Trailer wheel balancing question.

SoCalDesertRider wrote:
Modern acorn style lug-centric wheels are indeed self-centering, due to the conical shape of the lug nuts and conical shoulder of the lug holes in the wheel.

The least self-centering of any wheel are those old style aluminum and magnesium wheels that used the mag wheel style, squared shoulder holes and long shank nuts with washers under the nut shoulder. I still have an old set of American Racing Outlaw aluminum wheels in 16.5 size with square shoulder holes and all the washer style nuts to go with them. They're probably from the 1970's or early 80's.

While a tad off topic FWIW for the last 30 years or so even all the automotive type vehicles have used the hub centering method even if they had the what is properly called the conical fastening system. From my understanding in talking to an actual design engineer for wheels for auto manufacturers this system was mainly used in that it was more user friendly for the torque range for proper clamping force on wheels. No auto manufacturer used what is often called "lug centric" wheels as OEM and that term is used for the most part by aftermarket manufacturers. Another more important reason is that it is a manufacturing "NIGHTMARE" in trying to machine a hub and then a wheel that matches based on those multiple lug positions. You can get the tolerances if you manufacture it with a center tolerance. This is also a great reason for torquing trailer wheels in many stages with the proper sequence with the first two to three torques being "finger tight" then around 15lbs-ft and then 30lbs-ft. This gets you as close a possible to the most centered wheel on the hub you can do for a true "lug centric" system.

As a side note Dexter did produce a hub centered wheel system that was called the "Dexter Star" back in the 70's and maybe into the 80's. Not sure about their other wheel types since up until 2004 Dexter did manufacture wheels for their axles, but that is no longer the case.

Larry