How does this happen?

That is exactly one of those 7000# junk axels found on hot shot and car wedge trailers,
They have greaseable bearings and electric brakes.
What happened to that one is someone had the wheel off and then didn’t get it tight enough and it worked loose.
Then the steering wheel holder drove it loose till it egged and slotted the holes.
The next step in that game if he hadn’t been stoped is the trailer and the wheel parting ways.
Scary how many fools are driving down the road with ear buds in totally oblivious to what’s going on behind them...

 

I picked up a trailer with a bad tire and an AVI coming due. I was running by the house for the weekend so I dropped it for the shop to deal with. Came back Monday morning, coupled, pretriped (it's on the security cameras), drove 30 miles down the road when a pickup truck drove by honking and waving. Pulled off at the next safe spot and found this.

Mechanic didn't torque the nuts down. You couldn't turn them with your fingers, but they turned with a hand wrench no problem.

In 10 years I have never seen ANYBODY check the torque on the lugnuts of a trailer they are picking up.



I had this trailer for 3 days. Added air the first day we had it. Tightened it down and ran to the local tire shop. All the other lugs were torqued properly.

Last night I had Loves change a tire. I told them to get me before they torqued it down. They did not, and I didn't sign the "I watched them use a forque wrench " waiver until they did again with me watching. They were snugged down, but once bitten twice shy. But you can't always make sure the mechanic did his job. Sometimes stuff happens.

 

I usually try and watch the tire process from the bay door if it’s open. If the door is closed, not much chance to watch due to insurance regulations.

When I do the tires, I clean up the rim mating surfaces, the threads on both the studs and nuts. The nuts spin on easily with just the fingers for proper torquing.

According to the MTO articles, most common wheel offs are due to studs and nuts not being clean, mating surfaces having too much paint or rust.

They want to see clamping force, not just torque the nuts to 500 ft lbs and call it good.

A nut rattling on hard with a impact can read 500 ft/lbs with the torque wrench but the clamping force is very minimal due to excess friction on the threads.

Then the rims start to come loose, backing off the nuts.

Same with rust or corrosion. Rust and corrosion are hard but it’s a loose material. It breaks down to powder and leaves gaps in between the mating surfaces. Rims come loose.

Everything must be clean.

Studs and nuts also go bad. Pitted threads, scrap. Stretched, scrap. Broken, scrap.

 

^^^^ that right there.

Dirty/rusty threads are added resistance to the nuts turning. If it takes 100 lb-ft just to spin the nuts, your 500 lb-ft has now just become equal to whatever clamp force 400 lb-ft is on good threads.

 

Once they get lose, they’ll snap them all off, there goes both wheels and drum. Shoes, hub, and spider damaged. It’s a mess. Made Me a believer in re torquing.

 

Thats why im my only mechanic. If you want it done right...


Last week on 40W in knoxville a dually shot his two left drives into 4 lanes of traffic about 5 cars ahead of me.

 

About 30 yrs ago, I drove a 6 wheeler Local, had a semi lose 2 off the right side of trailer. They went up the embankment, I blocked the right 2 lanes, while the Driver hit the shoulder, and caught them on the way back down. I was impressed.

 

A logging truck company this winter. Lost his wheels and drum. He was on the side of the road waiting for mobile repair.



A OPP officer pulled up. Saw what was wrong. He wrote up tickets until he was out of ink and paper.

 

Here out west, the can haulers have the worst wheels. I see them all the time with 2 or more wheels just wobbling all over the place. They look like the station wagon in the Vacation movie with Chevy Chase.

 

A lot of them use Dayton-type wheels. They can be properly torqued, but if someone didn't take the time to true the mounting they wobble.