Wheels flying off boat trailers while traveling!

Ok Everyone let see if anyone can beat this.
Last Sunday I was on my way home from Bob Sandlin and Just about the 69/380 exit in Greenville I felt a bad vibration in the trailer, quickly exiting the freeway just at the wheel flew off my trailer sending the sparks flying and me with the fear of the wheel hitting someone.... My first thought was the wheel bearing went bad...
Well after calling the fire department to put out the fire that the sparks caused I was inspecting the trailer.... The hub was fully in tact and tight....Every stud on that hub had broken off clean.. Strangest thing I have every seen.... After walking 200 yards to find my wheel that slammed into a brick wall of a hotel and getting my hub repaired (5 hours) I was on my way home... after stopping to check the air in the spare I had putt on I decided to check the lug nuts on the other side of the trailer... all loose? Anyone have any ideas on why the lugs came loose and would this cause the studs to break?

Chris

I have a theory but that's all it is.

When you are pulling your trailer the wheels work up a little heat due to resistance of the tires on pavement. It is a little more extreme if the tire pressure is low. This transfers to the wheels and lugs and makes the metal expand. There is not much heat but enough to do what I am thinking.

What do you do when you get to the ramp? You back the trailer into cool water. This causes the metal of the wheels and lugs to contract. If the metal of the different parts are not the same, especially the studs and the lug nuts, they don't contract at the same rate. This can cause a loosening of the nuts. Once the nuts are loose it doesn't take much to break the studs. They just wear through. (That's not a theory, that's a fact.)

I have never had what you are describing happen. When I bought my Procraft I noticed there was a sticker on the fenders that stated Procraft was not responsible for loose lug nuts. I thought "Why is that there"? I started checking the lug nuts and, sure enough, I could get a half turn or so out of them every 3-4 trips. I check them before every long trip now.

I actually have a list:

Check air pressure.
Check lug nuts.
Grease bearings.
Check air pressure in spare.
Check lights.
Check hitch-ball connection.
Check drain plug.
Check tie downs.
Check transom support.
Check oil reservoir.
Check gas.
Check life jackets.
Etc., etc.

I don't do it all every time out but, if I am going any distance, I check all of it.


[This message has been edited by ksutton (edited 07-28-2003).]

[This message has been edited by ksutton (edited 07-28-2003).]

I bought a "Gorilla" extendable handled lug wrench from Discount Tire years ago to help with breaking loose lug nuts when stranded on the side of the hwy after a memorable wrestling match. It has several sized sockets and just as it gives me additional leverage one way it allows me to use my ample weight to tighten lug nuts...and stores in far less space than my old 4 by 4 lug wrench.
Ron

Could also have been vandals loosening the lugnuts, just for kicks. This happened to a friend of mine at the motel we were staying at, and he lost his wheel too. Just a thought??

This is not just limited to boat trailers. It is best to check the lugs on any trailer you pull. They do loosen as you pull a trailer down the road. I have seen this on everything from Horse Trailers to flatbeds to boats.


Jody

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Hunter loose lug nuts will break the studs.And as far as what loosened them it sure sounds like vandels to me one or two of them loose I can see, but all four that sure makes me think there was foul play involved.Just my 02 cents worth -gozzie

When I towed I always had my outside mirrors angled so I could see the trailer wheels. In the dark, you can quickly look at them in the headlight glare of the vehicle behind you and notice any wobble. In daylight, it's easy to spot any wobble in the mirrors.

Hunter, I'm with gozzie on this one. Maybe one or two lugs might work loose but all of them, and both sides, too. Gots to be someone loosening them. Quick check before backing the trailer into the lake to put the boat on is to grab tires and shake them to see if they're loose.

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