Front hubcap removal

[Gorse]

I have a Freightliner chassis and one of the front wheel oil bath hubs had a leaking seal. The problem is that I cannot get the front hubcap off. I know that 2 of the nut caps are holding it on, but does anyone here know if there is a special tool needed to remove them?
I had service techs from Camping World look at them and said they just spun off, but they put an 18" wrench to them and they would not budge. I don't want to keep wrenching on them since they do not seem very strong. I also called Freightliner and they couldn't tell me how to remove them either.
Thanks

 

[John From Detroit]

There are two different ways they do this.

Workhorse, the hub they provided me the nut and the chrome cover are attached in a manner that makes it necessary to remove them as one unit. There should be a wrench, it's got a "T" type handle and a piece of pipe extension and it's a piece of... refuse far as I'm concerned, (not well built) you can get a socket at Sears, alas I don't recall the size, and it may vary from coach to coach, I do recommend that.

The other type you can remove the chrome cap. then again there is a wrench, with a "T" handle like before, or you can get a socket from Sears, as before.

I have both systems on my coach, the former was/is OEM

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The steel wheels with chrome liners that I have seen/owned had simple pull-off caps on two of the fake lugs. Pull them off with big pliers and there is a standard nut underneath that allows removal of the wheel cover. Actual lug nuts are underneath that, if you need to pull the wheel. That's the way it was on my 02 Workhorse and 98 Ford chassis. My current Freightliner has alloy wheels and real lug nuts. The oil bath bearings can be accessed by a simple pop-off cover at the center (hub).

 

[Gorse]

Thanks for the responses
I did get one of the throw away T-handle wrenches with the coach but it is such light duty that I figured it would take the chrome caps off very easily, which it did not. I also tried prying them off lightly with a screwdriver but they didn't seem to want to budge so I didn't force it. Based on what the CW guys told me and what you have said, I just need to get a better socket that will fit and turn them off.

 

[Ron]

The chrome caps do not turn off the just pull off.  A pair of channel lock pliers with a rag or such to protect the chrome cap should do the job.  Then IF you were lucky enough to pull the right cap off you will see the nut that your T handle wrench will fit.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

As I recall on my 02 Workhorse, the caps that pulled off had little indentations on one side. Not easy to see, but if you study them you may detect the difference in the TWO that PULL off to expose the nut underneath.

 

[Ray D]

Ditto on my current 05 Workhorse. I just now went out and looked, to be sure. There are small dents in two of the chrome nut covers. They pull off with channel locks.

 

[John From Detroit]

As I said, on my 05 workhorse the chrome caps do not come off

But the proper size wrench will take 'em off with no problem

Two suggestions. If you can get one off with a big cresent take it to sears

If not, take very careful measurements and take those to sears

Or use modeling clay to model it and that the model to Sears

 

[Howard R]

That 'throw away' wrench tells me you may have Dicor wheel simulators or at least the nuts.  While some nuts for the simulators pull off as others have said, on our 99 Mirada and our "newer" 01 Southwind they do indeed unscrew.

On those types you will find either a __ or possibly a dimple (I have only seen the __) on two of the nuts ... these are the ones that hold the wheel cover/simulator on the wheel.  The supplied wrench should do the job, but as I found the first time on the Southwind I had to use a good sized crescent to loosen them, didn't have a socket large enough.

These are the only 2 models I have paid close attention to though.

Howard
01 Southwind 35R