Forum Discussion

zimmysurprise's avatar
Feb 05, 2021

5th Wheel Broken Stud Theory

Although we are currently running a Class C, several of my camping buddies are pulling 5th wheels. They keep having problems with broken wheel studs with the aluminum rims. They carry torque wrenches and are religious about checking them, but still occasionally break a stud on our trips. We generally write it off to cheap metal studs and heavy trailers, but I have another theory.

They all use those "super grip wheel chock" stabilizers between their tires when parked.They tighten down the threaded rod which pushes the tires away from each other. It holds the trailer still, but there is no torque wrench used on them. Trailer suspensions are designed to have some vertical give as the tires hit bumps on the road, but I don't see much lateral give except the bulge of the tires when you crank one of those chocks down. Is there a chance that continually using these are actually weakening the studs which eventually snap?

They say I'm smoking crack with that theory, but they can offer no explanation why. Please explain to me why this theory is wrong.
  • I've got 3 axles and have never lost a wheel stud. Perhaps people are using too much torque.
  • Harvard wrote:
    Different coefficient of expansions may also be involved.

    This could be the best theory yet as aluminum has twice the expansion at a given temperature differential than steel does.
  • People who constantly re-torque things are their own worst enemies.
  • Nope........
    Those wheel chocks are NOT applying any where close to the TORQUE applied when 'maneuvering' into a camp site

    Just watch the wheels when doing so and you will notice front/rear wheels will be all cockeyed ---that causes lots of lateral torque on wheels


    Aluminum wheels are PITA on dual/triple axles due to all that lateral torque ===have to check/recheck lug nuts for tightness and retorque
    That causes the studs to stretch....then SNAP
    Repeated torqueing ---cheap metal
  • Sitting on the ground, the tires are supporting around 3,000 lbs each (depending on trailer weight) meaning the studs are subjected to that force along with the pounding of rolling down the highway. I don't think those wheel chocks are going to put any where near 3,000 lbs of force on the wheel or studs. And it is a static force, not pounding.

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