Disaster on way to Portugal!!

[dpsuk999]

Oh I can be a lot more disrespectful than that if I try hard but hopefully my disrespectful comment will remind others to check their wheelnuts?

I have added a torque wrench to my tool chest, we all learn from incidents we are exposed to but the truck place could not believe what they saw, their comments were “this has been caused by loose wheel nuts because every one of the 6 nuts are at the top of the threads before finally shearing the bolts.

I put my faith in first recovery guys competence in been able to do his job, how many of us actually carry the necessary torque wrenches to check again after 100 miles

 

[PaulW2]

My Nuts are dead tight

Accountant?

 

[Grummyb]

we always check wheel nuts after 50 miles (not really keen on the 30 minute thing) and regularly will find 1 or 2 that will tighten up a little bit.
Looking at the pictures by the OP the snapped studs look like the ones that hold both wheels on i cant work out what people are on about when they say the inner bolts and yes they would all work loose once 1 has become the wheel can to wobble and that will make all the other come lose its has always been a problem with in the haulage indistry and none of the boffins know why i happens and despite lots of clever people trying to desin=gn some to prevent it happening they cant so i dont hold out much hope of the OP getting any back from a claim situation if they havnt carried out a retorque.

 

[nicholsong]

Yes I assume so, I have all the details of the first recovery incompetent guy!!

I have to say though the service, communication and efficiency of the RAC Arrival has been first class and I guess they can’t be held responsible for the 3rd party recovery agents but I will be filing a claim with them

I am glad you were alerted by the car driver before there was a catastrophic outcome and that you are in a safe place and self-sufficient.

From what I understand you contacted RAC Arrival with whom you have a contract for recovery. RAC, not you, selected an agent to fulfil RAC's contract with you.

In these circumstances both the agent and the RAC, as their Principal, are liable under English Law, which I assume applies to your contract with the RAC since your home base is Leeds.

I trust that you were not asked nor did sign any Indemnity Form before the recovery work/ wheel change started.

 

[Dolmen]

Perhaps? Your comment could have been more helpful to him too?

But I'm out of this thread so chat amongst yourselves.

You might be out of the thread, however, you aren't out of people's minds, I'm sure a lot of funsters will not forget your comments. It is not the content of the comment its the way you put it over, especially starting with 'I don't mean to be disrespectful' when you meant exactly that.

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[PaulW2]

All told that was actually extremely lucky...

I wonder whether there's any chance that the cause could be something other than failure to tighten the bolts sufficiently. For instance over-torquing, or the events around the blow out weakening the bolts, causing them to shear when torqued thereafter?

This sort of effect maybe

 

[funflair]

on i cant work out what people are on about when they say the inner bolts

The inner wheel is held on by bolts (actually nut on a stud) that go through the spacer, the outer wheel is then bolted to the spacer effectively covering the inner wheel studs.

 

[pappajohn]

Why a new hub, surely the studs can be pressed out and new pressed in....it only needs a large hammer if there's no access to a press.
It appears all the broken studs are still in the hub so the splined hub can't be damaged.

 

[dpsuk999]

I am glad you were alerted by the car driver before there was a catastrophic outcome and that you are in a safe place and self-sufficient.

From what I understand you contacted RAC Arrival with whom you have a contract for recovery. RAC, not you, selected an agent to fulfil RAC's contract with you.

In these circumstances both the agent and the RAC, as their Principal, are liable under English Law, which I assume applies to your contract with the RAC since your home base is Leeds.

I trust that you were not asked nor did sign any Indemnity Form before the recovery work/ wheel change started.

That’s correct and no I didn’t sign any indemnity form prior to the wheel change

 

[Mikey RV]

At the end of the day it’s great that you’re safe and still alive to talk about it. Hope you get back into your trip soon. And go and buy a lotto ticket.

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[Dutch 68]

I don't wish to be disrespectful but, are you sure the first mechanic did not tighten the wheel nuts?

It is ALWAYS stated that one should check the wheel nuts a few miles after a wheel change and the new wheel has settled.

This few miles would have given you time to source a socket that fitted in case you have another puncture?

You don't appear to have done either of these two things or am I mistaken?

Re torque can also be done after 30 minutes standing time except Mercedes , he might have torqued it correctly but uneven so the wheel didn’t sit properly, soon as rotation starts it loosens up, common occurrence when people do a rush job

 

[dpsuk999]

Why a new hub, surely the studs can be pressed out and new pressed in....it only needs a large hammer if there's no access to a press.
It appears all the broken studs are still in the hub so the splined hub can't be damaged.

Because (and because I guess this is a decent and through garage) the wheel hub assembly, see picture below) has damage and when you place the inner wheel onto it there is movement. The pic below with red circles shows how the metal of the hub has ground away so slight movement when the inner wheel is positioned on it

 

[Jon Stewart]

They don’t “have” be torqued or even tightened but it does help and if you are it’s more like 350nm.

I see the settings for standard Iveco 50C rear double is 290-350nm.

Had to get a bigger torque wrench!

 

[dpsuk999]

we always check wheel nuts after 50 miles (not really keen on the 30 minute thing) and regularly will find 1 or 2 that will tighten up a little bit.
Looking at the pictures by the OP the snapped studs look like the ones that hold both wheels on i cant work out what people are on about when they say the inner bolts and yes they would all work loose once 1 has become the wheel can to wobble and that will make all the other come lose its has always been a problem with in the haulage indistry and none of the boffins know why i happens and despite lots of clever people trying to desin=gn some to prevent it happening they cant so i dont hold out much hope of the OP getting any back from a claim situation if they havnt carried out a retorque.

The inner wheel and the spacer are mounted onto the wheel hub and then the outer wheel is mounted to the spacer (different wheel bolts and holes)

 

[dpsuk999]

I see the settings for standard Iveco 50C rear double is 290-350nm.

Had to get a bigger torque wrench!

Mine is the 70c21 chassis

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[dpsuk999]

Why a new hub, surely the studs can be pressed out and new pressed in....it only needs a large hammer if there's no access to a press.
It appears all the broken studs are still in the hub so the splined hub can't be damaged.

If no damage had occurred to the hub then yes it was just a matter of replacing the bolts and they can be hammered out

 

[Rogerwyn]

Looking at those studs looks like they have been over torqued possible by an impact wrench, the set up is standard but don’t take kindly to being tightened to within an inch of their lives, hope it’s all sorted fast and gets you back on the road

 

[PaulW2]

The inner wheel and the spacer are mounted onto the wheel hub and then the outer wheel is mounted to the spacer (different wheel bolts and holes)

So if the inner wheel blows the centre of gravity shifts, with the outer wheel carrying the entire weight, and there is an upward leveraging force on all the studs and bolts as the wheel rotates?

If so, possible hypothesis that studs were stretched/weakened after blowout, then possibly overtorqued when wheel was replaced, then ping, then intervention by a homem simpatico in a car?

 

[tacr2man]

Are they going to replace the rims as well ?

 

[gus-lopez]

What a disaster that thankfully ended reasonably well. safe onward travels once you are sorted.You might as well get the spare sorted whilst waiting for the hub.

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[funflair]

Are they going to replace the rims as well ?

Fair comment

 

[dpsuk999]

So if the inner wheel blows the centre of gravity shifts, with the outer wheel carrying the entire weight, and there is an upward leveraging force on all the studs and bolts as the wheel rotates?

If so, possible hypothesis that studs were stretched/weakened after blowout, then possibly overtorqued when wheel was replaced, then ping, then intervention by a homem simpatico in a car?

The tyre didn’t completely deflate, I had a warning on my tyre pressure system that the tyre was deflating and it deflated to approx 65psi before I managed to get to the SOS stop.

 

[gus-lopez]

The tyre didn’t completely deflate, I had a warning on my tyre pressure system that the tyre was deflating and it deflated to approx 65psi before I managed to get to the SOS stop.

View attachment 997057

View attachment 997060

Very odd damage that is? It looks like the rim has cut in to the wall of the tyre causing it to split & let go?

 

[dpsuk999]

Are they going to replace the rims as well ?

The inner rim is damaged so will be binned. I will use the spare for now. Iam going to get 7 new tyres whilst here, 6 for the motorhome and one for the spare, although I won’t have a rim for it I will source a spare rim when we finally get to the Algarve and get the 7th tyre fitted to it.

 

[dpsuk999]

I mean the spare will be binned (which was put on when I had the blow out on the original steel wheel) so ill get all round new tyres then source a new steel inner wheel and use that as my spare

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[dpsuk999]

Incidentally all the tyres are only 4 years old too

 

[Just smiffy]

Been an engineer and mechanic most of my life and never used a torque wrench… never had a problem with heads wheels or anything… again I just must be a lucky sod…

 

[meanders]

Time to leave L' Hobo alone methinks. While he may have not put the message over very well, the OP or anyone else can use the report button and let Jim decide. Enough have shared their views, none of which helps the OP, with whom we all have the greatest sympathy I am sure.

I hope the OP gets on the road again quickly, and I too think their guardian angel was present when this happened.

 

[lorger]

Scary stuff, glad you’re ok.

 

[dpsuk999]

Scary stuff, glad you’re ok.

It’s only when you re-live the circumstances and realize that if the wheels had come off at motorway speed (although I tend to stick at 58, just above HGV speed) then the consequences could have been catastrophic but I’m here to tell the tale and learn from it. The key learning is NEVER assume a professional has done the job correctly and check for yourself so YOU and only you are satisfied that the job has been done correctly, however I didn’t have a torque wrench I will certainly carry one in the future

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