OK my question.our company use these water drop shaped pointer.that slip over lug nut .is there an optimal way to install these that will remove head and indicate if lug but turned?
trucker wheel nut check .
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We have a lot of big rigs on the road in Nebraska, and I have to say I have never seen these on one truck,never. Am I right in saying that you are asking what the best reference point would be for the pointers? I would guess that having the pointers pointing toward each other on adjacent lugs bolts would be the best choice. That way you have eliminated any confusion on the reference mark. Upping the fine for loose lug nuts by about a thousand percent would all but eliminate this type of a defect.
They should be installed to point at the stud in "front" of them and in a direction that if a nut loosens, the pointer is pointing towards the tire, not the hub.
Although they could help identify a loose lugnut, I like them for identifying a dragging brake or wheel bearing problem. They melt at (standard WheelChecks) 248'F and the high-temp WC's at, I believe, 450'F. A melted WheelCheck on one side typically identifies either a dragging brake, a brake on the other side not doing it's share of braking, or a wheel bearing that's running hot.
I've discovered a lot of brake issues observing buses pulling in from duty and have seen rear WC's melted while fronts remained intact (front brakes way out of adjustment/not working correctly due to bad slacks or a bad valve) and mid-axle WC's melted with front and rears intact indicating a brake imbalance.
I spec them on all of our equipment. They are just another tool an observant maintenance manager can use to manage his herd and they do give equipment operators a way to identify what should be tight lugnuts.
Although they could help identify a loose lugnut, I like them for identifying a dragging brake or wheel bearing problem. They melt at (standard WheelChecks) 248'F and the high-temp WC's at, I believe, 450'F. A melted WheelCheck on one side typically identifies either a dragging brake, a brake on the other side not doing it's share of braking, or a wheel bearing that's running hot.
I've discovered a lot of brake issues observing buses pulling in from duty and have seen rear WC's melted while fronts remained intact (front brakes way out of adjustment/not working correctly due to bad slacks or a bad valve) and mid-axle WC's melted with front and rears intact indicating a brake imbalance.
I spec them on all of our equipment. They are just another tool an observant maintenance manager can use to manage his herd and they do give equipment operators a way to identify what should be tight lugnuts.
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Originally Posted By: Fleetmon
They should be installed to point at the stud in "front" of them and in a direction that if a nut loosens, the pointer is pointing towards the tire, not the hub.
That's the way I have seen them. They are pretty much universal around here for the last 4-5 years.
They should be installed to point at the stud in "front" of them and in a direction that if a nut loosens, the pointer is pointing towards the tire, not the hub.
That's the way I have seen them. They are pretty much universal around here for the last 4-5 years.
They started to appear on all the garbage trucks around here when a wheel came off of one and killed someone last year.
They're brilliant. Should be on every truck.
They're brilliant. Should be on every truck.
A couple of jobs ago, I worked on a failure investigation where wheels were coming off of Baltimore city buses. They were using these indicators and convincing themselves that everything was hunky-dory because the lug nuts weren't turning. Thing is, there was an insert placed between the inner and outer dual wheels that was intended to prevent marring the wheel surface. What it did was to creep and relieve the tension in the wheel stud, effectively de-torquing the lugs.
I'm not saying that the lug indicators are a total waste, but they're not the end all be all of wheel safety, either.
I'm not saying that the lug indicators are a total waste, but they're not the end all be all of wheel safety, either.
The spacers were called Wheel Savers and were originally intended to be used between steel inner wheels and aluminum outer wheels. The spacers slowly disintergrated, created a space between the wheels which led to loose wheels which quickly broke wheel studs and caused wheel-offs.
Wheel-Checks are best used as heat indicators and can be used as a tool for drivers pre-trip inspections....provided their maintenance program is up to par to begin with. In Baltimores situation, there were a lot of maintenance failures happening at once and a lot of attention focused on the wrong areas.
Wheel-Checks are best used as heat indicators and can be used as a tool for drivers pre-trip inspections....provided their maintenance program is up to par to begin with. In Baltimores situation, there were a lot of maintenance failures happening at once and a lot of attention focused on the wrong areas.
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Originally Posted By: Fleetmon
The spacers were called Wheel Savers and were originally intended to be used between steel inner wheels and aluminum outer wheels. The spacers slowly disintergrated, created a space between the wheels which led to loose wheels which quickly broke wheel studs and caused wheel-offs.
Not quite... the spacers were made of polypropylene. PP will creep at room temperature (and faster at high temperature). The spacers were perfectly intact when they came out of service, but they were roughly 0.010" thinner than when they started.
The spacers were called Wheel Savers and were originally intended to be used between steel inner wheels and aluminum outer wheels. The spacers slowly disintergrated, created a space between the wheels which led to loose wheels which quickly broke wheel studs and caused wheel-offs.
Not quite... the spacers were made of polypropylene. PP will creep at room temperature (and faster at high temperature). The spacers were perfectly intact when they came out of service, but they were roughly 0.010" thinner than when they started.
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