Torqueing and Checking Wheel Bolts.

[otherclive]

very little I suspect. My point though is no matter how accurate the wrench is it matters not if the bolt/nut is already overtorqed.

Then one way would be to loosen the bolts slightly and then retorque.

 

[ProfJohnL]

In the Aviation trade, A torque wrench it checked against a calibrated Acratorque unit which is set to the torque required and the the torque wrench set to operate / break at that torque. After use the torque wrench is set back to zero. The Acratorque unit is master calibrated every year. I don't know what happens in the caravan or vehicle industry.

Hello Hutch,
I can tell you that in the manufacture of gas appliances at the company where I worked, there were a number of torqued fixings, and the assembly line guns were checked I believe every months or more frequently if any one of the production samples demonstrated incorrectly tightened components. The Standards room in the QA department had an Acratorque company standard unit which was also calibration checked annually.

One of the problems of using preset torque guns, is if the screw, nut or bolt is tight fit the applied torque may not be enough to fully close the gaps, Or if there is some obstruction between the surfaces that stops the parts coming together. If this happened on a wheel, the torques may be correct but the joint is open, and when the wheel turns the obstruction may be crushed, fall out leaving the wheel nut loose, Certainly one possibility but I sure there're others.

 

[Craigyoung]

So that works out about 67.8o nm is that right , and some say they are nipping them up into the 12o's ?

Craig,

This is from the Swift caravan handbook (2018 version):

"Caravan wheel bolts supplied with your caravan should be tightened to a torque of 88Nm (65lb/ft) on steel wheels or 130Nm (96lb/ft) on alloy wheels and should be checked with the use of a torque wrench regularly..."

My car also has bolts and has a torque setting of 140Nm... my old car which used nuts and studs, dictated 180Nm!

Paul

Thank you Paul ,
as our's is due a service around may time so I will be taking particular notice of the wheel situation !!

Craig

 

[Lutz]

I'm amazed at some of the responses to this thread. In over 50 years of driving a car and almost 30 years of caravanning and that’s about a million miles in total I have never retorqued any wheelnuts other than soon after a wheel change and I'd be peeved if I had any car or caravan where the manufacturer would expect me to do it. I expect to be able to run a car between services without having to do any more than fill up with petrol, to occasionally check the tyre pressures and perhaps top up the screenwasher and the same goes for a caravan (without the petrol and screenwasher, of course ). Until a few years ago I would check the oil once in a while, but since I've had cars which monitor the oil level themselves I don't even bother about that any more, either. I have owned cars where I have never opened up the engine compartment.

 

[Craigyoung]

I'm sure on my last services sheet when we got the last caravan serviced the wheels were torqued by one person , signed & witnessed and signatured by a second person.
And I think on the van that we have now there is a little sticker on the wheel arch for the alloy wheels which advise on what to tighten to in torque/lbs

 

[Dustydog]

Sadly Lutz there are numerous threads on here ab initio where Forumites have lost a wheel on car or caravan.
I was one of them ten years ago :woohoo:
My own mobile engineer always torques the bolts up in front of me and then tells me verbally and in writing to check after 20 miles.
This is very similar to Damian’s advice over the years.
Remember Bailey’s problem wheels.
For my own peace of mind I will continue checking the torques before each long journey. All part of the fun :cheer:

 

[Hutch]

Sadly Lutz there are numerous threads on here ab initio where Forumites have lost a wheel on car or caravan.
I was one of them ten years ago :woohoo:
My own mobile engineer always torques the bolts up in front of me and then tells me verbally and in writing to check after 20 miles.
This is very similar to Damian’s advice over the years.
Remember Bailey’s problem wheels.
For my own peace of mind I will continue checking the torques before each long journey. All part of the fun :cheer:

Thats good then , Double your fun at The Woosiefest, and check my wheel nuts.

 

[Anseo]

Sadly Lutz there are numerous threads on here ab initio where Forumites have lost a wheel on car or caravan.
I was one of them ten years ago :woohoo:
My own mobile engineer always torques the bolts up in front of me and then tells me verbally and in writing to check after 20 miles.
This is very similar to Damian’s advice over the years.
Remember Bailey’s problem wheels.
For my own peace of mind I will continue checking the torques before each long journey. All part of the fun :cheer:

Thats good then , Double your fun at The Woosiefest, and check my wheel nuts.

Triple fun for you Dusty, you can check my nuts too.

And Hutch can check and sign that you have checked my nuts correctly

Edit: I don't have nuts, do you do bolts Dusty ?.

 

[Dustydog]

Sadly Lutz there are numerous threads on here ab initio where Forumites have lost a wheel on car or caravan.
I was one of them ten years ago :woohoo:
My own mobile engineer always torques the bolts up in front of me and then tells me verbally and in writing to check after 20 miles.
This is very similar to Damian’s advice over the years.
Remember Bailey’s problem wheels.
For my own peace of mind I will continue checking the torques before each long journey. All part of the fun :cheer:

Thats good then , Double your fun at The Woosiefest, and check my wheel nuts.

Triple fun for you Dusty, you can check my nuts too.

And Hutch can check and sign that you have checked my nuts correctly

Edit: I don't have nuts, do you do bolts Dusty ?.

No problem.
I’ m ambidextrous. All nuts and bolts :evil:

 

[Hutch]

Sadly Lutz there are numerous threads on here ab initio where Forumites have lost a wheel on car or caravan.
I was one of them ten years ago :woohoo:
My own mobile engineer always torques the bolts up in front of me and then tells me verbally and in writing to check after 20 miles.
This is very similar to Damian’s advice over the years.
Remember Bailey’s problem wheels.
For my own peace of mind I will continue checking the torques before each long journey. All part of the fun :cheer:

Thats good then , Double your fun at The Woosiefest, and check my wheel nuts.

Triple fun for you Dusty, you can check my nuts too.

And Hutch can check and sign that you have checked my nuts correctly

Edit: I don't have nuts, do you do bolts Dusty ?.

No problem.
I’ m ambidextrous. All nuts and bolts :evil:

Ah my nuts and playing with my Joystick, Looks like a good Wòosiefest.
Ok back on thread or have we Torqued this one out lads and lasses. hmy:

 

[otherclive]

Despite all of the experience brought to bear on this issue it has shed little further light on what at best seems an obtuse topic. Clearly more lumens is Watts required

Over and out.

 

[BaileyNiggles]

Has anyone who checks the nuts ever found them to be loose? I confess I've never tried the caravan but used to religiously do it after new car tyres or after a service and never found a problem, so gave up. Maybe now that pneumatic wheel nut drivers seem to have gone out of fashion in garages they are now less tight than they used to be and so checking is becoming more prudent?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Has anyone who checks the nuts ever found them to be loose? I confess I've never tried the caravan but used to religiously do it after new car tyres or after a service and never found a problem, so gave up. Maybe now that pneumatic wheel nut drivers seem to have gone out of fashion in garages they are now less tight than they used to be and so checking is becoming more prudent?

There is no reason to automatically assume that nuts tightened by a pneumatic driver will be any tighter than those done by a torque wrench. The garage I use now most maintenance and repairs does offer tyre fitting and I have seen them using a pneumatic driver, and I have checked with them that it is adjusted for the recommended torque for the vehicle.

I'm not claiming this is always the case, other garages may not be as diligent, but I have not had a problem.

 

[otherclive]

My tyre depot and two garage that I use for the cars use power drivers, whereas my caravan service centre use a torque wrench.

 

[CustardAvenger]

To add to this thread regarding actually bothering to check the torque; I have just taken my caravan to the dealer for some warranty work. I wasn't going to bother torquing the wheel bolts for the short trip, but due diligence got the better of me. I was quite surprised to find that 3 bolts on the offside wheel were able to be tightened at least 1/4 turn.

Calibration aside, the same torque wrench set to 130Nm was used on all bolts, with no movement and for the last time the bolts were torqued C.170 towing miles ago. I think this experience has reinforced to me the practice of checking torque prior to any trip. I will also add a re-check to my habit if the trip requires a rest stop.

Paul.

 

[otherclive]

To add to this thread regarding actually bothering to check the torque; I have just taken my caravan to the dealer for some warranty work. I wasn't going to bother torquing the wheel bolts for the short trip, but due diligence got the better of me. I was quite surprised to find that 3 bolts on the offside wheel were able to be tightened at least 1/4 turn.

Calibration aside, the same torque wrench set to 130Nm was used on all bolts, with no movement and for the last time the bolts were torqued C.170 towing miles ago. I think this experience has reinforced to me the practice of checking torque prior to any trip. I will also add a re-check to my habit if the trip requires a rest stop.

Paul.

That’s an interesting finding as a view prevails that the offside will not slacken due to the direction of wheel rotation. Whilst that does have some merit I also suspect that the poor state of our roads where potholes and broken surfaces are frequent can affect these things.
But honestly it’s a dire position to be in when Bezos and Musk can land rocket booster returning from space inch perfect on the pad, and caravanners are having to check wheel tightness in distances as low as 170 miles after last tightening them up. Or was your previous torquing up done after the wheels had been refitted after removal, or was it a retorque after they had been refitted earlier?

 

[Craigyoung]

Even though my van is new and wheels haven't been off yet , you's have got me a bag of nerves here , so when we go away tmrw , I'll be checking them before we go, I haven't got a torque wrench I've just got a normal spider spanner so that will have to do for now. :huh:

 

[Dodger524]

I've just ordered a packet (10) of Milenco Caravan Wheelbolt Indicators for about £5. Has anyone else used them?

 

[otherclive]

I've just ordered a packet (10) of Milenco Caravan Wheelbolt Indicators for about £5. Has anyone else used them?

They should be useful for a quick looksee en route. If the are anything like those on VAG cars make sure you have the small tool that can remove them as they can be difficult to remove if you have a puncture for example. Or wish to torque check en route.

 

[Dustydog]

I've just ordered a packet (10) of Milenco Caravan Wheelbolt Indicators for about £5. Has anyone else used them?

They should be useful for a quick looksee en route. If the are anything like those on VAG cars make sure you have the small tool that can remove them as they can be difficult to remove if you have a puncture for example. Or wish to torque check en route.

I have reservations about the marker indicators.
We often drive 300 miles non stop to Scotland in the early hours of the morning. What help are they unless you stop regularly :woohoo:

 

[Dodger524]

I've just ordered a packet (10) of Milenco Caravan Wheelbolt Indicators for about £5. Has anyone else used them?

They should be useful for a quick looksee en route. If the are anything like those on VAG cars make sure you have the small tool that can remove them as they can be difficult to remove if you have a puncture for example. Or wish to torque check en route.

I have reservations about the marker indicators.
We often drive 300 miles non stop to Scotland in the early hours of the morning. What help are they unless you stop regularly :woohoo:

No help whatsoever; your wheels can still fall off unannounced.

 

[GD485]

Hi all,

I think one of the reasons why caravan wheels maybe more prone to coming lose is due to the way they are mounted.
Most modern vehicles use spigot mounting rather than the straight flange mounting used on caravans.
With a spigot, radial forces are shared between the nuts and the bolts. With flange mounting all the holding force comes from the bolts only.
Why don't caravans use spigots? Cost? Engineering tolerances? I don't know. Even the ford Escort of the late 70's had spigot mounted wheels!

 

[Lutz]

Hi all,

I think one of the reasons why caravan wheels maybe more prone to coming lose is due to the way they are mounted.
Most modern vehicles use spigot mounting rather than the straight flange mounting used on caravans.
With a spigot, radial forces are shared between the nuts and the bolts. With flange mounting all the holding force comes from the bolts only.
Why don't caravans use spigots? Cost? Engineering tolerances? I don't know. Even the ford Escort of the late 70's had spigot mounted wheels!

Unless due to slipshod assembly during a wheel change, loose wheels are confined to a few caravan models. It is definitely not a problem across the board on all caravans that don't have spigot.mounted wheels. I have never had a loose wheel in my 30 years of caravanning and none of my caravans had spigots.

 

[GD485]

Lutz

The only time I lost a wheel was on a Hillman Imp when the hub casting shattered.
The few caravans that lose a wheel seem to be from the near side.
I do check mine every time I hook up, never found a lose bolt.
The horror stories on forums like this make me do it. I don’t check the tow car.

 

[Hutch]

Hi all,

I think one of the reasons why caravan wheels maybe more prone to coming lose is due to the way they are mounted.
Most modern vehicles use spigot mounting rather than the straight flange mounting used on caravans.
With a spigot, radial forces are shared between the nuts and the bolts. With flange mounting all the holding force comes from the bolts only.
Why don't caravans use spigots? Cost? Engineering tolerances? I don't know. Even the ford Escort of the late 70's had spigot mounted wheels!

There is also the problem of Caravan wheels not being balanced, Caravan wheels when standing for a few weeks will " Retain" a flat spot, not too much but enough to set up a harmonics vibration, which will cause a bolt to unthread its self, if not correctly torqued up. Which after about maybe 5 miles will disappear. Bolts do not tend to tighten them selfs. But will lososen them self. Nothing to do with rotation. Least resistance. .
Ok too much information, I check torque my Caravan wheel bolts when I leave the house, ( To make sure A Towrag hasn't loosened my caravan bolts , whlst on the drive way over night. )
but on a 2500 mile trip around France , I didnt bother. Checking either the car or caravan. Check it or leave it
Safe Journeys.