Calling RAM 3500 owners

HappyKayakers wrote:
Thanks for the input folks. Still waiting for the new lugs and nuts to arrive. Since the mechanic is just across the street, I'll give it a shot myself. My big concern was getting the drum/rotor combo off. If that's really not necessary, so much the better. If it is necessary and I can't get it off, I'll just throw the wheel back on and drive it across the street.

I think you’ll have to remove the wheel, brake calliper and rotor before you’ll be able to knock your studs out of the hub. If you want to remove the rotor without removing the axle and hub it might take a little persuasion.

rjstractor wrote:
I'll bet this is a very common problem among full size pickups.

Idk, it's not common in my world with a dozen or more personal trucks and 100s or 1000s of company trucks in my care over the last 25 years. But I'm sure someone somewhere is gorilla mitten a lug wrench every day!

What is common though, are those lug nuts are junk. Well, Idk about junk, but they seem to wear out and stretch. Every Dodge like that I've had or worked on, if it was older and the wheel lugs had alot of cycles on them, they were toast.
Last 07, I had about 120k when I switched up to some 4th gen wheels and at those miles, had I kept the old wheels I would have needed new lugs as they were getting very sticky. To the point that even lubed, they wouldn't spin on, on the low setting on my air gun. Which is about the equivalent of installing by had, except faster. Would have to go to setting 2 and the gun would actually rattle a little running them on.

I'll bet this is a very common problem among full size pickups. People who lack common sense think since it's a "big" truck they need to stand on the end of a four foot cheater bar to tighten the lug nuts. 135-140 ft./lbs is not that tight, just a 70 ish pound pull on the end of a two foot bar. A fairly strong person can do this with one hand. I'm not that strong anymore, and torqueing lug nuts to 140 is really easy with my torque wrench.

Thanks for the input folks. Still waiting for the new lugs and nuts to arrive. Since the mechanic is just across the street, I'll give it a shot myself. My big concern was getting the drum/rotor combo off. If that's really not necessary, so much the better. If it is necessary and I can't get it off, I'll just throw the wheel back on and drive it across the street.

Here's the pic:



Agree with Dodge Guy, you should be able to press studs out/in without taking the axle out and removing the hub.

Get yourself a good ball joint press like this one:

You don’t need to remove the axle to replace the studs. Just remove the wheel press (hammer) the old ones out and install the new ones. They make a kit to install the new ones pretty easy.

Could be the nuts too. Every 3rd Gen Dodge I've workd on, if it had lots of cycles on the lug nuts, the threads were getting stretched.
If they don't spin on absolutley smooth, the lug nuts need to be replaced. Check em all before you put it back together if you weren't planning on replacing all the lugs.

And a little grease or antiseize on the lugs works wonders on reducing wear n tear and corrosion and ease of use.
Drop your torque a little if lubed. Say 120 if 135 is the spec.

Note, there will be a pile of naysayers about lubing lug threads.
Take your pick. I chose 30 years of antiseize now with no ill effects other than its messy if you're messy.

A very common issue unfortunately.

You will take those 8 bolts out to remove your axle. After pulling the axle you remove a snap ring and large bearing retainer nut. Then you can remove your hub.