Lug nuts

ericandalice · Jun 25, 2012

I love how the manual tells you to stop and check your tires and lug nuts and such every 50 miles for the first 500 miles on a new trailer. Yet no one at the dealer mentioned this to us.

As it is, I'm having a heck of a time getting the caps off to even check. Is there a special trick to this? Eric said he looked in the manual and didn't see anything.

Hastey · Jun 25, 2012

I'm not at all saying that you shouldn't periodically check your lug nuts. I check mine before each trip. But keep in mind that your trailer was pulled from Elkhart, Indiana to wherever you purchased it at. That should have covered the break-in.

Magnesium and Aluminum wheels require a seating period for the lugs to settle into their new home so-to-speak. I purchased a new set of wheels for my El Camino and had to re-torque every 50 miles for about the first 250 miles. The first time I put the wrench on they had actually lost some torque but after the first re-torque they never moved.

Just check them before you tow and you'll be fine.

ericandalice · Jun 25, 2012

Hastey said:
I'm not at all saying that you shouldn't periodically check your lug nuts. I check mine before each trip. But keep in mind that your trailer was pulled from Elkhart, Indiana to wherever you purchased it at. That should have covered the break-in.

Magnesium and Aluminum wheels require a seating period for the lugs to settle into their new home so-to-speak. I purchased a new set of wheels for my El Camino and had to re-torque every 50 miles for about the first 250 miles. The first time I put the wrench on they had actually lost some torque but after the first re-torque they never moved.

Just check them before you tow and you'll be fine.

We picked her up three miles from the factory. Not a lot of breaking in time!

cookie · Jun 25, 2012

ericandalice said:
As it is, I'm having a heck of a time getting the caps off to even check. Is there a special trick to this? Eric said he looked in the manual and didn't see anything.

What caps are you talking about?
You should not have to remove anything to check the torque.

Peace
Dave

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

MTPockets · Jun 25, 2012

cookie said:
What caps are you talking about?
You should not have to remove anything to check the torque.

Peace
Dave

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

My caps appear to have a bright aluminum cover, but I just got the right socket size to use. Don't try and remove that cover......................

ericandalice · Jun 25, 2012

If I don't have to remove anything then these are the funniest looking lug nuts ive ever seen. Not that I'm an expert.

On the truck, there seems to be a cover for the center part of the wheel and the lug nuts. On the trailer, it also appears that the nuts have individual covers. The sides are not very angular. I havent tried to stick a socket on there or anything, so I could be wrong, but I want to check this ASAP as we're heading into our 800th mile.

ericandalice · Jun 25, 2012

I'm on Tapatalk so I can't see what kind/year rig you guys have (and I haven't memorized them yet, lol) but maybe this is specific to the 2013 Big Country?

We're driving or I'd take a picture.

Bob&Patty · Jun 25, 2012

Alice, the covers on mine have a phillips screw the you have to remove to access the lug nuts. Yours may have a different style cover or wheel. Post a pix so we can see what you have.

Porkchop · Jun 25, 2012

anyone know off hand the torque specs for the lug nuts?

Hastey · Jun 25, 2012

Porkchop said:
anyone know off hand the torque specs for the lug nuts?

Tire rack has a nice short article with some specs. Click Here.

GOTTOYS · Jun 25, 2012

Porkchop said:
anyone know off hand the torque specs for the lug nuts?

110 foot pounds...Don

Porkchop · Jun 25, 2012

thanks. I have been trying to check the lugs each time we leave. Hubby not on the same page as me, so I have to know what I'm doing.

TeJay · Jun 25, 2012

Post a pic. Some lug nuts have a shiny metal cover over the actual lug nut. You can use a socket directly on the metal cover to check torque. The metal cover is a cheaper way of dressing up the lug nut to look pretty. However it does little good when trying to torque them. If on the other hand you have a plastic cover covering the actual lug nuts then that has to be removed to gain access to the lug nuts. What you have been told is correct. There is a seating in process that takes some time. You may find a few slightly loose lug nuts on the first re-torque but probably few if any on the remaining torque checks. It is also not necessary to check it every 50 miles. Usually check it between 50 and 100 miles after installation. Check it again at probably 150-250 then again at 500. That should take care of it. The first re-torque is the most critical one. If one is going to loosen you'll catch it then. In all my years teaching automotive a vehicle never left my care unless every lug nut was properly torqued.

TeJay

ericandalice · Jun 25, 2012

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1340653972.296303.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1340654014.629446.jpg

Thanks everyone!

danemayer · Jun 25, 2012

just fancy lugnuts

Hastey · Jun 25, 2012

Wrench em, it wont hurt them.

JohnDar · Jun 25, 2012

If they're "beauty caps" they'll come off and leave the lug nut still attached. On my rig, the lug nuts don't have removable caps. The lug nuts on my truck, however, do have plastic caps on them.

jnbhobe · Jun 25, 2012

should be a 7/8 socket if they are 7K axels

Ray LeTourneau · Jun 25, 2012

Mine were 13/16 but I needed to grind down the O.D. of an impact socket to fit into the "lug hole". Once the socket fit, all was good.
By the way Alice, there should have been a small white warning label somewhere outside the rig telling you about checking the lug nuts. I suppose it might have been removed by the dealer or fallen off.

TXBobcat · Jun 25, 2012

I found out after I had my trailer for a while that the covers over the lug nuts are to make them look nice. The problem I had is that the metal they are made of is soft and if a impact wrench is used you can round off the edges and even have the caps turn but not the lug nut. Had to have the cap cut off on mine before I could remove a tire. I went to my Discount Tire Center and had them order me solid metal lug nuts. I ordered a complete set that was longer than the original set so I could get a socket on it easily. 9/16" Duplex 7/8x2.4 76198XLHT Lugnuts. They cost $1.50 each.

FWIW
BC

Lug nuts

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