Different Experience Today. My Wheels Fell Off.

A simple method would be using TQ stripe. It comes in little tubes. Green, white, and orange are the most common colors. Just apply a stripe from the nut to the rim. It takes a few minutes to harden. Once it hardens as long as it is intact the nuts haven't moved. If it is broken than it is loose. We used TQ Stripe all the time on our blackhawks. Basically any time we had a TQ critical nut or bolt, but said nut or bolt did not get secured with safety wire or cotter pin. I think next time I am home I need to go thru my flight bag. I probably have several tubes left in it.

Btw TQ = Torque.

A simple method would be using TQ stripe. It comes in little tubes. Green, white, and orange are the most common colors. Just apply a stripe from the nut to the rim. It takes a few minutes to harden. Once it hardens as long as it is intact the nuts haven't moved. If it is broken than it is loose. We used TQ Stripe all the time on our blackhawks. Basically any time we had a TQ critical nut or bolt, but said nut or bolt did not get secured with safety wire or cotter pin. I think next time I am home I need to go thru my flight bag. I probably have several tubes left in it.

Btw TQ = Torque.

We had to do something similar with our M1200 Knights, all the individual bolts in the armor plating had to be marked so we could determine if there was any movement. We used a paint marker though, if the straight line was broken you know you had loose bolts.

Had a guy pass me the other night on my left side. I remembered hearing a horrible scraping sound. He gets past me and I see sparks flying like the 4th of july. The guy was riding on rims on his trailer and was completely oblivious to it. I don't have a cb yet, so I flashed him and hit him with the air horn till he pulled over. I pull up behind him and he gets out, on his phone not realizing how lucky he is.

For this reason, I have seriously considered buying one of those torque wrenches like they use at loves, but haven't pulled the plug on it because from what I hear, they have to be calibrated every so often, and it just sounded like a pain to keep up with. That, and those wrenches cost about $500.

For this reason, I have seriously considered buying one of those torque wrenches like they use at loves, but haven't pulled the plug on it because from what I hear, they have to be calibrated every so often, and it just sounded like a pain to keep up with. That, and those wrenches cost about $500.

450-500 ft lbs of torque go on these lugs. Not something I'm going to be putting on by hand with a TQ wrench. A 3/4-1" impact gun, maybe. What you're looking for is "obviously loose" lug nuts - and a simple breaker bar and socket will get you the idea whether or not you need to roll by a truckstop and get them torqued down with a gun. If they're loose enough to move by hand - then they have no torque on them at all, and are about to fall off.

The way the studs sheared off on the trailer in question here - is indicative of a larger problem, more than one loose lug for sure - perhaps a tire was replaced and all the lugs weren't tightened down to spec.

Rick

Once again, the lugs didn't shear off. After the wheels came off the drum slid out to the end of the studs.

TQ wrenches do require calibration. If at any time they are out of calibration they are considered no good. I believe it is every 6 months they require calibration, but any fall greater than a few feet or exposure to lots of jostling outside of its protective case will void the calibration.

I can assure you torquing lug nuts is no fun. It's not unrealistic for me or the guys I work with to torque 60 + lug nuts a day and they all have to be done with a torque wrench. Legal repercussions can result from using a gun. Your best bet is to use a paint marker, plastic nut tags, if there is ever any question you should have them checked. More serious problems can be found if checked with a torque wrench also.although these torque wrenches are expensive fragile and costly to keep up not to mention huge and back breaking. Also remember anytime anything has been done where the wheel had to be removed even if the shop torques them get them re torqued after driving.

For this reason, I have seriously considered buying one of those torque wrenches like they use at loves, but haven't pulled the plug on it because from what I hear, they have to be calibrated every so often, and it just sounded like a pain to keep up with. That, and those wrenches cost about $500.

450-500 ft lbs of torque go on these lugs. Not something I'm going to be putting on by hand with a TQ wrench. A 3/4-1" impact gun, maybe. What you're looking for is "obviously loose" lug nuts - and a simple breaker bar and socket will get you the idea whether or not you need to roll by a truckstop and get them torqued down with a gun. If they're loose enough to move by hand - then they have no torque on them at all, and are about to fall off.

The way the studs sheared off on the trailer in question here - is indicative of a larger problem, more than one loose lug for sure - perhaps a tire was replaced and all the lugs weren't tightened down to spec.

Rick

At least yours was just loose lugs. A few years ago I had a trailer axle seize and shear off on the PA turnpike about an hour east of Pittsburgh. Took the wheels, brake drum, everything with it. When the fix-it guys showed up to chain my axle up.so I could limp to their shop, they said short of taking an X-ray of the axle there was no way I could have seen that coming, but it's still scary as hell to hear "whuh-SKRUNCH" and look in your mirror just in time to watch an entire wheel set detach itself and go bouncing along down the road ahead of you.

Never did find the wheels, but I was back on the road about 24 hours later with a brand new axle.

450-500 ft lbs of torque go on these lugs. Not something I'm going to be putting on by hand with a TQ wrench. A 3/4-1" impact gun, maybe. What you're looking for is "obviously loose" lug nuts - and a simple breaker bar and socket will get you the idea whether or not you need to roll by a truckstop and get them torqued down with a gun

Actually, a break over bar is how loves retorqued the lugs after you have driven 150 miles. Even when replacing the rim onto the hub, they only use the impact wrench to initially tighten the lug nuts. They tighten them down with the break over torque wrench, then, after you drive 150, you bring it in to the next loves your at, and they retorqued with the break over.