Funny Thing About Trailer Lug Nuts

[wkpoor]

Last summer after I had the new trailer home awhile the dealer ask me to check the lug nuts. And I did. Last week however I decided to remove a wheel and discovered they were so tight I doubt I could have got them loose on the road had I needed to. The trailer mfr used regular nuts and not the acorn style so when you would put heavy torque on them they would just peel off the side of the nut. The joke is on me. When I checked them I should have checked to see if I could loosen also. In my line of work we call this a Gotcha!

 

[Wis Bang]

The bevel helps align the wheel and standard nuts could damage your wheels...I'd go back and get the proper fasteners...

 

[Diamondpilot]

Yea, never heard of that one. Although many Ford Truck's use flat style lug nuts with a built in washer. The wheel is centered on the hub and all the lug nuts do is hold it to the hub, not center it. Are you sure this is not the case on this trailer. Never seen it and I am in the trailer business but there is still many things I have never seen.


Chris

 

[wkpoor]

These are the normal 60 degree tapered lug nuts. Talked to Dexter today about the fact that my wheels are not hub piloted. On the phone they said they should be. I told them mine where stud piloted. Also the Dexter manual says nothing about it specifically. Just a vague statement about using proper rated wheels. So they emailed me with a service bulletin telling how in 2000 they came out with a new hub/hub drum assembly with an upsized pilot hole to 4.75 from the old 4.56 wheel pilot. However the bulletin as I read it still allows for reverse compatibility with the old stud piloted wheels. So to me stud piloted wheels don't limit the axle rating. I went out and looked at my dump trailer (don't even know right now what axles are under it) ( they are 6K axles) and there isn't even a pilot boss on them at all. Basically I thought all wheels should be hub piloted so the weight isn't on the studs. Many aftermarket wheels have oversized holes and they can cause broken studs that way. Any thoughts on all this?

 

[wkpoor]

Chris I almost bet if you look at several different trailers you will see what I'm talking about. Most will be stud piloted I guessing. Especially in the 3500lb range.

 

[wkpoor]

The bevel helps align the wheel and standard nuts could damage your wheels...I'd go back and get the proper fasteners...

I reread your post and realized how you interpreted that. When I said regular nuts I meant regular lug nuts. Acorn style refers to the fully enclosed nut and a shoulder for the hex.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Most of the trailers I sell are equipped with either dual or tandem 6,000 axles and they are all held and centered by the studs and lugs, not the hub like on some Ford trucks. You are right about it being stronger being hub centered but lug centered has been just fine for years.

Chris

 

[wkpoor]

Chris, it isn't just Ford trucks, its every vehicle on the road has hub piloted wheels if they are OEM. Cars and trucks. Never have I ever seen or worked on and a vehicle of any type that didn't have hub piloted wheels. It was the after market wheel mfgs from back in the late 70's on that started making wheels that were stud piloted. This is another thing that is as common as the air we breath but few have probably noticed it. If it weren't for my experiences in my youth I would never have known either. Dad hated after market wheels for that very reason. Now I'm just learning that the trailer industry has a different set of standards from passenger vehicles.