# Lug Nut Torque



## Eagleeyes (Aug 1, 2007)

Our owner's manual states that lug nut torque should be checked before each trip in the TT.

How often do you actually check? I've seen the postings on the covers, and that leaving these off will make it easier to check. There was also the posting about using an indicator of paint to see if the lug nut moved or not during travel.

But still, does everyone check them each trip? And is it each _hookup_, or solely each trip?

Bob


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

i check the LUG nut with a Torque wrench once every six months or if I have taken the wheel off... if i have taken the wheel off then i check it when i put it back on.. then at 25 and then at 100 miles...


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Ghosty ....Texas, Me....NJ, so every six months is once, at the beginning of season or as Ghosty said if wheel removed.

John


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## bentpixel (Sep 2, 2006)

Start of every trip: check torque, tire pressure, and lube WD bars.


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

I check the lug nuts before each trip. I keep a torque wrench with the correct socket in the trailer storage compartment and it takes about 5 minutes to check all the nuts. The plastic covers are a PITA and are getting a bit chewed up, and eventually they will be turfed. 98% of the time the nuts do not move, but occasionally one will be turned a bit to bring it to the correct torque. I just have that special luck where the day I do not check them, the nuts will all fly off in unison, the wheels will roll off in different directions and that would just ruin my day







.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

I check before every trip. I have only found 1 slightly loose one, once. I check TP every trip and just found 3 at 40 psi and 1 correct at 50 psi. I have some NASTY stickey grease on my hitch ball and WD bars so I can see if they are dry or not. The number 1 reason for tire failure is low pressure, I even check my spare. I also check the TV, 60 psi in the front and 78 psi in the rear. I also check the oil, my big block enjoys the taste.

I do this EVERY time, never skipped any part. I am to paranoid......the meds help.....and the aluminimum foil hat keeps the aliens form reading my thoughts. 









Note the way it covers the back of the neck, you are very exposed back their....


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

B4 trips is the best but it is especially important to do multiple rechecks on a new rig and or any time a rim is removed as outlined by Ghosty. It takes the road stress to get the lug nut taper to seat in rim recess. Remember over torque is just as bad a problem as under torque. Either extreme causes tire and rim to depart the trailer in an unplanned excursion to the countryside.

From first hand experience - a trailer tire/rim will cave in the side of a pickup bed. I was driving a US Forest Service truck on Highway 12 westbound when a 5er lost a left tire about 1/8 to 1/4 mile from me traveling eastbound. The tire/rim passed the truck/5er like it was standing still (it was going about 55 mph). It was coming straight at the front of my truck and traffic was heavy in both directions. To the right was a steep drop -no safe escape route. I waited till the last possible moment and pulled to the shoulder side and the tire/rim hit truck between the cab and back wheel. The tire/rim pushed the truck partially sideways and then rebounded back across the eastbound lane between two cars! All this happened in 5 secs or so.....

The moral of the story -5er just had tire service recently and they didn't torque the wheels properly. In this case lug studs were sheared.

Second moral of the story is that defensive driving strategies do work if practiced religiously.

Life experiences are so much fun. Dealing with the paperwork was more challenging than avoiding injury and the other vehicles on the highway









Map Guy


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

map guy said:


> .
> 
> Second moral of the story is that defensive driving strategies do work if practiced religiously.
> 
> ...


Someone who thinks like me regarding driving







Always preplanned in my head worse case scenarios so if it happened, reaction took over. It has made a difference, I believe, a few times.

John


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## justinsnow0 (Feb 5, 2007)

I think it's great that people on here check them alot but I want to add, having worked on missiles for many years and having used lots of torque wrenches that the only true way to get a proper torque is to loosen the nut first then re-tighten with the wrench. By only checking the nut you have no idea if the nut is too tight which can be just as bad as too loose.

I on the other have slacked off big time, I really do need to check the torque more.


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

battalionchief3 said:


> I check before every trip. I have only found 1 slightly loose one, once. I check TP every trip and just found 3 at 40 psi and 1 correct at 50 psi. I have some NASTY stickey grease on my hitch ball and WD bars so I can see if they are dry or not. The number 1 reason for tire failure is low pressure, I even check my spare. I also check the TV, 60 psi in the front and 78 psi in the rear. I also check the oil, my big block enjoys the taste.
> 
> I do this EVERY time, never skipped any part. I am to paranoid......the meds help.....and the aluminimum foil hat keeps the aliens form reading my thoughts.
> 
> ...


I have got to have a beer with you sometime. Think that would be very interesting.


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

battalionchief3 said:


> I do this EVERY time, never skipped any part. I am to paranoid......the meds help.....and the aluminimum foil hat keeps the aliens form reading my thoughts.
> 
> 
> 
> ...












Map Guy


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

I check before every long trip. If I'm just going to a nearby CC I may not. I do check the tire pressure before about every trip though.


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

I check the torque at the beginning of every trip out. Takes all of about 5 minutes all the way around.

I also check the tire pressure on the way out and on the way back and I also make sure the tires are properly inflated when I leave it behind until next time (traveling with a portable air tank is great).


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

Every time I pull it. I keep a cheepie torque wrench in the TT just for this purpose. This, and a good air gauge, is part of my TT tool kit.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

I check mine before every trip, along with the ALL TV and TT tire pressures (including TV & TT spares). I also keep a torque wrench in the trailer with the appropriate sockets. On a big trip like our 3,000 mile Zion adventure this summer, I also checked at roughly the 1,000 and 2,000 mile marks.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Rubrhammer (Nov 27, 2006)

when I had the wheels off I checked at several intervals that trip and at the beginning of the next 2 trips. On those 2 trips the tq was fine so I didn't check last time out. I discovered this week that my wife came with a tq wrench







so yesterday it went into the tt.
Bob


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## 4ME (Sep 11, 2006)

battalionchief3 said:


> I check before every trip. I have only found 1 slightly loose one, once. I check TP every trip and just found 3 at 40 psi and 1 correct at 50 psi. I have some NASTY stickey grease on my hitch ball and WD bars so I can see if they are dry or not. The number 1 reason for tire failure is low pressure, I even check my spare. I also check the TV, 60 psi in the front and 78 psi in the rear. I also check the oil, my big block enjoys the taste.
> 
> I do this EVERY time, never skipped any part. I am to paranoid......the meds help.....and the aluminimum foil hat keeps the aliens form reading my thoughts.
> 
> ...


They talk to me too! Did you hear that?That kid was 46 yrs old last week ........untill they stole his wisdom in his sleep.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

No I missed it, I had my foil on......


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## Txcamper (Apr 3, 2006)

I check mine before every trip.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Probably once a month. After having the tires off, I follow the mfg recommendation.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Now that we're "broken in" and past the recommended 1st trip routine - we check torgue & T/P on all tires before every trip on TT & TV...that's out AND back. When new tires get put on either, we will go back and do the "1st trip routine" again. Perhaps _my_ biggest fear in any moving vehicle is to have a tire come off (there's a reason I DON'T ride rollercoasters







)


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

So then why don't we check our cars this often?

I check my air pressure everytime. As for the torque only after they have been off. Back to the question I asked above.

The nuts are chamfered, ( I think that is the correct term and spelling) just like they are on an automobile. That is done so that the contact point is increased lessening the chance that they would come loose. So I'm glad we are all safe but until somebody tells me other wise all of this torque checking is a wives tale.

Shoot me for saying that but better yet educate me other wise. Clearly in my day I changed well in excess of 1,000 tires and never had one fall off. Never used a torque wrench on any of them either nor have any of the tires on your trucks or cars been set to spec. I did though break a few tightening them too much. Guess ya can't be too safe but certainly don't get any gray hairs over it!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

I m with Mike









thats why I only check once a year usually when I recheck my truck when I put the chrome wheels back on.

John


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## Humpty (Apr 20, 2005)

I do not own a torque wrench
















I do check the air pressure before every trip.


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## justinsnow0 (Feb 5, 2007)

In the Airforce, we in AMMO were required to do maintenance on our trailers. Those lug nuts were not chamfered and we had to check them every 6 months for torque. And they carry multi million dollar missiles and high explosives, granted the truck only goes 35mph...So I would think that the TT and auto ones would be good for a once a year thing. And if you have a calibrated arm you don't need a a torque wrench







that's a joke by the way.....


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## bentpixel (Sep 2, 2006)

NJMikeC said:


> So then why don't we check our cars this often?


Wondered about that too. I read somewhere that the side load is greater on a TT 
than the TV due to the scrubbing of the tandem axle construction. The TV steers 
through a turn whereas the TT tires twist and rub the tread putting more stress on 
the sidewall and rim.

Besides, I live in California. Following the manufactures recommendation is cheap 
liability insurance. Something about "due diligence".






























Scott


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## boats313 (Oct 22, 2007)

NJMikeC said:


> So then why don't we check our cars this often?


There are two ways to center a tire on the rim. Most trailers use the tapered nut to center the rim. On most cars/trucks the center of the rim fits tight to the hub. In the cars case the load is carried on the hub/rim contact point, on a trailer the load rides on the lugs. The cars lugs serve to hold the rims against the hub, the trails lugs have to do everything. Also, there are at least 2 common taper angles used on trailers, so if you need to replace one make sure it matches the rim. 
You will find that 99% of the lug nuts are over torqued and as mentioned before, this is just as dangerous. Over-torqueing stretches the bolts and can cause them all to snap at the same time. I check mine before every trip and after anyone else has touched them. Unfortunately in the last 2 years I have had to learn all of this stuff the hard way, trying to figure out why wheels have come off and preventing it in the future.


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## Eagleeyes (Aug 1, 2007)

mons02035 said:


> I think it's great that people on here check them alot but I want to add, having worked on missiles for many years and having used lots of torque wrenches that the only true way to get a proper torque is to loosen the nut first then re-tighten with the wrench. By only checking the nut you have no idea if the nut is too tight which can be just as bad as too loose.
> 
> I on the other have slacked off big time, I really do need to check the torque more.


So...this isn't rocket science?
Bob


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