Trailer wheel bolts

RibinSpain · 06 September 2007, 14:34

I just tried to loosen my trailer wheel bolts, fortunately in the comfort of the boat yard & not at the roadside in an emergency. Anyway, after only 1 year & c 15 immersions in the warm med sea I was jumping on the spanner to get them loosened, the wheel brace was useless.

I managed it & smothered them all in grease before putting them back on. The water ingressed & corroded to about half the length of the bolt. I reckon in an emergency at the roadside it would have to have been a callout.

I don´t know if all bolts are the same but a 19mm ring spanner got more leverage than a wheel brace which kept slipping off the bolt.

Hope it helps.

wavelength · 06 September 2007, 14:58

carry one of those cheap extendable wheel brace tools. The extra bit of leverage does the trick and if you have a jack that actually fits the trailer and not just the tow vehicle so much the better. A set of plasters for your knuckles is always a good idea too

Rogue Wave · 07 September 2007, 08:16

during my life I have found many uses for a piece of scaffolding toob, but since I found Buddism I just keep one for us as a torque amplifier. I find the extra leverage allows me to exert a more controlled effort as opposed to getting in their and grunting it out.

Ring spanners are usually better than wheel braces on these occasions but a periodice checking/greasing of the trailer is better still. There is now also a spray/freeze loob on the market which is supposed to be nifty. I bought some but so far haven't used it

Chris · 07 September 2007, 14:30

I have bought one of these for use on my trailer along with a few Snap On sockets.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SNAP-ON-1-2-DR...QQcmdZViewItem

jyasaki · 07 September 2007, 16:02

I use anti-corrosion spray (Boeshield T9, Corrosion Block, etc.) on lug studs and nuts. Seems to work OK for the threads that are actually engaged; doesn't do a whole lot for those that are exposed, though (more frequent application would probably go a long ways, but there's a lot of other stuff calling for attention on my boat...)

jky

jwalker · 07 September 2007, 20:15

Grease up the threads with water resistant grease and follow up the normal nuts with another set of nuts to keep the treads good. Works fine for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wavelength

..carry one of those cheap extendable wheel brace tools.

Yup, that works for me too but take care not to evertighten the nuts when fitting them.