the problem is. Why would trailer wheels come loose and not wheels on every other kind of vehicle. Is there something different about RV's?

Sure, its obvious what the difference is.
Trailer wheels work environment vs the car/truck wheels work environment is apples vs oranges.

Trailer wheels are close together towards the center of a heavy vehicle. This requires them to side scrub as the trailer turns in any direction such as going around a corner/etc which adds much more side stress issues to the wheel/bearings/tires/U bolts/etc. This can cause lugs to loosen. Also a the lugs on a trailer wheel carries the load unlike a car or truck that the hub carries the load. Together they can loosen a lug.
Experts and mfg tell us to check the lugs after a couple of hundred miles after new wheels have been installed or a wheel has been removed and put back on.
A truck or car has the wheels at the corners. The front set steers around a corner and the rears simply follow. And yes trucks have wheel issues also from busted centers to split beads to loose lugs but not at the rate a trailer can have.

I have over 800k miles pulling equipment trailers on the road and have seen and had myself numerous loose/lost/broken trailer wheel issues.

Most lug torquing issues is with aluminum or cast type wheels.
Steel wheels do not have as big of issue.

I go by the german TQ , but I check it after every stop for fuel along with pressures. takes about 2 minutes.. only time I use a TQ wrench is at work and a few times on the truck head studs

We've been out almost 8 years now, over 60,000 miles towing and 3 sets of tires and the wheels are still turning and I've never checked the torque. Never did either in 60 years of driving a car.
Simply don't understand what the problem is. Why would trailer wheels come loose and not wheels on every other kind of vehicle. Is there something different about RV's?

Gee.
I figure they have to be tight enough not to come loose, and loose enough that I can still get them off at the side of the road with my lug wrench: as tight as I can get them with the lug wrench has been working fine. First tire I changed on my own was 1959, last one six months ago.
Yep, check again after an hour or two if you've had one off.

Yes you must check torque frequently for the first 150 miles of travel after the aluminum rim has been off. We had to to do that recently. Just found a wide spot to pull off and took care of it. We also check the torque every travel day and we also check the air in the tires. Some think I this is overkill, we think it is a good practice.

If you retorque when warm they will always take up a bit giving the impression the are loosening. If you check when cool first thing in the morning they won't move.
I'm talking about aluminum rims.
Interesting bit of trivia my 2011GM truck gives a speck of 140 ft/lbs for all pickups 1/2 3/4 1 ton not differentiating steel or aluminum. I would be comfortable at 120 ft/lbs or 140 ft/lbs. Keep in mind a click style torque wrench only has so many clicks before needing repairs.As a retired Snap On dealer we saw a sharp increase in repairs when wheels started getting torqued.