Wheel Comes Completely Off While Driving!!

[spurticus]

So I am pulling my Heritage Glen 272BH for the Labor Day weekend and I began to notice the camper slightly tilted to one side. I don't have a TPMS system, so I began to suspect one or more tires is losing air. When I was able, I pulled over at a gas station. When I walked around and looked, my jaw almost hit the pavement. One of the tires was gone. I never saw or felt a thing.

The studs were completely sheered off from the drum. A local dealer had repacked my bearings just a few weeks earlier and this was my first trip since then. I immediately called them and explained the situation. They immediately launched a mobile tech who arrived a few hours later (awful traffic for Labor Day weekend adding to frustration). Anyway, he replaced the drum, repacked the bearings, put on a new tire, and checked all of the other tires.

The dealership service manager asked for a photo of the drum which I emailed. He owned it and apologized for the situation. After my trip, he requested I bring it by. He said they would order a new rim that matches the existing rims and a tire (Goodyear Endurance that I had recently installed). The mobile tech was also going to request a new fender skirt.

I hope the tire that came off just went down in the embankment. I was mostly on the interstate in slower traffic in the right lane. I'm surprised no one saw it and waved me down.

Anyone else ever see or deal with this?

[RSchleder]

Looks to me like they torqued the lug nuts too tight and fractured the studs.

[youroo]

Looks to me they were Loose! Youroo!!

[Macrosill]

I have only witnessed a wheel come off a vehicle a few times, most recently last month. Never on a trailer other than pictures in the forums.

I have only read that most seem to point to over torqueing as the root cause of sheared off studs like in the pictures. I do not know this to be factual or what other causes there may be.

As for under torqueing, I have experienced that first hand. I had a front right tire on a car once make an awful clicking noise on turns. Turned out to be loose lug nuts. Studs were damaged but not sheared off flush. I am not saying under torqueing could not cause shearing, just my single experience.

Glad to hear your dealer is making in right and most importantly, you are all safe!

[5picker]

We'll likely never know the exact cause but it reinforces the fact of checking lug nut torque on a regular basis (especially after a repair or maintenance) and the importance of a TPMS.

To the OP... plan on replacing the tire that carried the entire load on that side for however long you had driven after losing the wheel/tire. It has likely been compromised.

[fonzie]

Originally Posted by youroo

Looks to me they were Loose! Youroo!!

X2

[spurticus]

Originally Posted by 5picker

We'll likely never know the exact cause but it reinforces the fact of checking lug nut torque on a regular basis (especially after a repair or maintenance) and the importance of a TPMS.

To the OP... plan on replacing the tire that carried the entire load on that side for however long you had driven after losing the wheel/tire. It has likely been compromised.

Thanks. Didn't think of that. I will advise the service manager.

Based on the photos, the service manager believed the tire was over torqued.

[eye95]

The neatness of the shears makes me think over-torquing. I would think that under-torquing would cause the kind of damage that repeatedly bending a paper clip back and forth would: signs of bending and a jagged break.

[wmtire]

The shearing is usually caused by the wheel, as it cuts(shears) the studs off.

As others have pointed out, the wheel studs could have been undertorqued, which allowed the wheel to become loose from the hub, then it sheared the studs off.

Or, the stud(s) could have been overtorqued, which one or more studs either broke off (or lost it's stud spring tension), then you had a cascading failure. Losing one or more studs allowed the wheel to move and it sheared off the wheel studs, just like in an undertorque situation.

You many times see the same sheared studs in the end, whether it was due to overtorquing or undertorquing as the initial cause, once the entire wheel leaves the trailer.

[eye95]

Originally Posted by eye95

The neatness of the shears makes me think over-torquing. I would think that under-torquing would cause the kind of damage that repeatedly bending a paper clip back and forth would: signs of bending and a jagged break.

And that that under-torquing damage would be evident on at least one bolt, but ALL five were sheared.

[khocke]

...and obviously the dealer will doublecheck torque on the other side if you haven't already!

[chaslorr]

When I had new tires installed on my 2109S, the first thing I did when I brought it home was to loosen the lug nuts one at a time and torque to 100 ft lbs as per specs. I check the torque before every trip and the first 2 or 3 trips I always got some turns on the leg nuts....now I only get the click to tell me I'm at 100 ft lbs and good to go..

[mwtracht]

That happened to a friend of mine last year on his TimberRidge. Like him I imagine you have mag wheels. Think good old steel wheels are more forgiving on getting the torque just right. My Rockwood 2618 and his TimberRidge both have warning stickers over the wheels telling you to check the torque before every trip. My old Kit with steel wheels had a lot of miles on it and never a problem.

[Hansen1]

Moral of the Story. You had a good dealership step up and admit to the problem. thank God no one was hurt. there's only been one perfect person walking the earth. the rest of us need to keep our eyes uphttp://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif

[old40ford]

Originally Posted by spurticus

Thanks. Didn't think of that. I will advise the service manager.

Based on the photos, the service manager believed the tire was over torqued.

I can say that if someone used an air impact wrench that was set to wide open it will stretch the studs and the end result will be no more lugs or wheel. I had to address this with my employees as they would use the impact for everything and run it until it was super tight. I made them use a impact to remove and a torque wrench to install. I actually had a bolt salesman do a demo about this every year when I was teaching auto repair.

[DrLewie]

I lost an entire wheel/brake assembly on I-95 in North Carolina. Dealer hadn't repacked the bearings properly. Needed to replace the axle where we were, about 500 miles from home. Local shop found the bearing on the opposite wheel was also dry. Got home and went to the dealer and had just the opposite experience. Dealer wouldn't accept responsibility at all and the service manager wouldn't even tell me what the best interval is between bearing inspection/repacking. Needless to say, I've taken my business elsewhere.

[RLHAMILTON]

Bad situation, but could have been a lot worse. Thank goodness you can continue on, and the repair shop stood behind their "repairs". Safe travels.

[byrdr1]

Originally Posted by spurticus

So I am pulling my Heritage Glen 272BH for the Labor Day weekend and I began to notice the camper slightly tilted to one side. I don't have a TPMS system, so I began to suspect one or more tires is losing air. When I was able, I pulled over at a gas station. When I walked around and looked, my jaw almost hit the pavement. One of the tires was gone. I never saw or felt a thing.

The studs were completely sheered off from the drum. A local dealer had repacked my bearings just a few weeks earlier and this was my first trip since then. I immediately called them and explained the situation. They immediately launched a mobile tech who arrived a few hours later (awful traffic for Labor Day weekend adding to frustration). Anyway, he replaced the drum, repacked the bearings, put on a new tire, and checked all of the other tires.

The dealership service manager asked for a photo of the drum which I emailed. He owned it and apologized for the situation. After my trip, he requested I bring it by. He said they would order a new rim that matches the existing rims and a tire (Goodyear Endurance that I had recently installed). The mobile tech was also going to request a new fender skirt.

I hope the tire that came off just went down in the embankment. I was mostly on the interstate in slower traffic in the right lane. I'm surprised no one saw it and waved me down.

Anyone else ever see or deal with this?
Attachment 150358

Attachment 150359

Been there done that! a month ago. 4 months since dealership repacked bearings. You were very lucky.
Randy

[Jack Larson]

WOW, that must have been a smoker!

[aceinspp]

And the best thing you can do is check the wheels after 50 miles when ever bearings are repacked. Makes sure lug nuts tight. I've seen more loose wheels causing issues than over tighten wheels which just makes it hard to remove a flat when it occurs. Later RJD