What a mess I had today!

[rickasbury]

So, very lucky today ended safely and I'm just not 100% on what happened today.

So, I have a 27 ' rinker on a tandem axle trailer. I have been working on getting the boat back to the water and it has been a struggle. A few weeks back I discovered I had a broken leaf spring. So, thanks to help here got that replaced. Brought the boat home from where I did the repair (5 miles) to the house, mage one trip to the ramp (10 miles) and then back home. Today, went back to the ramp for a test run...started feeling some vibrations, pulled over 2x to look thinking I had lost a tire on the truck or the trailer but could not see anything...just before we got to the ramp I had to pull over again . Freaked out when I saw the tire-the lugs where all ate off, holes in the wheel wallered out. The whell was about 10' from completely coming off. Lucky. So I managed to get the wheel off, called a tow truck who got it back to storage. So I need a new wheel and a new hub.
I'm trying to figure out what I screwed up. I have the hubs that have a rubber piece you pull off to get to a zert that is on the end of the spindle. It was gone and the hub was very hot. Once I got the wheel off, the brake was not locked up (disk). I can see if I did not have the wheel back on right when I snugged the lugs or just did not snug them properly - why would the hub be so hot? Did the hub get hot causing the lugs to come loose somehow? I have new bearings but have been having brake issues...

 

[89retta]

With the wheel hub being hot. My first thought is you tightened the axle nut to much. And for the wheel they weren't tight enough

 

[rickasbury]

The brakes did not feel like they were working and when he back up the trailer I did not have to lock out the break...if the brake were partially engaged I assume the hub would have gotten pretty hot...I did the bearings a while back and had been checking them with my temp gun ....what a dumb mistake I made for sure....

 

[briangcc]

IF the brakes were sticking you'd know it by the smell and the wheel bearing grease cooked out of the bearings. Don't ask me how I know this!

As for the other comments, I think they're spot on. Castle nut too tight and lugs or bolts too loose. Also have first hand experience on the latter as my uncle painted his trailer and didn't tighten the lugs afterwards. Kept hearing things hitting my truck. When he stopped at the US-Canada border we found out what was hitting my truck - his wheel bolts!

 

[bruceb58]

Use a torque wrench on your lug nuts with no grease on the threads.

Use these instructions for the spindle nut:
https://www.championtrailers.com/pre-loading-trailer-wheel-bearings/

 

[rickasbury]

Good article..and what should that tourque be? Going to go get a new hub in the am so at least it will be on the ground right... probably trashed the one tire on that side. It seems from the moment I get up until I pass out at night I'm running around with my ass on fire. I have to slow down and make sure what I do is right..to dangerous and expensive.

 

[rickasbury]

And I think the grease did cook out...the rubber piece on the end of the hub was gone...the hub was HOT and grease was all over the tire....

 

[dadofemily]

If the lug nuts are the "Acorn" type. you may have had them on backwards. The tapered end goes in toward the wheel to center it on the stud. The flat end of the nut goes out. My father in law did this once and things got chewed up very quickly because the wheel wanders on the hub.

 

[rickasbury]

Nope, did not do that..got the old hub pulled off and down to the shop...new one with the rear seal and lugs, 150....so go back to storage and the guy starts giving me crap about working on it...he has a shop there too...now I would never go there and work on the motor or do repairs in general- it's easier to do at my house but I can't move it. I have had our boat there for four years, never had a problem with a payment....kind of pissed me off. So, I'm going there in the morning, there is a big lot just outside his gate and I will put the rotor on, jack it up and put the tire on. I am checking for other places to store. Am I being unreasonable?

 

[matt167]

I remember being a kid, riding in the boat after my dad pulled it out and hearing jingling in a hubcap. My dad pulled the hubcap off to find 3 loose lug nuts. And no, I didn't ride down the road in the back of the boat. My dad used to have me pull the plug and stuff and shut the boat down completely at the ramp parking lot so I just rode till he parked. It was a 21' SC Chieftan and it was easier staying in the boat, then getting in from the ground. The trailer was an old beat up shore lander and it did loose a wheel/ hub a couple times

 

[rickasbury]

To funny...did not think an ordinary occurrence!
so, went back to storage, pulled it out on the street, put the hub on. When I put the caliper on it was to tight and the wheel would not turn. So considering I did cook the grease out I assume the brake was the major issue. When I first had the breakdown I could turn the wheel but everything was really hot. Would that pub getting that hot allow those lugs to start backing off with metal expansion? or maybe just a combination of a little bit too loose on the nuts at the heat. I have really fought the brakes on this trailer. I have rebuilt all the cylinders. I just can't seem to get everything to work right.