Tightening Motorhome Lugs

[Bob___Ann]

Does anybody have to tighten the lugs on their motorhome? I noticed today that I have several that are coming loose. My motorhome is as seen in my signature below. I am going to take it back to TCI Tires who put the new tires on last year. Since then I have run about 14,000 miles.

[cbr46]

randallb wrote:
I have always used a 2', 3/4" breaker bar. I stand on the end and that gives me 400 ft/#s. I then give a small hop and they are tightened close enough to never come loose or stress the threads on the studs. Sometimes the members of this forum flat over think things.
Randy

Is that a calibrated hop?

If you "hop" 6" on that breaker bar we need to account for force from decelerated gravity from 32 ft/sec^2. So if F=m*a and a=v/t or a=d/t^2 we could determine force if we knew the movement of the breaker bar from 0 to 200 lbs. We'll need the elasticity constant of the breaker bar so we can derive the REAL torque. What kind of alloy is it?

That "hop" is an interesting variable to ponder . . . . We can always over think this!

But I like the simplicity of your method.

Best,
- c bob

[ArchHoagland]

Executive wrote:
AFTER proper torquing, if you want to ensure your lugs remain tight, simply put a dot of nail polish on the lug and corresponding spot on the wheel. A quick look will tell you if the lug is still tight. Dots together, all is ok, if they're apart, best look for a truck stop.....Dennis

Excellent idea!!

[slickest1]

When properly tightened lug nuts will seldom come loose, BUT it does happen. That is why they should be re torqued after a few miles.

[Executive45]

AFTER proper torquing, if you want to ensure your lugs remain tight, simply put a dot of nail polish on the lug and corresponding spot on the wheel. A quick look will tell you if the lug is still tight. Dots together, all is ok, if they're apart, best look for a truck stop.....Dennis

[FIRE_UP]

Well Gang,
Here's what I use to remove or, break the 450 lb. torqued lug nuts loose:



That tool, available on ebay, has a 1:75 gear ratio and you can sit on your little stool, and break a 450 lb. lug nut loose with ONE ARM. It's a fantastic tool. But, when it comes time to put them back on and torque them down, I can't use that tool because it's capable of actually breaking off those 3/4" diameter studs. So, I purchased, also off ebay, a 600 lb. torque wrench made by KD tools for, $75.00. It was calibrated prior to my purchasing it so, I know it's correct. The nice thing about having the appropriate torque wrench is, you can "ramp" up to the correct settings and final torque.

After any work, or brake inspections, I first set the wrench to click at about 150. Then, set the wrench to about 250-300 and make another round. Then the final 450 lbs. and make the final round. So, while it cost a couple of bucks for the correct and, very useful tools, it sure is nice to be able to remove any of those wheels and tires at anytime, for any reason and, re-install them to the proper torque.
Scott

[wny_pat1]

othertonka wrote:
Your MH has what is called a "Hub piloted system and the lug nuts have washers attached to the lug nuts and you should put 2 drops of oil between the washer and the nut before torquing.

But some of us with older coaches have "Stud Piloted" wheels.

[Canadian_Rainbi]

I bought 6 new Michelins and my local tire shop said to comeback after 100 kilometers (60 miles) to have them re-torqued. Now I just have to get it out of the RV shop. . . .

[randallb]

I have always used a 2', 3/4" breaker bar. I stand on the end and that gives me 400 ft/#s. I then give a small hop and they are tightened close enough to never come loose or stress the threads on the studs. Sometimes the members of this forum flat over think things.
Randy

[Nomadac]

If you have aluminum wheels and have a tire off, they recommend torquing to 450 ft.lb. and after driving 100 miles to have re torqued.

[J-Rooster]

Bob, I'm surprised your tire guys didn't tell you to come back in a few days! My tire guys Les Schwab, always tell me to come back in about 3 days after a tire or wheel install to have my lug nuts re torqued!

[GMT830]

You might consider getting the little plastic arrows that slide over the lug nuts. You can orient them in a familiar pattern and it will quickly tell you just by looking if they have moved.

[Bob___Ann]

GrampaR123 wrote:
Just out of curiousity, doesn't your rig have Dicor stainless steel wheel covers? How did you discover that you had several loose lug nuts?

GrampaR123
In the last year since we bought our new tires we lost four chrome lug nut covers. I wanted to take one off the wheel so that I could match it at a truck store next week. I found one with a space under it so I realized it would be the easiest to remove. When I got it off I noticed that the reason for the space was the lug was backing off. I checked and found what appear to be a total of four or five for the entire coach. Needless to say it upset me as we just got back from a 4000 mile trip. I could not even imagine loosing a wheel on Interstate.

[Bob___Ann]

Thanks to all for the information. I will personally see that they set it at 475 pounds. I will also be sure that they oil the washer. I am surprised by this as the TCI that we bought the tires from only works on large rigs. You would think that they would know better.
Thanks again

[othertonka]

To put it in perspective, to get 475 lbs of torque you need at least a 4 foot cheater bar and then apply 118 lbs of force/pressure to the bar to obtain 475 lbs of torque, or a 5 foot bar and apply 95 lbs of pressure. best to get some one who has a torque wrench that goes that high, Your MH has what is called a "Hub piloted system and the lug nuts have washers attached to the lug nuts and you should put 2 drops of oil between the washer and the nut before torquing. This is criticle so get it done before you drive any further or you will have a wheel come off. Her is a link to an article that tells you all about this hub piloted wheel system if you are interested.
Hub piloted