How Often do you Torque your Lug Nuts?

[SKOOBDO]

Question for Full-Timers that travel in excess of 1000 miles to get to your destination. How many miles do you stop to re-torque your lug nuts? I've only made short trips (less than 100 miles) and only torqued and checked the air pressure before leaving each place. I will be traveling across the country in May, from Ohio to Arizona and would like to get an idea of what others are doing. Maybe every 100 miles or less? is that a good point to torque them? Please chime in. Thank you! Allison

[bsmeaton]

Allison,

http://keystonerv.com/media/pdf/Lug_Nut_Torque.pdf Everything you wanted to know about lug nuts straight from the manufacturer.

[SKOOBDO]

bsmeaton, I've looked at the CD on torquing when I first bought my unit and it didn't say anything about re-torquing after the first 100 miles. All it says is to re-torque after each trip. I'm not sure what the site you listed says, because I can't pull it up. I was just wondering how often other folks re-torque their lug nuts when traveling many miles at one time. If I don't get any replies, I'll just do it every 100 miles to be safe. Thanks for replying!

[bsmeaton]

Ahh - sorry you couldn't open the link, I think it's Adobe PDF. It only says before each trip as well.

I was trying to stick to the facts, but it seems they lack, so I'll give you my practice. When a wheel is removed for any reason - I re-check the torque at 100 miles, and then again every couple of hundred miles. Once set, I only check them every 500 miles or so, or when it's convenient. There is some caution in overchecking them - if you are using a beam indicator type torque wrench, you potentially are adding a little more torque each time you check them and you run a risk of over torque. Over torque can be just as damaging (we lost an entire wheel once as a result of over-torque). For a quick check after they have set, just make sure they are tight versus loose without applying any additional torque.

[lwcdg]

Allison I just pulled up the web site that Brad referred to. It suggests checking torque after every reinstallation of tires and also on a pre trip schedule.

So with your pre trip check them to correct specs and then your done. Over torque is as bad as under torque so when your done your done. I suppose if it makes you feel beeter to ceck it when you need to stop then do so, nothing wrong with getting comfortable with what you're doing. It's all a learning experience.

good luck and safe travels
Chuck
PS I've enjoyed reading your posts and look forward to meeting you in Branson

[rrheik]

Thanks Brad for the site on torque. I normally travel about 350 miles a day, and check the torque just before I pull out for the next day's travel.

bob

[stevemc]

Thanks Brad. You're just full of good info.! I hadn't seen that link before.

[gkbutler]

Allison,

We torque each time we stop until the nuts stop turning. Usually that is about the end of day one of our trip. Approximately 300 miles per day. Most of the lugnuts just snug up a little, but we have had a couple that actually had at least one complete turn to get to 120lbs of torque.

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by SKOOBDO

Question for Full-Timers that travel in excess of 1000 miles to get to your destination. How many miles do you stop to re-torque your lug nuts? I've only made short trips (less than 100 miles) and only torqued and checked the air pressure before leaving each place. I will be traveling across the country in May, from Ohio to Arizona and would like to get an idea of what others are doing. Maybe every 100 miles or less? is that a good point to torque them? Please chime in. Thank you! Allison

Allison,
Everyone has their own idea as to what to do, but mostly, the important thing is that after a wheel has been replaced (especially the aluminum wheels), the lugs should be checked after the first 100 miles, then at the start of the next trip. After that, if you check them and they are torqued properly, you need not check them on a regular basis. I check ours on a random basis once my torque wrench says they have been tight for the last couple times I checked them.

Again, the important thing is to regularly check them when using aluminum wheels.

Orv

[richfaa]

well, we have followed the procedure of checking after every trip. We torqued when we left Ohio Dec 12th 06.That means we loosened every nut then torqued till we heard the click then checked torque at the first fuel stop, the second fuel stop, etc.then at the start of every days trip. We checked when we left Lake Havasu when we left Apache Junction.. when we got to Roswell,Nm , when we arrived in Mobile,Al.We have never had to adjust the torque..not once.??? so what does that mean...???

[tcorbitt]

Just my personal understanding... Why do trailers lugs need to be checked more than say the Tow Vehicle? Due to the added stress when turning/backing parking the camper. Just watch the funky moves the axles make when trying to make tight moves. Lot's of added pressure on applied sideways. I believe this added stress is why the lugs need more attention. So, it would appear the number of miles down the interstate have less to do with the frequency checking than the number of low speed tight turns the axles complete.

Like more everyone, before a trip always check the lugs and air pressure. We will run 1K miles without checking if we did so on interstates. On the other hand, if traveling locally from one camp ground to another, we may recheck every 200 miles.

Just our experience. I have never found the lugs loose, but keep checking just in case... Tim

[Sunnyside]

quote:Originally posted by tcorbitt

Just my personal understanding... Why do trailers lugs need to be checked more than say the Tow Vehicle?

Per Keystone:

The axle and wheel assemblies of your RV are
designed differently than those on your car.
The overall size, weight and center of gravity of a
recreational vehicle subject the wheels to pressures
unique to trailering. During normal cornering, the
tires and wheels experience a considerable amount
of stress called “side-load”. Therefore, the lug nuts on
your recreational vehicle require periodic retorqueing.


I am glad I saw this post, now just to purchase a torque wrench

I have only towed the trailer to the campground where we keep it for the winter. I will however torque the wheels before we start out for the summer runs.

Jim

[old turbo]

When your units are ready to be deliverd they are staged at a transport company. The driver that is going to deliver the unit will just use the old tri bar style wrench. JUST GET EM TIGHT. He will probably check again at his first stop. No one in ths business uses a torge wrench. I bet the dealer never checks the nuts. I use the same wrench on my own 5vr. I have never found a loose nut. I use the armstrong method before I leave my home base, thats it. I see a lot of post about the nuts and I think this all started with these new aluminum wheels. I have the old steel wheels.

[genecurp]

What a great forum. This great topic has shown me I do not check my lug nuts frequently enough. The great link to Keystone instructions cleary says "before every trip". I think I understand what that means. It will mean a big increase in my frequency of checking.

Thanks to all for improving my safety.

[bsmeaton]

Old Turbo -

It's not always the "loose nut" that gets ya -



This is a result of over-torque on our 2003 - 450 miles off the Dealer lot. Wheel rep said they were overtorqued causing 4 studs to break off in the hub, with the remaining 2 letting go from stress. The nuts were torqued so tight they pancaked the holes in the wheels as found on the remaining three wheels. Fix for this was 4 new wheels, all new studs and nuts.

I realize there are additional factors - these were alloy wheels, these were alloy wheels installed by the Dealer at purchase, this year Monty only had 6 lugs compared to the new 8 lug.

You need to check your lug nuts to make sure they haven't loosened, but when you do check them, you need to use a torque wrench to make sure you don't overtighten them.

[SKOOBDO]

Wow!!! Lots of responses since my last visit. I truly appreciate everyones input. I think I will check mine each time I stop for diesel and before leaving each campground, just in case. I will definetly not over torque my lug nuts so I won't have any issues. and Thank you so much BSMEATON for the photo. That was an eye-opener. Thanks again everyone!

[Cat320]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

well, we have followed the procedure of checking after every trip. We torqued when we left Ohio Dec 12th 06.That means we loosened every nut then torqued till we heard the click then checked torque at the first fuel stop, the second fuel stop, etc.then at the start of every days trip. We checked when we left Lake Havasu when we left Apache Junction.. when we got to Roswell,Nm , when we arrived in Mobile,Al.We have never had to adjust the torque..not once.??? so what does that mean...???

I'm certainly no mechanical engineer, but it seems to me if you are loosening the lugs, then retightening them, the lugs should be treated as if changing/reinstalling a wheel...for all practical purposes, the wheel is being removed. This would require retorque at 10, 25, and 50 miles. I have always checked the torque by setting the torque wrench to the correct ft/lb rating and applying pressure until the wrench 'clicks.'

[ols1932]

I never loosen my lug nuts just so I can re-torque them. When I have them torqued properly and then check, the torque wrench will just "click." There have been times when the torque wrench tightened the lug nut just a little before it "clicked." That tells me they can work loose, somehow.

Orv

[SKOOBDO]

quote:Originally posted by ols1932

I never loosen my lug nuts just so I can re-torque them. When I have them torqued properly and then check, the torque wrench will just "click." There have been times when the torque wrench tightened the lug nut just a little before it "clicked." That tells me they can work loose, somehow.

Orv

DITTO, that has happen to me also on a few lug nuts. That's why I was asking about how often folks check theirs. Well, at least no one has reported losing their wheels from the lug nuts falling off from not torquing them.

[richfaa]

I guess I should have been more verbose...We did pull all the wheels before leaving for a 2500 mile trip to check the condition of the brakes, bearings and internal wiring because we have little confidence in Keystone workmanship (there I said it and I was trying to be nice)We do not normally loosen before checking torque.As for the 10,25,50 mile check//I don't know about that..If I had aluminum wheel I might..we did stop maybe 15 miles down the road to to top off fuel and checked and nothing moved nor have they since.Since I blew being nice what I should have done was to drop the under belly and check for wires rubbing then perhaps we would not have melted down in Quartzsite..