How are you checking/tightening your lug nuts?

[Russ in CO]

Hey all!

I can't get an old style 4-way on to these lug nuts. There isn't enough clearance around the wheel.
What are you using?
Thank you,
Russ

[Restcure]

Torque wrench with extension and socket.

[Teamfour]

I have similar wheels and use a thin-walled 19mm deep socket with a 1/2" drive torque wrench.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by JD and Beastlet

Torque wrench with extension and socket.

+1

I switched to a 6 point socket from a 12 point after one of the chrome covers on the lug nuts slipped. A standard wall thickness socket works on my wheels.

[jgourlie]

I haven't been checking mine...hmmmm...maybe time that I do

[mzak]

Originally Posted by Pooneil

+1

I switched to a 6 point socket from a 12 point after one of the chrome covers on the lug nuts slipped. A standard wall thickness socket works on my wheels.

Same here! Had to destroy cover so I could remove nut and then wheel.

[Ford Idaho]

Plus one for the thin wall 17mm, Harbor Freight brand.

Harbor Freight type torque wrench as well.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by mzak

Same here! Had to destroy cover so I could remove nut and then wheel.

The cover on my lug nut slipped while I was changing the tire at a gas station due to a defect in the tire. I used a hammer to drive the socket on the nut so I could remove it. Then I destroyed a screwdriver using it to punch the nut out of the socket.

Why do we have 12 point sockets anyway when all the nuts (lug and otherwise) I've seen are 6 sided?

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

Plus one for the thin wall 17mm, Harbor Freight brand.

Harbor Freight type torque wrench as well.

The Harbor Freight torque wrench is certainly not a professional tool, but it works very well for this purpose at a price that lets me keep it in my camper at all times. I don't even want to think about what a Snap On wrench would cost. It's the right tool for the job.

[Cut_un]

How often do you guys check the lugs?? Mine says 100 ft lbs each time out...

[KFX450RXC]

Although a little pricy, I have a set-up I love.

I bought a DeWalt cordless impact wrench. It has a rating around 300 ft./lbs.. I also ordered through Amazon a set of torque sticks. Every time I need to check the lugs, I pop the 100 ft./lb. stick on there and go around like a NASCAR pit stop. Quick, easy, and from what I can tell, about as accurate as most torque wrenches.

I try to check them at the start of each trip.

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by Pooneil

The cover on my lug nut slipped while I was changing the tire at a gas station due to a defect in the tire. I used a hammer to drive the socket on the nut so I could remove it. Then I destroyed a screwdriver using it to punch the nut out of the socket.

Why do we have 12 point sockets anyway when all the nuts (lug and otherwise) I've seen are 6 sided?




The Harbor Freight torque wrench is certainly not a professional tool, but it works very well for this purpose at a price that lets me keep it in my camper at all times. I don't even want to think about what a Snap On wrench would cost. It's the right tool for the job.

Yep, the wrench is for the lite only, I never remove it when at home.

[Restcure]

Originally Posted by Cut_un

How often do you guys check the lugs?? Mine says 100 ft lbs each time out...

I think that's overkill. If the wheels have been off I check at the start of the trip, when we arrive and before the start of the next trip. In ten years of camper ownership I have not found a single loose lug nut.

I do still check periodically, though.

[Brother Les]

This is another thing to add to your tool box that stays with the camper in order to get your lugs off when needed.

[M&K Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Russ in CO

Hey all!

I can't get an old style 4-way on to these lug nuts. There isn't enough clearance around the wheel.
What are you using?
Thank you,
Russ

I HATE those *%@# stickers on the wheels!

BTW Torque wrench, extension and 6 point socket.

[ChooChooMan74]

I have in the truck, a breaker bar, a short extension, a harbor freight torque wrench, and the 6 sided impact sockets for both the truck and trailer, and the lug lock tool for the truck.

[B and B]

I have not checked mine in 2 years. Maybe time again to do so. Once seated they do not loosen.

I use 1946 vintage Craftsman deep socket set to check with a standard Torque Wrench. They are 12 point as well. My father used these as a tradesman for 50 years and now i have had them since 1983. Like new!

You get what you pay for in tools.

[tjm]

Originally Posted by Cut_un

How often do you guys check the lugs?? Mine says 100 ft lbs each time out...

If you have had them off for any reason, after a hundred miles. Supposed to do that on your vehicle too, but tire shops rarely tell you that.


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[SeaDog]

I think its important to check the torque on initial install of the wheel and after about the first 100 miles after that only after a wheel has been removed. this has worked for me. I use a 1/2" torque wrench and 6" extension and either 12 point or 6 which ever is handy.

[Pooneil]

I torque periodically rather than each trip as I've never had them loosen up after changing a tire and then re-torquing. Just when I am doing other work around the camper.

[mzak]

[QUOTE=Pooneil;1233837]

Why do we have 12 point sockets anyway when all the nuts (lug and otherwise) I've seen are 6 sided?




As I understand one reason is for positioning in tight spaces. Ever try to get a 6 point socket on a nut if you only have 3-4 inches of space to ratchet in? Sometimes you can, sometimes you need a 12 point. Best to have a set of both 6 and 12 point sockets. I use 6 point for high torque situations which is what I should have done with camper lug nuts and I wouldn't have had the problem I did. I got lazy and used the 12 point because it was handy and paid the price!