A truck lost a wheel a few weeks ago and someone got killed.
A trajedy and bad news all round.Somebody left it loose and it fell off.
Now has arrived an edict from the “great and the good”
You are allowed to remove wheel nuts with an air gun BUT when you refit them they must be tightened by hand and then finised with a torque wrench!
2 questions what sodding difference will tightening the nuts by hand make to the probability of loosing a wheel and where do they get the diks that could come up with ■■■■■ like this.
Maybe if people who had any knowledge or experience where listened to instead of some plantpot who once touched a truck as he was walking into the class room trajedies such as this might never happen.■■■■■■■■ baffles brains and its getting worse.
I would say that the directive is dangerous unless it goes into much more detail about cleaning the hub spigot, threads, mating surfaces, oiling etc etc and then ensuring that the nuts are tightened in the proper order more than once.
Winding the nuts on by hand will not seat the wheel against the hub reliably. Torquing each nut once only is no guarantee that the wheel is properly located, it is likely to be sitting ■■■■■■■ If the vehicle is then sent out with its pretty red markers to await a retorque at the end of the shift then trouble awaits.
I have to fit wheels regularly without the use of air tools and I always ensure that I at least use an 18" bar to initially tighten the nuts before torquing them. I then torque in order at least twice, if not three times, and there are always at least one or two that turn further.
Just waiting to hear that the company has had another incident.
Could this be because air guns can overtighten the nuts causing the stud to stretch?
There have been lots of studies done over the years, whatever method they reccomend, and shock, they all find a different one, if it isn’t done properly, it can go wrong.
When you think how many wheels are changed on a daily basis, the odd one coming off isn’t a bad average really…
Some 1" impact guns with a good bore hose to it can tighten to well over 3000nm. Personally I would disable the the clockwise function on them and also the 3/4" guns too. Chances are if people are using these to put nuts on and then torquing and getting no movement they’re stretching the studs.
I favour using a 1/2" gun that will typically do 400-500nm at best to put them one before torquing.
I have seen a lot of tyre fitters over the years that tighten with the gun and then put torque wrench on… but its academic because they are already gone past “tight” waste of time then to put torque wrench on em…
i use a 1" drive air gun on mine, i use it a full power to remove the wheel nuts, but then use it on half power to put them back on, then torque the nuts, they always move with the torque wrench
shuttlespanker:
i use a 1" drive air gun on mine, i use it a full power to remove the wheel nuts, but then use it on half power to put them back on, then torque the nuts, they always move with the torque wrench
You do with your wheels what I did with mine but fitters in tyre companies will very often dog em up with a gun then go through the motions with a torque wrench too bloody late then…
shuttlespanker:
i use a 1" drive air gun on mine, i use it a full power to remove the wheel nuts, but then use it on half power to put them back on, then torque the nuts, they always move with the torque wrench
You do with your wheels what I did with mine but fitters in tyre companies will very often dog em up with a gun then go through the motions with a torque wrench too bloody late then…
the only time a tyre fitter goes near my wheels is if i have a problem out on the road, other than that, i change my own tyres and wheels
shuttlespanker:
i use a 1" drive air gun on mine, i use it a full power to remove the wheel nuts, but then use it on half power to put them back on, then torque the nuts, they always move with the torque wrench
You do with your wheels what I did with mine but fitters in tyre companies will very often dog em up with a gun then go through the motions with a torque wrench too bloody late then…
the only time a tyre fitter goes near my wheels is if i have a problem out on the road, other than that, i change my own tyres and wheels
To many wheels for that 21 trailers 10 tractors… retired now…
shuttlespanker:
i use a 1" drive air gun on mine, i use it a full power to remove the wheel nuts, but then use it on half power to put them back on, then torque the nuts, they always move with the torque wrench
You do with your wheels what I did with mine but fitters in tyre companies will very often dog em up with a gun then go through the motions with a torque wrench too bloody late then…
the only time a tyre fitter goes near my wheels is if i have a problem out on the road, other than that, i change my own tyres and wheels
To many wheels for that 21 trailers 10 tractors… retired now…
None of us were born with an in bread knowledge of tightening wheel nuts. Some were lucky enough to have friends and relatives in the business that were able to walk us through such things often from and early age without us actually knowing we were getting taught. For all people there has to be a first time for everything, even the [zb] have a first time even if they don’t admit to it.
Many years ago I stopped to help a bloke change a wheel on a step frame tilt. He had been there a while and was fairly far on with the job, he even had the wheels back on and had a couple of nuts already tightened up. Having spent my time a diesel fitter I had a bit of insight to the job and noticed that he had the spring washers between the wheels and the was tightening the wheel clockwise as the studs came to the top, instead of opposite.
This was a bloke in his mid 40’s, but was relatively new to the world of trucks and didn’t have any previous knowledge of changing wheels, which was something that I had often done at the side of the road in the snow when it was dark.
If you weren’t lucky enough to have an old timer walk you through it then things that would normally seem simple to other folk can often have a disastrous result.
Step in the government, they have a look at statistics, see where the common things go wrong and so as to justify there 6 figure a year salary they come up with some kind of white paper.
So that no one feels left out they have to consult with their other mates that also have to justify their 6 figure a year salary so they all have a conflab and call on steering comity just to make sure no one gets it wrong.
Thing main thing to blame for this is the social media society we live in, internet and computers and all that other stuff. Many years ago some lazy bloke that had gone to Eaton, Harrow, Oxford, or Cambridge, would have good connections and get a fat asred job in the government. He would turn up about 2 in the afternoon, go to the club and generally do nothing. Now a days every one is watching, so these blokes have to do something to justify their positions, Health and Safety, Vosa, etc. It’s only going to get worse, because these guys aren’t going to give up easily.
By doing such things the government people can then turn round and say look how much tax payer money we have saved you, did you know that wheels coming of HGV’s cost the tax payer @0,000,000 quid each year, pats on the back all round and haven’t we justified our position. Lets have a look at Scania drivers getting about with their curtains half drawn.
shuttlespanker:
i use a 1" drive air gun on mine, i use it a full power to remove the wheel nuts, but then use it on half power to put them back on, then torque the nuts, they always move with the torque wrench
You do with your wheels what I did with mine but fitters in tyre companies will very often dog em up with a gun then go through the motions with a torque wrench too bloody late then…
the only time a tyre fitter goes near my wheels is if i have a problem out on the road, other than that, i change my own tyres and wheels
To many wheels for that 21 trailers 10 tractors… retired now…
Try 120 units and 200 trailers.Why do these diks who no nothing even get to have thier say.Keep shuffling the paper and stay away from things you know ■■■■ all about.
I wire brush the studs,hub face and the wheel on both side to get rid of any rust , dirt build up etc .A little bit of oil on the threads,run the nuts up diagionally till they touch the wheel,i also use my half inch gun ,round round the wheels twice with the torque wrench , a road test and retorque,and 30 mins later I nick out for a 3rd and final check ,and then fill out the book with the details and torque wrench number…At least then if we do have issues we can see if it is related to 1 torque wrench ,and yes they are regulary calibrated as are all my personal gauges torque wrenches etc ,Or works policy is ,if your tolls are not calibrated get them off the premises,i will add the coy does pay for their calibration
norb:
I wire brush the studs,hub face and the wheel on both side to get rid of any rust , dirt build up etc .A little bit of oil on the threads,run the nuts up diagionally till they touch the wheel,i also use my half inch gun ,round round the wheels twice with the torque wrench , a road test and retorque,and 30 mins later I nick out for a 3rd and final check ,and then fill out the book with the details and torque wrench number…At least then if we do have issues we can see if it is related to 1 torque wrench ,and yes they are regulary calibrated as are all my personal gauges torque wrenches etc ,Or works policy is ,if your tolls are not calibrated get them off the premises,i will add the coy does pay for their calibration
norb:
I wire brush the studs,hub face and the wheel on both side to get rid of any rust , dirt build up etc .A little bit of oil on the threads,run the nuts up diagionally till they touch the wheel,i also use my half inch gun ,round round the wheels twice with the torque wrench , a road test and retorque,and 30 mins later I nick out for a 3rd and final check ,and then fill out the book with the details and torque wrench number…At least then if we do have issues we can see if it is related to 1 torque wrench ,and yes they are regulary calibrated as are all my personal gauges torque wrenches etc ,Or works policy is ,if your tolls are not calibrated get them off the premises,i will add the coy does pay for their calibration
Never ever did I go near em with oil!!!..
I don’t either but I do blast the nuts with WD40 to make sure the washer spins freely and then wipe them with a cloth. A lot of people have mentioned oiling threads I guess proof of the pudding is whether there’s wheel losses or not. I would worry there’s a risk of over-torquing though.
Bking is an apprentice monkey in a Tesco fleet workshop somewhere with delusions of grandeur.
I always oil. Never had a problem coming loose, or getting them off again. Torque figures are normally for lightly oiled clean threads. Stiff corroded nuts/studs will not have a high enough clamping force compared to a lubricated clean thread.
norb:
I wire brush the studs,hub face and the wheel on both side to get rid of any rust , dirt build up etc .A little bit of oil on the threads,run the nuts up diagionally till they touch the wheel,i also use my half inch gun ,round round the wheels twice with the torque wrench , a road test and retorque,and 30 mins later I nick out for a 3rd and final check ,and then fill out the book with the details and torque wrench number…At least then if we do have issues we can see if it is related to 1 torque wrench ,and yes they are regulary calibrated as are all my personal gauges torque wrenches etc ,Or works policy is ,if your tolls are not calibrated get them off the premises,i will add the coy does pay for their calibration
Never ever did I go near em with oil!!!..
Fair enough,but I am just following the manufacturers instructions ,and they say apply a bit of oil to the threads,after all if dry you may get a false torque
