scary day- horsebox wheel came off whilst in motion!

[tinap]

I had a wheel completely fly off my landrover I had been bombing down the motorway & the car started to feel odd so I got off just before it crashed to the floor & every alarm known to man started going off in the car!! i had to let it crash into the kerb to stop as the brakes wouldn't work.

A bloke pulled up behind me & said he'd seen bolts flying off on the motorway!! I found 2, the other 3 were lost & 2 of the pin things were sheared off. The wheel was stuck underneath the car & the front end was all bashed in. Turned out my Dumbarse mechanic hadn't tightened the wheel when it had been to him for some work the week before. It still scares me now to think what could have happened if I'd stayed on the motorway - I had been late & hate to admit it, but was very much speeding

 

[Worried1]

Yes but in a car, so still very scary for Mr W who was driving up North for a clinic it must have been terrifying for you with horses on. My dad owns a heavy plant servicing and repair centre and neither he or his mechanics could explain why. The wheel was 6 inches away from the place it should be with all bar one bolt remaining, the rest had sheared off.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Good grief Mike - nobody checks wheel nuts everyday - and have never had any mechanic suggest this is part of any pre journey check.

Oh yes they do - I have always checked round any lorry I am driving, ever since I did my HGV training years ago.
In fact, I check the car less often - weekly, but the horsebox (or any box I may be asked to drive) is always checked over properly as its my liccence and the horses safety at risk.

 

[Dry Rot]

Im with Mike on this sorry !! It is if you are a profesional driver !! , sadly poor maintanance and lack of basic mecanical abillity is a dangerous combination , tyre presure or lack of it is the main cause of blowouts . incorrectly re fitted wheels ie rust on hubs and mateing surfaces of the wheels the studs being worn dirty or streched by overtighting or not lubricated the cause of wheel loss!!!.
So always make sure everything is clean the threads are clean and lubricated so the nuts will go all the way on without needing force ,Never let anyone use a air wrench to fully tighten nuts!!! allways finish with a torque wrench then re check after about 100kms and check daily! rust streaks from nuts is a tell tail possible looseness , checking with a wheel brace or taping the nuts with a tiny hammer (a loose one will sound dull and correct will make a ting sound) It only takes a few minutes but could save a life ..

I was always taught that wheel nuts should not be lubricated. Is this another area wher the experts disagree -- and make room for an "accident"?

Haven't done a proper Google because I can't be bothered, but here's one...

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=82119

 

[ROG]

 

[amandaco2]

Oh yes they do - I have always checked round any lorry I am driving, ever since I did my HGV training years ago.
In fact, I check the car less often - weekly, but the horsebox (or any box I may be asked to drive) is always checked over properly as its my liccence and the horses safety at risk.

does that just a visual check or do you always check the tension on the nuts as well..?
the lorry is going to have the checklist done each time in future (so about 2x week!) and my mechanic checking it every 3 months so someone knowledgeble has given it a thorough check.

 

[Nicnac]

Thanks for this ROG and the checklist which I've printed off. Have also had lorry blow out rear tyre on dual carriageway. Luckily only 1/2 mile from home and limped back after talking to mechanic.

Where can I buy the plastic things (sorry not technical) and what is their proper name?

This is one reason why I would never go to a 3.5t lorry with single rear axle.

 

[Nicnac]

That is really useful - could perhaps do with an addition of "Passports for all horses present", mine live in the lorry but if taken out for vaccinations etc I tend to forget to put them back.

I leave passports with lorry papers in the house. Reasoning that if lorry were nicked at least I have all paperwork for both truck and horses at home. (not that anyone would nick Elsie as she's not exactly latest model!)

 

[ROG]

Where can I buy the plastic things (sorry not technical) and what is their proper name?

ONE PLACE make sure you get the right mm as not all wheel nuts are the same



GOOGLE SEARCH - where can i buy wheel nut indicators

 

[imr]

it hasn't happened to me but the exact same thing happened to a friend of mine about a month ago. She has had a new tyre fitted to her lorry and on driving up the A! felt it seemed wrong. Pulled over to find all but one nut had sheared through. The rescue people said either the nuts were too tight or too loose leading them to shear. If you cannot trust the people who fit tyres to leave the nuts at the correct tension.. And seriously, how would you even be able to check if they were too tight (loose I think I could probably manage.) That said I shall be investigating rog's plastic thingys link.

And i'm glad you were ok amandaco - as was my friend , thankfully.

 

[perfect11s]

I was always taught that wheel nuts should not be lubricated. Is this another area wher the experts disagree -- and make room for an "accident"?

Haven't done a proper Google because I can't be bothered, but here's one...

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=82119

Maybe in a perfect world with new studs and nuts !!!but when the studs have lost the protective coating and the nut then binds on the thread because of rust or dirt??? so there is no way to know whether the nut is tight because its all the way and clamping the wheel or siezing on the thread !! puting some lube on will give more clamping force for a given torque than a dry assembly and most importantly a more consitant result, remember if the nuts dont clamp the wheel suficenty it can move ether futher loosening the nuts or shearing the studs then you can loose a wheel if the problem isnt noticed!!!

 

[Mike007]

The reason there are two schools of thought ,is because there are two types of wheel nut. :Spigot or cone. The more modern spigot type works in an entirely different manner to the cone and is tolerant of lubricants. The cone type must NEVER be lubricated. If ithe thread is tight or damaged ,fit a new stud and nut . £12 thats not going to break anyone. The cone type is an older design and relies on static friction and the elasticity of the bolt to overcome the tendancy to unwind.This tendancy to unwind is caused by rotating stress paterns around each wheel stud as the vehicle is in motion .These stress paterns run the opposite direction to the rotation of the wheel .Hence with the cone type ,larger vehicles have left hand thread studs on one side and right hand on the other.
The spigot type relies on a broad flat base and built in washer ,to spread the grip over a wider area reducing the effect of these stress paterns.They also have a much finer thread than the studs for cones.Because of their mode of operation they do not need to be left and right handed.
The single biggest cause of a wheel coming loose is overloading of the wheel hub.It doesnt even have to be an overloaded vehicle, an underinflated tyre will do exacly the same thing on a double wheel.
The indicator tags are great for the spiggot type of wheelnut which can gradualy come loose. They are not quite so good for the cone type. The surest method of checking these is to look for radial trails of fine rust emenating from the wheel nut. If its there somthing is wrong,even if the wheel nut seems tight. Tapping with a hammer can tell a lot too if you have been shown what to look for.
The purpose of a daily check is to notice small changes and take preventative action BEFORE it becomes a problem. The more often you check,the better able you will be to spot the small signs of a problem. I typicaly check wheels at least twice on a journey .On a long journey I check every time I stop (eg for fuel or a burger)
There are a lot of older horseboxes out there with some extremely dodgy wheels. 25 years of wear can completely alter the safety of a wheel. Also the wheel studs do not last for ever. They gradualy stretch and "neck".Ultimately they break. These sorts of things need to be checked by a really good mechanic. There is no way that the average reader here has a cat in hells chance of learning enough about what goes on with a wheel and what can go wrong. But they can check for the signs of movement quite easily and go and find someone who does know.

 

[amandaco2]

thats really interesting thanks.i will ask for the plastic thingies to be put on to make my own checks easier as well
and i will also start to check the car too!

 

[Nicnac]

ONE PLACE make sure you get the right mm as not all wheel nuts are the same



GOOGLE SEARCH - where can i buy wheel nut indicators

Thanks ROG!

 

[equinerescue]

Really pleased to see so many people sharing their experiences on this thread. Wheel and tyre related incidents are extremely common (about 33% of breakdowns on equine vehicles) and they are not always that straight forward fix. Take note of the great advice here and stay safe!