Check your lug nuts!

[RoyBell]

While traveling for the holidays I seen the wheel come flying off a fiver right in front of me! It went bouncing off the road and down an off ramp!

I got up next to the guy and started flagging him down to pull over. He eventually noticed me and immediately pulled over. It tore the side of him camper up pretty good, so not sure what happened. Just glad I saw it and was able to get his attention. The couple semis right next to me just sped up and kept on their way and didn't bother telling the fella. I have tire pressure sensors for this very reason. He had no idea he had lost a wheel until I flagged him down. I am not sure how long it could had gone on a single tire with the weight of a larger camper like that before it eventually blew the remaining tire.

Let this be a lesson to always check your lug nuts. I had my bearings packed over winter by my storage place. I will def. double check tightness when I pick it up now!

[3oaks]

You can never go wrong using a torque wrench like you can by applying brute force alone.

Over torqueing the lug nuts can be just as dangerous as not applying enough torque. The wheel studs can be stretched and possibly snap clean off.

Plus torqueing each stud evenly is very important as well as the proper sequence so that every stud is sharing their torque load equally. This point was pounded into us in the heavy machinery industry where I worked for 40 years.

[wa8yxm]

Have never lost a wheel (have a tire but not a wheel) myself. Daughter had one come off when dealer forgot something once. I almost lost a one on a trailer.

I do check them, save for the 450 Pounders. those do not come loose.

[Lwiddis]

I seen this before and I check.

[mr__ed]

A torque wrench doesn't need to be expensive. I bought mine at harbor freight at a very reasonable price. Every so often, I would re-torque all the wheel lugs on my fiver. Good peace of mind while traveling.

[Lwiddis]

I agree with old guy. Didn’t hear anything with that amount of damage? My last blowout with no damage...I heard clearly with these damaged ears.

[old_guy]

it hard to believe that if the lug nuts came loose and he did not feel the vibration coming from the TT? I'm old and I can even hear the tires blow out on my TT. if it made that much damage to the side of his TT he should have heard it unless he travels with the radio turned on full

[RoyBell]

12th Man Fan wrote:
My TST sensors will not tell me if a tire comes off, just if it looses pressure.

The tire coming off will not trigger an alarm at least not right away.

Correct, it will trigger that the sensor no longer relays anything which would prompt me to pull over though. Hopefully before the other tire goes! However, if you monitor your pressures and temps while you tow and set the alarms within reason, I would think that the remaining tire would heat up considerably from the extra weight which would also throw a red flag. The temps/pressure seem to respond a lot quicker than the sensor going off/coming on line I notice.

[12th_Man_Fan]

My TST sensors will not tell me if a tire comes off, just if it looses pressure.

The tire coming off will not trigger an alarm at least not right away.

[BB_TX]

I hit mine with my torque wrench every spring to make sure they are properly torqued. Rarely ever have one turn any at all. But every once in a while one may turn slightly before the wrench clicks.

[DutchmenSport]

I check mine periodically, they are always so tight already, when I put a T wrench on them, I can't budge anything. So I know they are good. Maybe if I were 30 years younger I could budge them, but no longer. So, that's tight enough for me!

[RoyBell]

It looked like the brake and hub/lugs were still fully intact, which led me to assume it was a lug nut issue. I did not pull over with the gentleman so I am not 100% though. It was hard to get a good look at highway speeds while a semi was trying to run me over while I flagged the driver.

[Cummins12V98]

Are you 100% sure it was the lug nuts??? A complete hub/wheel can come off also. Yes always good to confirm lug nuts are torqued property.