Truck Maintenance - 3 Sheared Lugs

Today, one of my coworkers heard a "clunk,clunk,clunk" noise while moving our truck out of it's bay. Then came inside and said "we got a problem". So I go out and they removed the wheel cover from our left front tire. I see 3 out of 10 lugs sheared off with one rolling around in the cover.The three lugs were in sequence. Two studs were shiney, one was dirty. So one had been gone for a while. Im not naming names and will just say this. We have the best equipment money can buy and change out tires at 6/32, so maintenance is not a problem. I have never seen three lugs sheared off like this. No prior vibrations in the cab, damage to the wheel and it has not been in an accident.

So I am curious if anyone else has ever seen this type of a problem?
And what could have caused it?

Today, one of my coworkers heard a "clunk,clunk,clunk" noise while moving our truck out of it's bay. Then came inside and said "we got a problem". So I go out and they removed the wheel cover from our left front tire. I see 3 out of 10 lugs sheared off with one rolling around in the cover.The three lugs were in sequence. Two studs were shiney, one was dirty. So one had been gone for a while. Im not naming names and will just say this. We have the best equipment money can buy and change out tires at 6/32, so maintenance is not a problem. I have never seen three lugs sheared off like this. No prior vibrations in the cab, damage to the wheel and it has not been in an accident.

So I am curious if anyone else has ever seen this type of a problem?
And what could have caused it?

Looks like someone loosened your lug nuts.

The truck is never left alone long enough and secured in a locked bay at night so it would be almost impossible for someone to loosen them. Anythings possible but Im just having a hard time believing that since It's a fire truck.

What it sounds like is maybe a bad atch of STUDS for teh lug nuts. Change ALL of them for the hub since they would be from the same lot and the other side also as a precaution should not take more than around 6 hours 2 new wheel seals and 20 studs and nuts. Tools needed a large press the old ones out and the new ones in also a torque wrench to make sure the new nuts a torqued right seal driver to drive the sealhome punch to remove the old seal and hub nut to remove the hub from the spindle. Have fun.

Could be that these lugs were really never tightened correctly? It happens! If the tireman gets in a big hurry, they will misalign the wheel (even slightly will do it) the lugs on one side are tight as a banjo string, the others are loose, a few miles and a few real wonky areas and the stress just causes them to pop.

Today, one of my coworkers heard a "clunk,clunk,clunk" noise while moving our truck out of it's bay. Then came inside and said "we got a problem". So I go out and they removed the wheel cover from our left front tire. I see 3 out of 10 lugs sheared off with one rolling around in the cover.The three lugs were in sequence. Two studs were shiney, one was dirty. So one had been gone for a while. Im not naming names and will just say this. We have the best equipment money can buy and change out tires at 6/32, so maintenance is not a problem. I have never seen three lugs sheared off like this. No prior vibrations in the cab, damage to the wheel and it has not been in an accident.

So I am curious if anyone else has ever seen this type of a problem?
And what could have caused it?

Are they Unimount wheels?

I've seen a couple instances (on dump trucks)where all 10 studs have failed and wheels have come off.

How old is the truck?

Could be metal fatigue from repeated tire changing (some tire guys just love to overtorque the lug nuts).

If they're Unimounts, just hammer out all the studs with a good sized sledge, then put in all new studs and draw them into the hub by putting a nut on each stud and using an air impact wrench to tighten the nuts, which will "press" the studs into the hub holes. Then remove the nuts and install the drum and wheels.

Be sure to properly tighten the lug nuts.

No need to pull the hub to replace Unimount studs.

Be sure to replace all 10 studs. If 3 have failed, the other 7 probably aren't far behind.

I'm thinking also that it could be caused by a simple thing like a spacer not seated all the way in. Tightening the lugs should seat it but you never know.

Spiltshifter take a word of advice form a former mechanic who pulled wrenches before driving and was also a shop formen. If I EVER CAUGHT any of my mechanics changing a stud the way you just stated he was fired and shown the door with my BOOT IN HIS *****. You never ever use a sledgehammer and impact guns to change a stud there is to big of a chance of cracking the hub and then you are screwed if that happens. With a unimount hub the factory specified procedure is remove the hub from the vechile then using a press carefully press out the studs then press in the new ones then using a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts that way you do not damage the studs or hub. This would not have happened in the first place had they used a torque wrench instead of an impact gun. A 8-10 hole unimount wheel only needs 450 ft-lbs of torque to be held securly on the normal 1 1/2 inch tire gun shops use has 1500 ftlbs slightly over torqued you would think.

I never used a gun larger than a Mac 4400 to do anything on a semi produced 600 ftlbs of torque and could handle run the lugs down so I could get the torque wrench out for the tires.

Spiltshifter take a word of advice form a former mechanic who pulled wrenches before driving and was also a shop formen. If I EVER CAUGHT any of my mechanics changing a stud the way you just stated he was fired and shown the door with my BOOT IN HIS *****.

Sure glad I never worked for you.

I pull wrenches too ya know.

No sense making a major operation out of a simple job.

IN todays SUE happy society failure to do things by the book though would result in YOUR butt being the one being hung not the manufactor of the studs or the hub. If you changed the studs in the manner you stated and the hub broke and the wheel fell off and say someone got killed and then it came out that it was due to your not following proper maintance procedures. You will be the one paying for it with the civil settlement being garnished out of your check and that cloud hanging for the rest of your life. I had a mechanic at PFT roberson changing studs on an Unimount right after I was made shop formen for nights the way youu recommended he was fired and I personally redid the work. The next week the hub he was working on was checked at the factory by Rockwell itself. They found 4 impact cracks and 2 of the NEW studs were cracked also from the way he had installed them. My way may be slower BUT it is safer for all parties involved. And if it is an Alloy hub like alot of them are hitting it with a hammer can bend it and then you are in a WORLD OF HURT.

Fossy wrote:

Could be that these lugs were really never tightened correctly? It happens! If the tireman gets in a big hurry, they will misalign the wheel (even slightly will do it) the lugs on one side are tight as a banjo string, the others are loose, a few miles and a few real wonky areas and the stress just causes them to pop.
_________________

Yes in deed. You nailed it Fozzy. Talked to the powers to be yesterday and that's kind of what they said about the fleet vendor.Hopefully the tire guy wasn't thrown under the bus that left yesterday. He's always swamped and can't do enough for you. Looks like we are getting rid of wheel covers too as they are a receipe for disaster IMO. Looks ain't everything and proper pretirps are in place for a reason.

ironeagle2006 - Yes they changed out all of the studs just in case they were defective and used a press plus putting new tires on so we should get her back on the 5th.

Haste makes waste..... Lets not meet by accident.
Happy 4th to you all.

oops-never mind what I said-I just noticed you said it was a front steer :P

What kind of truck do you have where a broken lug rolls around INSIDE the wheel cover. Either the lugs are in a small pattern or your wheel coner is the size of the tire. I am being serious so please explain this.

What kind of truck do you have where a broken lug rolls around INSIDE the wheel cover. Either the lugs are in a small pattern or your wheel coner is the size of the tire. I am being serious so please explain this.

I'm under the impression that he had a set of these on there:

http://www.realwheels.com/22inch.html

Jumbo,

To remove them it only takes a minute. You loosen 2 phillips screws that are attached to a J hook exposing 10 Lugs. Someone was actually standing next to the truck as it pulled out and heard the noise. Out of the three, only one stud w nut attached was still inside the cover.Wasn't loud enough to hear inside cab and 3 missing lugs (all next to each other)didn't cause wheel wobble,shimmy or shake.


Splitshifter:

Yes, You are correct. They are chrome 22.5 wheel covers.

Jumbo,

To remove them it only takes a minute. You loosen 2 phillips screws that are attached to a J hook exposing 10 Lugs. Someone was actually standing next to the truck as it pulled out and heard the noise. Out of the three, only one stud w nut attached was still inside the cover.Wasn't loud enough to hear inside cab and 3 missing lugs (all next to each other)didn't cause wheel wobble,shimmy or shake.


Splitshifter:

Yes, You are correct. They are chrome 22.5 wheel covers.

So do you take these off everyday so you can inspect the lugs or notice you have some broken off?

Jumbo:
No, Because I am a supervisor and only needed an opinion about a mechanical problem which has been answered. But thanks for asking.
Attempted to upload some pictures after repairs.It's not working.
pictures are HUGE

[quote=Kurbski]Today, one of my coworkers heard a "clunk,clunk,clunk" noise while moving our truck out of it's bay. Then came inside and said "we got a problem". So I go out and they removed the wheel cover from our left front tire. I see 3 out of 10 lugs sheared off with one rolling around in the cover.The three lugs were in sequence. Two studs were shiney, one was dirty. So one had been gone for a while. Im not naming names and will just say this. We have the best equipment money can buy and change out tires at 6/32, so maintenance is not a problem. I have never seen three lugs sheared off like this. No prior vibrations in the cab, damage to the wheel and it has not been in an accident.

So I am curious if anyone else has ever seen this type of a problem?
And what could have caused it?

Are they Unimount wheels?

I've seen a couple instances (on dump trucks)where all 10 studs have failed and wheels have come off.

How old is the truck?

Could be metal fatigue from repeated tire changing (some tire guys just love to overtorque the lug nuts).

If they're Unimounts, just hammer out all the studs with a good sized sledge, then put in all new studs and draw them into the hub by putting a nut on each stud and using an air impact wrench to tighten the nuts, which will "press" the studs into the hub holes. Then remove the nuts and install the drum and wheels.

Be sure to properly tighten the lug nuts.

No need to pull the hub to replace Unimount studs.

pull the hub, you're gonna have to pull it later to change wheel bearings anyhow...


Be sure to replace all 10 studs. If 3 have failed, the other 7 probably aren't far behind.[/quote

agreed

Today, one of my coworkers heard a "clunk,clunk,clunk" noise while moving our truck out of it's bay. Then came inside and said "we got a problem". So I go out and they removed the wheel cover from our left front tire. I see 3 out of 10 lugs sheared off with one rolling around in the cover.The three lugs were in sequence. Two studs were shiney, one was dirty. So one had been gone for a while. Im not naming names and will just say this. We have the best equipment money can buy and change out tires at 6/32, so maintenance is not a problem. I have never seen three lugs sheared off like this. No prior vibrations in the cab, damage to the wheel and it has not been in an accident.

So I am curious if anyone else has ever seen this type of a problem?
And what could have caused it?

it was caused by improper torque; too little or too much

it is a known fact that when one wheel stud has broken, the 2 nearest studs should be replaced as well... due to the fact that while that stud was broken, those other 2 studs have carried an additional load

in your situation the stud that broke probably held on by one edge until the other 2 failed

replace all studs on that wheel-end, and the obvious; inspecting/re-torquing all the other wheel-ends

Im not a mechanic and don't know what unimount's are?? I am assuming one piece rims/wheels...
The truck is back in service with 10 new Studs.

http://www.daytonacpr.org/wheelwocover_trans.JPG

Yikes!!!!!


Clean those wheels and paint them!!!!

Please!!!! :P

Ha That's Funny. It's pretty ugkly w no wheel cover but it's a fire truck, not a parade piece. But I get your point. Sorry, but this is about about as good as it gets. Looks great from a distance. Runs over u name it, glass pieces,car parts,through fluids,fields and dirt/muddy roads just fine . It's not for cruising down the highway.LOL

does anyone know how to make this HUGE picture any smaller for me?
It needs a flag truck,big load banner and yellow lights.
I need to get the post skinnier. :lol:

I was taught when you tighten the wheel nuts you do the top one first, then the bottom, then the top+1, then the bottom+1, top+2, bottom+2 etc. I've seen tire guys start at the top and just go clockwise all the way around in order. I'm sure it won't seat very well that way.

It looks like you have a very good system to get a wheel seated properly. Popping studs is bad for business. :lol:

Popping studs is bad for business. :lol:

Not if you're a hooker. :lol: :lol:

LOL.. Now thats too Funny
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: