I had a couple of guys (tire service) come by the house as I was switching out some bad tires for some new ones. What gets me is they use this huge air ratchet to take off and put on lug nuts. No torque wrench and the biggest I have goes to 250 lb. Anyway in the process of putting on one lug nuts on the right front, they pulled the threads on the lug. Its like WTF! and I paid $133 for this service. But who you going to get to do it in your driveway? Kind a have you by the short hairs. It just sucks, there I'm done. Does anyone torque their lug nuts down to 450 - 500 ft ibs. and if you do, how do you get into the rear wheel lug nuts? Thanks
Hand start the nuts, then snug them with a 200 ft lbs impact wrench. Use a 3/4" drive torque wrench with a 12"-3/4" extension and socket to tighten them to spec.
Amazon - CDI 6004MFRPH Torque 3/4-Inch Drive Micro-Adjustable Torque Wrench (http://www.amazon.com/CDI-6004MFRPH-Torque-4-Inch-Micro-Adjustable/dp/B000KL2IYK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1QRFFMN87QM2VER3VJNS)
I found mine at Re-Tool. Used for $150.
What I paid those monkeys, I'm half way there to the cost of that tool and doing it myself I know its done right! Thanks
The average car shop is just as bad. They slam the lug nuts home with an impact and allow it to hammer
a few times. Then comes the torque wrench set at 70 lets say, the handle clicks and all is well , except
that the torque could be at 200 or whatever already. You question them and they look at you as though
you are mentally challenged. 06 Bill
With the 12" extension for the rear nuts it helps a lot to have a support stand. I use my big truck jack if I have it nearby, but I need to figure out a transportable stand. Maybe a tall axle stand or something, it needs to adjust for the height of the nut. But yes, I use a torque wrench to put the nuts on. I will often use an impact to take them off if I am near my big compressor, and to spin the nuts on semi tight. Don't forget that the torque wrench needs to click both ways if you have left hand thread nuts on the driver's side of the bus, like my MCI.
Brian
Now, try and get those things off again. We invested in a torque multiplier for taking them off. Under $300. One of the best things we bought. We got the drive tires off easy even though a six foot bar wouldn't brake them loose. No effort at all. Just turn the handle. Those mobile guys have you at their mercy.
Don and Cary
Well, I grew up with a 1" impact wrench and I have a 1" impact wrench that I use on my bus. I don't own a torque wrench that big.
I've done hundreds of tires and have never stripped the threads or broken a stud. If you know what you're doing,
there's nothing wrong with using an impact wrench.
Oh, and I also put oil on my stud threads.
Ok, flame away! I've got my asbestos underwear on!
;D ;D I use a impact but don't use the oil I am a never seez guy
I'm buying myself a big boy torque wrench. I'll torque to 250 with my 1/2 drive then go for it from there and follow the manual torque pattern. They are going to look at me funny when I tell them I'm going to put them on, but shouldn't need their service for some time, knock on wood! Plus I have brand new to excellent rubber under the ol'girl now. Breaking those lugs the first time I started into those wheels and tires, I swear two of those lug nuts were sent from hell. A John Deere 3/4 drive breaking bar and 8' cheater bar from an understanding neighbor was all it took to turn them into butter. Doing your own wheels is a work out! I just know one day I will get to enjoy all my hard work. When that day comes, l know we should be able to push it down the highway and not to have any worries. Built a few Harleys and I know that feeling of cracking that whip making it roll. Bus a whole other world!
I carry a 1/2" drive air wrench with a max of 550 lb-ft torque.
When the tire jockeys get ready to tighten my lug nuts I give them this to use. They think I'm nuts but I replaced the rear studs on my 4104 once and won't ever do it again!
I also have a manual torque multiplier that will remove any nut. It is 60:1 multiplication.
Tell the shop or anybody that works on your coach that you want them to re-install the wheels and hand torque them to 450, 550 or whatever yours are. If they say no, go to another shop until you find one that will. Les-schab is the worst for breaking lugs or at least stretching them.
If needed, I use a torque multiplier to get them off, spin them on with an electric impact wrench to 200 to 250, and use my body weight (about 140 #) hanging on a 3ft+ cheating bar to finish them up. 3.5 X 140= 490#. Seems close enough.
Lin that's scarey I would only have to use a 1.8 foot cheater then. some advantages to ice creme, lol ::)
Dave
Quote from: luvrbus on July 05, 2014, 09:49:04 AM
;D ;D I use a impact but don't use the oil I am a never seez guy
Me too! Used a 1/2" impact all my life. Never had a problem.
TOM
Good morning!! I'm lucky enough Ito have a 3/4 torque wrench for my lug nuts. But then I put on wheel checks. They all point in same direction. If 1 nut comes loose it easy to see. Other +s also. Look up ( Tectran go to wheel checks ) . Not very attractive , after a few 100 mi I might take off and reuse again. Have a nice day!
I won't use never-seez any more. It attracts fine dirt particles, and over time, it starts packing in the root of the thread. With the fine threads, accumulated aluminum particles, dirt and sand can wear the thread mating surfaces eventually. If it is used, at least clean the grooves with solvent and a tooth brush to remove the old residue. Since wheel fasteners are grade 8, I don't see rust as being a major problem. Those studs that stripped mostly have been the result of countless wheel removals over the years by many commercial owners. You could also use a torque stick rated for your specific torque with a 3/4 or 1 inch air wrench. The air wrenches are available cheap enough at Harbor Freight. I know many use a commercial outfit to change a tire out on the road, but some don't want or can't wait for possibly many hours for service in some locations. Anyway, anyone that owns a coach conversion should know or learn to be able to change a tire.
Me either. That stuff is really tough to clean off all the silver when you leave the bottle in with your long wrenches in a metal pan and then run them over with a big Bus and it explodes. In case that should ever happen to someone, LOL Man what a mess. Tools are fine though or so my friend told me. ;D
The anti-seize comes in so many different formulas and colors now it almost like 40W oil for a DD ::) the silver stuff is hard to clean but it does stop the lug nuts from peeling the aluminum wheels bevels and I don't buying 500 dollars wheels that a bottle costing 10 bucks can prevent JMO
I bought a Tireman torque wrench cheap to torque the wheels on my bus. It cost me under $200 including buying the wrench from a pawn shop and having it tested and calibrated. At least one of the tire places I have used does have a big torque wrench for installing lug nuts.
I'm with Gumpy and Luvrbus. Have done all the tire work on my truck and bus fleets myself for decades. If you run a 1" air gun for that many years you know when enough is enough. And you gain the experience to know when to replace old thimbles and studs by having to remove broken ones from time to time. Also have always used Neverseize although the OEM's recommend a few drops of oil instead, expecially on the new 33mm nuts used with hub piloted. And also use the correct socket that won't touch the wheel. Never heard of anyone mounting a truck or bus wheel with a 1/2" air gun, lol.
Quote from: Boomer on July 06, 2014, 10:57:46 AM
Never heard of anyone mounting a truck or bus wheel with a 1/2" air gun, lol.
To be fair, I should explain this was on my or my family's trucks, after I had taken them off, cleaned , checked all the threads, replaced what I didn't like, & Never-Seezed them. Used the same method on Dayton wheels too. Never had one slip. I do use good Ingorsoll-Rand guns @ 250 PSI. Nobody fooled with them except us though.
Of course, after 50 years, my number may be up! LOL!
TOM
I believe most HD lugs have a 400-450 ft lbs torque, I used my best air wrench for many years over 30 anyhow in a HD shop setting 1/2 drive or 3/4 which ever I felt was able installing correctly. Removing the darn things was the pain, I have used words to assist back then and they didn't help. So I did just purchase an earthquake 1", why because im retired now and don't screw around, it was on sale and whoops butt. Yet I will still install with smaller 450 capable impact, the new style nuts with the compression washer on it can sure get tough taking off.
Have a Good Day everybody
I forgot about Lin's method, I have to do that with LH nuts because my torque wrench won't work CCW! My air wrench will though.
Anyone have/use a "torque stick"? Looks like an extension but rattles the hell out of your wrists when you achieve the predefined torque range.