Tire change tricks

[lrw]

We found ourselves with our first flat tire on our 2007 Classic trailer when we got home Sunday and my husband cannot get the bolts to loosen. He backed the tire up on a couple of boards. Is there a special trick to this?

[SeeMore]

Removing Stuck Lug Nuts On Your Wheels - YouTube

[kevinb]

Buy an inexpensive 1/2" impact wrench, if you don't have an air compressor electric ones are also available.

[rbs]

loosen them before you raise the tire off the ground

[Rebee]

Use a 6 point socket. Do not use a 12 point.
Do not over torque the lugs when you put them back on, your owners manual has the torque values for your rims. I also use Anti-Seize on the lug nuts.

[dwightdi]

I do not believe Airstream recommends anti-sieze on the nuts. The lubricant effects the resultant axial load on the stud and may over stress them.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by dwightdi

I do not believe Airstream recommends anti-sieze on the nuts. The lubricant effects the resultant axial load on the stud and may over stress them.

^
X2

Keep the threads clean and dry.

Swap the chrome capped lug nuts. with these. (the cheep chrome cap loosens over time)

Bob

[RangerJay]

A 4 foot piece of waterpipe in the airstream bumper makes all the difference in the world when changing a tire.


Jay

[withidl]

As per the others, DO NOT USE ANTI-SEIZE!!

[Pahaska]

I carry a 30" breaker bar in the trailer to loosen the nuts and a torque wrench to tighten them. As mentioned above, DO NOT USE ANTI SIEZE. The torque values are given for clean, dry threads. I have also used a 4-way wrench with the pipe used on the hitch slipped over the wedge end to get plenty of leverage.

If someone has previously used an impact wrench without proper torque limiting, you may have stretched studs. The nuts are hard to remove and both the nuts and the studs may be damaged. I carry an 85 fp torque stick and then bring the torque up to 100 fp with the torque wrench. No one will ever put a torque wrench on my lugs without a limiting device.

[switz]

A small can of spray penetrating oil might help with the caveat of cleaning all traces of the oil off the wheel studs after getting the wheel off the trailer.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by switz

A small can of spray penetrating oil might help with the caveat of cleaning all traces of the oil off the wheel studs after getting the wheel off the trailer.

Not a good idea. Oil is oil. The threads will be clean and dry, having been protected inside the nuts and should not be oily to start with. The most I do is a quick wipe of the studs with a dry rag.

[cwf]

Ignore everything that follows. you will not have success using my method. (End disclaimer)

Once lug nuts and wheel are off, check for rust. If rust at base of std, clean with stranded steel wool. Carefully make a strand of several polled from roll. Use like dental floss held by both hands to "brush" the stud threads. Then clean and dry. If severe rust, consider replacing all studs and lug nuts.

When properly made wheel mates with drum or disc there should be no water between them. So rust won't form.

If, however, you are a fan of pressure washers, you may be causing problems.

Now, some cheaper lug nuts do not have a cap or the cap does not seal well. Water can and will find its way in and will rust stud and nut!

I have used "nev-r-seize" on boat wheel lugs and nuts for 50 years. I apply sparingly...drive then check torque as described above by competent AS owners.

My lug nuts are cheap open headed and I run the hot wheels underwater when unloading boat... So the bearings get clobbered if bearing buddies or seals fail... But no problem with loosening lug nuts, no rust on threads.

With aluminum wheels I do same and a very light near on the lugnut and wheel mating surface... If any squishes out, you put too much...remove and clean up.

When installing studs I do same, light coat of NS then press in.

By far, using too much torque will kill the threads on stud and nut and I think is primary cause of early life failure (stuck lugnut).

When removing, I don't get the groaning of metal shearing when I have used NS on lugnut, stud and wheel. I have only replaced "factory" and "tire dealer" installed lugnut and stud.

Of course you must ignore my method. I read this after using my method and my head exploded around page 2.. http://mmptdpublic.jsc.nasa.gov/prc/7085a.doc

And.
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...2012004005.pdf

Then again, that is NASA and I am NOT a rokit zientus.

C'mon guys... Travel well!

[lrw]

Thanks everyone. All your comments helped and tire is off. Removed the boards and had it back on the ground. Used a breaker bar.
Will get it checked out tomorrow. Probably price four new tires; trailer is six years old. We bought it last year and expect they are the original.

[dwightdi]

At one time I worked for NASA. They established these specs. by measuring the extension of the studs and therefore determined the exact stress on the assembly. Using lubricant allowed them to reduce the frictional variance and improve the repeat-ability of the resultant stress. Airstream and the car companies develop their torque specifications without lubricant. Using lubricant on the treads and the torques specified by the dry experiments will result in over stressing and damaging the studs. If you want to use lubricant, then you will have to conduct your own tests to establish new lower torque values that will be required to have the studs to remain in the proportional range stress and resulting in stresses that are 80 to 90% of the yield strength of studs. Personal note: It is easier to follow Airstream's engineering department recommendations and do not use lubricant.

[lrw]

Thanks for the warnings about using lubricants. You have convinced us not to use them.

[r carl]

I have used anti-seize on every wheel stud i've encountered since the 1970's and never had a single incident, never a rusted or seized nut.

[switz]

Since many of us use a battery powered drill to raise and lower the stabilizer jacks and maybe part of their Hensley hitch, why not acquire a 1/4" shaft small rotary wire brush to clean the lug bolt threads? Then the drill is doing two necessary jobs and makes the acquisition cost of the drill justifiable, if that is necessary for new toys.

[panheaddale]

If you will research for yourself instead of listening to a few people on here you will find that alcoa wheels ( which I believe airstream uses) actually list 2 different torgue specs whether you use antisieze or not on your lug nuts.I am a certified auto mechanic and have put antisieze on lug studs for as long as I have been working on cars and never had a problem. Every time I change tire for rotation I always apply it to the threads of the lug studs. Don't get it on the face of the hub or back of wheel. If you ever have a nut rust to the lug you will come back and wish you had applies it to your studs but then it will be too late because you will be replacing studs and nuts. Whatever your decision Good Luck.

[Rebee]

Anti-Seize is a good thing, in spite of the flack. On thing I do not see a lot of here is Torque Wrenches. There is a torque spec on all of the wheel lugs based on type of wheel. One should never use a breaker bar or impact driver to tighten wheel lugs. Over tightened wheel lugs will break off on a rough back road. Torque wrenches are readily avaliable on ebay and are reasonably priced.