Wheel-off related incidents are more common than the public is aware of. These incidents usually result in property damage, injury, or even worse, death. Luckily, these instances can be avoided by applying some preventive measures during the wheel mounting process. The TIA has developed the acronym “RIST”: Remove debris from mating surfaces, Inspect Components for damage or excessive wear, Snug Fasteners in a star pattern, Torque to specification. This may take some time during the mounting process, but there are many tools and equipment to speed up the process, including stud, hub, and nut cleaners, reference guides for inspection, thread pitch gauges, torque wrenches, and even torque guns.
The Importance of Proper Torquing
Under-torquing may lead to a loose wheel nut, while over-torquing may stretch the stud, leading to a loose wheel nut. A simple tool to check for stretched studs is the Counteract 22mm thread pitch gauge. It allows the user to quickly inspect a 22mm stud’s threads for damaged or stretched studs.
Counteract’s List of Available Items
Here’s a list of available items from Counteract to help implement this program:
- ½” impact-rated stud and hub cleaners
- 22mm wire brush to clean threads on 33mm nut
- Nut track to lock 33mm nut in position
- 10.7 mm wire brush to clean valve stem wheel hole
- 28mm wire brush to clean stud holes
- 33mm wire brush to clean threads and mounting holes
- 22mm thread pitch gauge to check for stretched studs.
Check out our Wheel End Maintenance Kits at the link below:
Wheel End Maintenance Kits
