Looking for Tire Changing method recommendations

[MikeR]

Re: Tire change

My torque wrench will only tighten the nut, not made to loosen them

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You are correct on the use of your torque wrench. I was a technical training instructor for an aerospace manufacturing company and one of the classes that I taught was the use of torque wrenches. All torque wrench manufacturers specified in their documentation, that a torque wrench should never be used to break loose a fastener. It will knock a torque wrench out of calibration. I realize that we are not tightening the lug nuts to the same tolerances, but we want them to be pretty close, to the set point, when the torque wrench snaps. Unless your torque wrench is calibrated it's never going to be right on.

 

[cookie]

Something to keep in mind when searching for your socket. Some deep well sockets have a shallow recess, only allowing 3/4” To 1” depth. Since most of our trailers use the 2” or 2.5” lug nut, you want a socket that covers the whole lugnut.

One more thing that I think is a must is to get a 6 point socket. Most are, but not all.

Peace
Dave

 

[porthole]

One more thing that I think is a must is to get a 6 point socket. Most are, but not all.

Peace
Dave

Good point Dave.
Having been in the service field that is mostly what I used unless I specifically needed something other then 6 point.
So I overlooked it.

 

[Dan54]

Re: Tire change

You are correct on the use of your torque wrench. I was a technical training instructor for an aerospace manufacturing company and one of the classes that I taught was the use of torque wrenches. All torque wrench manufacturers specified in their documentation, that a torque wrench should never be used to break loose a fastener. It will knock a torque wrench out of calibration. I realize that we are not tightening the lug nuts to the same tolerances, but we want them to be pretty close, to the set point, when the torque wrench snaps. Unless your torque wrench is calibrated it's never going to be right on.

Ok, can anyone recommend a torque wrench brand? My current tw is from Harbor Freight but only goes to 90 ft lbs. & not sure how accurate. I was looking at Craftsman, but the reviews aren't that great. Plus at around $50 seems like they are building it to a price point & not for quality.


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[JohnDar]

Re: Tire change

Ok, can anyone recommend a torque wrench brand? My current tw is from Harbor Freight but only goes to 90 ft lbs. & not sure how accurate. I was looking at Craftsman, but the reviews aren't that great. Plus at around $50 seems like they are building it to a price point & not for quality.


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While not professional grade, the Husky brand at Home Depot works well enough for my needs. I have two, one low range, the other a higher range.


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[Lou_and_Bette]

Mine is a Kobalt from Lowe’s, comes with a Lifetime warranty, and mine is still working well after 8 years of use.

- - - Updated - - -

You are correct on the use of your torque wrench. I was a technical training instructor for an aerospace manufacturing company and one of the classes that I taught was the use of torque wrenches. All torque wrench manufacturers specified in their documentation, that a torque wrench should never be used to break loose a fastener. It will knock a torque wrench out of calibration. I realize that we are not tightening the lug nuts to the same tolerances, but we want them to be pretty close, to the set point, when the torque wrench snaps. Unless your torque wrench is calibrated it's never going to be right on.

Another item I was taught to do was always return to the Zero point when storing the TW, never leave it with tension when it will be stored for a period of time.

 

[jnbhobe]

Re: Tire change

Ok, can anyone recommend a torque wrench brand? My current tw is from Harbor Freight but only goes to 90 ft lbs. & not sure how accurate. I was looking at Craftsman, but the reviews aren't that great. Plus at around $50 seems like they are building it to a price point & not for quality.


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Wide range of prices, mine at the shop is a snap on that only will tighten the nut but it is also $ 450.

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[porthole]

Re: Tire change

Ok, can anyone recommend a torque wrench brand? My current tw is from Harbor Freight but only goes to 90 ft lbs. & not sure how accurate. I was looking at Craftsman, but the reviews aren't that great. Plus at around $50 seems like they are building it to a price point & not for quality.


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HF is probably the last place I would go for a torque wrench, but every one has there own preferred source.

A 200 ft lb "click stop" would be the type I recommend, or one of the electronic versions. Not recommending sears over any other brand, but besides several Snap On torque wrenches I have two craftsman electronic versions.

Best when bought on sale and they have a decent accuracy level.

For the most part for what we are after here if your preferred wrench is within 10% of the setting, you are probably OK.

More importantly then getting a lug nut to exactly 120 ft lbs is getting all 5, 6 or 8 lug nuts to the same torque. At least using a torque wrench that is set to 120 and actually yields 115 or 125 is way better then the tire jockey using an impact gun and just zipping the lug nuts down.

As far as getting a TQ wrench calibrated? It is expensive (probably more then some inexpensive wrenches) and only proves it was calibrated when tested. Once out the door all bets are off.

 

[mlpeloquin]

Re: Tire change

HF is probably the last place I would go for a torque wrench, but every one has there own preferred source.

A 200 ft lb "click stop" would be the type I recommend, or one of the electronic versions. Not recommending sears over any other brand, but besides several Snap On torque wrenches I have two craftsman electronic versions.

Best when bought on sale and they have a decent accuracy level.

For the most part for what we are after here if your preferred wrench is within 10% of the setting, you are probably OK.

More importantly then getting a lug nut to exactly 120 ft lbs is getting all 5, 6 or 8 lug nuts to the same torque. At least using a torque wrench that is set to 120 and actually yields 115 or 125 is way better then the tire jockey using an impact gun and just zipping the lug nuts down.

As far as getting a TQ wrench calibrated? It is expensive (probably more then some inexpensive wrenches) and only proves it was calibrated when tested. Once out the door all bets are off.

You do have to watch the jockeys with the impact guns. After having my bearings cleaned, greased, and breaks inspected, we went across the USA. Almost 7 thousand miles later we were home. So I purchased upgraded shackles at the national rally in Goshen. When trying to remove the lug nuts, I had to use a breaker bar with two feet of pipe. Every lug nut and lug had thread shaving and one lug barely came off using the breaker bar for every turn. Over torqued beyond spring tension, which is dangerous, but beyond that which locked them in so that they did not fall off. I had to replace all lugs and lug nuts. I don't trust anyone with a impact gun. I always loosen the lugs and torque them after servicing now.

 

[JohnDar]

Mine is a Kobalt from Lowe’s, comes with a Lifetime warranty, and mine is still working well after 8 years of use.

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Another item I was taught to do was always return to the Zero point when storing the TW, never leave it with tension when it will be stored for a period of time.

Says that in the booklet that came with my Husky wrenches. And the plastic cases they come in won't accept the wrench into the molded positions if they're extended.

 

[ksucats]

Had the bearings done a couple of weeks ago and I should have checked the lug-nuts while there. I had forgotten my torque wrench at home (150 miles away) so didn't even look at the nuts. Well, we are getting ready to go on a trip so Sunday night I went to check the torque and I have three lug-nuts that I can't even put a socket over (the chrome edges have been rolled over so badly) and at least six others that the socket would barely go over. Impact wrench is all I can think of that would have caused that kind of damage. Now I get to pay to get them removed and replaced!! What a way to start a trip but better to find out now than have a flat and find out then.

 

[CoveredWagon]

Had the bearings done a couple of weeks ago and I should have checked the lug-nuts while there. I had forgotten my torque wrench at home (150 miles away) so didn't even look at the nuts. Well, we are getting ready to go on a trip so Sunday night I went to check the torque and I have three lug-nuts that I can't even put a socket over (the chrome edges have been rolled over so badly) and at least six others that the socket would barely go over. Impact wrench is all I can think of that would have caused that kind of damage. Now I get to pay to get them removed and replaced!! What a way to start a trip but better to find out now than have a flat and find out then.

Not necessarily an impact wrench. A 12 point socket or a socket just a 1/16 of an inch too large can damage those chrome caps. Trust me I know. I just hammered out 3 chrome capped lug nuts last night. I’ve seen this more than once.

 

[GregP]

I, and others, have replaced the chrome-capped lug nuts with solid steel lug nuts due to the chrome caps coming loose or "rolling over". They are quite inexpensive on line, and are better I think than the originals.

 

[porthole]

even being careful with the cheap capped lug nuts, they can be a problem.

I've replaced all the capped lug nuts on my RV, motorcycle trailer and boat trailer with solid stainless lug nuts.

http://www.trailertiresandwheels.com/page/480415596

 

[JohnD]

I just had my bearings done and new tires put on at the same time and same shop (Iron Bear Axle in Denver) one month ago tomorrow.

According to one of my Rand McNally GPS units the RV park I was in up there is 599 miles from here...add another 15 miles from the shop to the RV park, then another 10 miles to and from I-25 to the NRA Whittington Center Campground and back...thats how many miles I've got on this since then.

Guess I'd better check the lugnuts before I leave, and I think I'll get the steel ones when I get a chance.

 

[NYSUPstater]

Best way to get bad tire off the ground is what OP was asking and like some replies said, either use the offending tire side level up in manual (w/ blocking under the pads if you carry any to help "shorten" the the gap) OR to jack w/ a bottle jack under the FRAME--dead center of it. Most carry wood for probly anyways for "X" reasons, so place the wood under the jack. Don't jack under the axles which 1 would think would be best place as that's where the springs are attached. The Trailer Aid device--well I bought 1 for old coach, didn't work.

On the subject of Tq wrenches and such. Perhaps not the best, but I've used a HF one for years and never lost a wheel. Like others, does have a lifetime warranty. Alway's checked them before each trip. Never have re-set back to "0" when done either and still works. Our shop never re-sets the 4' TW for our semis either. I did buy a lug nut wrench that extends at a auto store awhile back which seems to work well for loosening the lug nuts. Just a couple weeks ago, bought a "Earthquake" electric impact wrench at HF for like $260 and it seems to pack a wallop and now will carry that w/ me. Used it last w/e to change brakes on DS car. Awesome for removing the lugs. But don't think it's good for tightening them back up. Get's a little over zealous.

 

[porthole]

jack w/ a bottle jack under the FRAME--dead center of it.

That is flat out bad advice and I hope the OP doesn't try that on his Landmark, for that matter that none of our members try that.

On the subject of Tq wrenches and such. Perhaps not the best, but I've used a HF one for years and never lost a wheel. Like others, does have a lifetime warranty. Alway's checked them before each trip. Never have re-set back to "0" when done either and still works. Our shop never re-sets the 4' TW for our semis either.

Also bad advise, even for a HF wrench. And just because a shop does, doesn't make it right.

 

[NYSUPstater]

That is flat out bad advice and I hope the OP doesn't try that on his Landmark, for that matter that none of our members try that.




Also bad advise, even for a HF wrench. And just because a shop does, doesn't make it right.

Dead center of I beam either in front of or behind tires is bad? Really? Where else are you to place the jack then?

Guess I better tell the shop that all our lug nuts are going to fall off then because we haven't lost 1 in the 25 years they have been doing it this way by not setting TW back to "0" after each use.

 

[porthole]

Dead center of I beam either in front of or behind tires is bad? Really? Where else are you to place the jack then?

That I beam is not what one might think it is for strength. It is an unregulated, purpose built RV, not a building.

Guess I better tell the shop that all our lug nuts are going to fall off then because we haven't lost 1 in the 25 years they have been doing it this way by not setting TW back to "0" after each use.

Did I say something about lug nuts falling off?

I think it had to do with proper care of the tool. Just because your shop does it - doesn't make it right, and it is bad advise to give to other people.

But, If I was relying on a HF torque wrench to - wait - I wouldn't rely on a HF TW anyway.

 

[danemayer]

Good? Bad? I'm not a materials engineer. But I note that Heartland, Dexter, and Lippert all say in their documentation that you should lift by the frame.

Putting the bottle jack directly against the frame versus perhaps putting something in between to spread the load - might be a good idea.

And yes, you do have to lift the frame a lot higher than you would have to lift by jacking the axle or suspension. But there's no doubt a good reason the manufacturers tell us to lift by the frame.