Don't forget your Nuts!

[flyman013]

Just wanted to share some helpful advice. I am a firm believer in maintenance over fix it when it breaks. After re-packing my trailer bearings, I must not have tightened the lug bolts on my trailer tight (we all make mistakes). Anyway, entire wheel came off the trailer on the road. Now, we all carry a spare tire for the trailer, but how many of us carry extra lug nuts? I now carry an extra set of lug bolts in the truck on every trip. I figure if I have them, I won't need them. I hope none of you end up stranded on the road like I did .

[Boltman]

Thats a great thing to do it's asmall little box in the back seat, as for me I tighten my Lug nuts before every trip.. it's just a weight thing for me, cause Im dealing with a lot of weight....

[1mainiac]

I will take a guess it was a driver side tire right? Robert did you get a better brake controller so the brakes are working better? 100 ftlbs of torque on the nuts every 50 miles for the first 250 miles after a tire change and then check before each trip.

[Reel World Fishing Team]

Last September I was driving home from Ludington on a Sunday afternoon and coming around a 1984,(I know the year because it was white and blue and mine was tan and brown and a 1985), starcraft islander and one of the wheels came off and hit my car. He didn't even know it came off until I flagged him down. It really didn't damage the car as much as I thought it would, but one of the bolts hit the windshield at eye level, half on the glass, and half on the pilar. It sounded like a bullet and then came the wheel hitting and wreaking the bumper.

One thing you can do if you don't have lug nuts or bolts is to take one off each of the other wheels and run them all home missing one and one with three. Not the best senario, but it would work.

[Priority1]

Reminds me of an old Kenny Rogers tune, "You picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel".

Seriously, it's a good thing no one was hurt.

[1mainiac]

The reason I mentioned the drivers side trailer tire coming loose is very few people actually torque the lug nuts correctly and the trailer brakes actually cause the lug nuts to loosen. Which is why on over the road trucks you find left hand threads on the drivers side and right hand threads on the pass side wheels. When you hit the brakes the braking pressure can cause the left side wheels to rotate against the hub and lossen the lug nuts.

[Priority1]

The reason I mentioned the drivers side trailer tire coming loose is very few people actually torque the lug nuts correctly and the trailer brakes actually cause the lug nuts to loosen. Which is why on over the road trucks you find left hand threads on the drivers side and right hand threads on the pass side wheels. When you hit the brakes the braking pressure can cause the left side wheels to rotate against the hub and lossen the lug nuts.

Some cars in the 60s had left hand lug nuts on the drivers side. I had a Dodge that did.