Torque Multiplier for lug nuts

[Steve-n-Sue]

Having recently suffered a flat and being stranded, I have decided to carry a torque multiplier to break the lugs on my Winnebago Adventurer 38j with 245/75/R22.5's.
My question is how do I correctly re-torque them to the proper spec? (And the first one to tell me to turn the handle the other way, gets a smack!)

Thanks for all input!

 

[BoomerD]

Well...duh...turn the handle the other way! 


Either torque them with just a torque wrench...OR, if you know the multiplication factor of the multiplier...set your torque wrench to the appropriate  number.

(if it's a 10:1 multiplier and you want 500 ft/lbs of final torque, set the torque wrench to 50 lbs.)

(it's been a couple of decades since I dealt with TM's, so I MIGHT have that wrong...but I THINK that's right)

 

[Old Racer]

I am seriously afraid I would these days need a torque multiplier for ME to handle that job.

 

[Rene T]

If it's a 3 to 1, multiply the torque wrench dial number by 3 to get the actual torque.
If it's a 4 to 1, multiply the torque wrench dial number by 4 to get the actual torque.

 

[SargeW]

That question has been pondered quite a bit on various forums. I haven't yet seen a definitive answer, other than to just "crank it down hard".  Not too scientific.  But at 450 to 500# of torque on each lug, too tight is probably not a big worry. 

Part two of the equation is carrying a jack capable of lifting your rig high enough with enough rated capacity to get the tires off the ground.

I considered this very thing myself recently. Looked at lots of Torque Multipliers on Amazon, and at the heavy duty hydraulic/air combo bottle jack from Harbor Freight.  I have yet to pull the trigger on either. 

 

[Corky]

FWIW I built a hydraulic press for straightening shafts, and pushing out bushing and bearings. I used the air over hydraulic bottle jack from Harbor Freight and the air side failed the 2nd time we used it. Now we have to pump up the pressure manually. Some items are a good deal. some are not.

Corky

 

[BoomerD]

That question has been pondered quite a bit on various forums. I haven't yet seen a definitive answer, other than to just "crank it down hard".  Not too scientific.  But at 450 to 500# of torque on each lug, too tight is probably not a big worry. 

Part two of the equation is carrying a jack capable of lifting your rig high enough with enough rated capacity to get the tires off the ground.

I considered this very thing myself recently. Looked at lots of Torque Multipliers on Amazon, and at the heavy duty hydraulic/air combo bottle jack from Harbor Freight.  I have yet to pull the trigger on either.

I guess I figure that's why these coaches have leveling jacks...

When we lost a tire on the way home from Yellowstone, I simply ran the jacks down and lifted the front tire off the pavement for the tire guy.

 

[SargeW]

And that's entirely doable (although not recommended). The difficulty would be is if the vehicle is slightly off level, like being on the side of the road the jack wouldn't push the rig up, as opposed to sideways. 

 

[Happy Prospector]

Having recently suffered a flat and being stranded, I have decided to carry a torque multiplier to break the lugs on my Winnebago Adventurer 38j with 245/75/R22.5's.
My question is how do I correctly re-torque them to the proper spec? (And the first one to tell me to turn the handle the other way, gets a smack!)

Thanks for all input!

Steve, to make the flat tire removal easier what I bought was a Milwaukee Impact. It makes the job a whole lot easier than using a lug wrench or a lug bar. You would still need to torque down the lug nuts afterwards.
All my flats seem to happen on a hot day along side the freeway and a impact will get the job done quicker. One 18 volt battery will remove and replace  the lugs nuts with power to spare.

 

[kdbgoat]

Steve, to make the flat tire removal easier what I bought was a Milwaukee Impact. It makes the job a whole lot easier than using a lug wrench or a lug bar. You would still need to torque down the lug nuts afterwards.
All my flats seem to happen on a hot day along side the freeway and a impact will get the job done quicker. One 18 volt battery will remove and replace  the lugs nuts with power to spare.

km

I don't think that 18 volt cordless impact will work on a class A with 22.5" wheels.

 

[TonyDtorch]

km

I don't think that 18 volt cordless impact will work on a class A with 22.5" wheels.

I agree....no 18 volt impact is going to do wheel lug nuts on a 22" semi truck wheel.

if you ever have to change an inside dual wheel on the side of a road......... you will know why it's better to just call a tire truck.

About the best you can do..... is have a spare wheel so when the tire truck shows up he can put make quick work with 1" drive air impact gun.

 

[kdbgoat]

I agree....no 18 volt impact is going to do wheel lug nuts on a truck wheel, having been a truck driver for years I don't think changing a 22" truck wheel is not really a job for the average rv owner, those lugs are really on there.

About the best you can do..... is have a spare wheel so when the tire truck shows up he can put make quick work with 1" drive air impact gun.

and if you ever have to change an inside dual wheel on the side of a road......... you will know why it's better to just call a tire truck.

If you have ever changed the inner at all... you will know why it's better to just call a tire truck. ;D

 

[Rene T]

km

I don't think that 18 volt cordless impact will work on a class A with 22.5" wheels.

I have no idea what the big tires require for torque, but this gun torques up to 600 ft/lbs.

 

[William52]

I think mine are 165 lbs foot If you have a DP you have air use an Impact to loosen? A 1/2 torque wrench should go 250/300? You never gave a spec.BTW  The guys in a truck stop use an 3/4 impact. (GAT) good an tight.

 

[kdbgoat]

I have no idea what the big tires require for torque, but this gun torques up to 600 ft/lbs.

Buy one and try it. Let us know how it works on 22.5" wheels.

 

[SargeW]

The torque on my Freightliner chassis wheels are 450-500 fl lbs. All 10 of them.......

 

[TonyDtorch]

The torque on my Freightliner chassis wheels are 450-500 fl lbs. All 10 of them.......

it typically takes way more than 500 ft lbs of torque to loosen a nut  that was tightened to 500 ft. lbs....  a couple years ago.

my memories of standing on the side of the road many times before..... seeing those air guns the tire trucks use with that giant truck mounted air compressor and put out around 1500 ft. lbs.of torque,......  some times they will bare into a lug for a bit before it's comes off.

 

[dktool]

this gun torques up to 600 ft/lbs.

:  So says the box !

 

[MMW]

:  So says the box !

New, fully charged battery.  Good for one nut @ 600 ft-lbs.  ;D

 

[jubileee]

  Anytime you run a torque wrench through a torque multiplier or cheater extension, the numbers get skewed. The is much discussion on this subject on the net. My personal experience is that the torque wrench reading is about 30 percent more than the torque applied to the nut. This is at 500 lbs/ foot, 3:1 multiplier or when torque wrench is applied to a 4' cheater. For some reason 3:1 multiplier and 4' cheater come out the same 30 percent discrepancy. In my tests, the 30 percent stays the same 100 though 500 lbs. I use 4' cheater pipe with a 1/2 inch drive socket welded to end ( to insert torque wrench) because it's much lighter and easier to handle than multiplier, not to mention cheaper. I use a breaker bar with the cheater to break the nuts, then zip them off with battery impact. 
  To recap, when I torque my wheels to 500 lbs. with 4' cheater  I set torque wrench to 165 lbs. With the 3:1 multiplier, wrench is set to 220 lbs. Just sharing my experiences and the way I do it. Not trying to start any arguments or anything and I know the percentages can be figured differently. I've checked my system with a 500 lb capable torque wrench, and different 1/2" and 3/4" torque wrenches, and it's close enough for me. +- 10 lbs. If you do some testing, I'm sure you'll have different settings. Flex in cheater, friction in multiplier brands, and ect.