Trailer lug nuts - oil or dry?

[rbortnem]

I have heard that you should never oil the threads on wheel lugs because they might loosen up in use. This might be just an old wives tale without any basis in fact. A couple of days ago I tried to pull off a wheel on a snowmobile trailer to fix a flat tire and ended up having to replace the hub because the lug nuts were so frozen to the studs that one of the studs started to spin in the hub. What is the right way to prevent this from happening again? Anti-seize paste?

 

[kevinj54]

All my stuff gets never seize. Back the torque off about 10%.

Been doing that on everything from off road thru class 8 truck & trailer for over 30 years.

Follow proper torque & re-torque and they will stay tight

 

[Dean]

Good advice for lug nuts on highway vehicles that operate at speed and are removed regularly. Not an issue on farm equipment.

I use anti sieze on just about everything, including farm equipment lug nuts.

Dean

 

[John T]

Over many years of farming, trucking and trailering, Ive heard ALL THOSE OPINIONS some say grease,, some say never grease,, some say no tellin what lol I SAY TO EACH THEIR OWN

HOWEVER I have ALWAYS cleaned, wire brushed, then applied light lube on wheel studs, torqued and re torqued n checked on a regular basis

AND IVE NEVER HAD ANY COME LOOSE AND IVE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO REMOVE THE NUTS EVEN AFTER YEARS OF SERVICE

So thats my opinion and how I plan to continue REGARDLESS IF OTHERS HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION unless and until I see hard scientific evidence and data to the contrary (NOT just cuz Billy Bob thinks so). NOTE Im ALSO considering the ease of removal after years of harsh condition use into the equation which is where lube reduces the rusting together to such an extent you break things trying to remove the nuts..Sure if theres no lube they may or may not stay on better, but if Im broke down on the road I wanna be able to remove the nuts,,,,

John T

 

[Chip812]

My Dad always put a drop of oil on the lugs (or in the nuts) before installing them... I do the same... Never had one come off...
8)

 

[Ken-Pa]

My Dad always squirted oil on the studs , but I"ve learned that no matter what you put on the threads , it flies off if you use an air impact . But I changed from using oil on wheel studs to using the Gold Never Seize . Just a lite swipe is all that"s needed . Sure helps when taking the nuts off . By the way , I"ve not found a loose nut (other than the guy screwing with the nuts) by using lube on those threads .HTH ! God bless, Ken

 

[Maxx]

Always use anti-seize here.
I just recheck the torque after a couple of miles.
On my trailers I travel with an infrared thermometer and check hub temp occasionally to keep an eye out for bearing issues.

 

[JML755]

I've never used anti-seize or other treatment on car tires. Have used it on tractor tires or other assembly tasks if it's a pita to get to the bolt or it's out in the open exposed to the elements. But since I've got an o/a setup I worry less about frozen bolts. I'll spray a nut with PB Blaster and if it doesn't come loose right away, I pull out the torch.

 

[showcrop]

I always use neverseize on trailers implements tractors etc. but not on high use vehicles which get the wheels pulled every year anyway. When you look at torque specs you sometimes see where it takes less for lubricated threads. Torque values in pretty much all manuals that I have used specify dry but clean.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Just the opposite is the truth. Any fastener is more apt to come loose because it wasn't tightened properly, which can mean dry, dirty, damaged, or otherwise problematic threads.
This is one place where lubricating AND running the nut on, or the stud in and out several times with the wheel/rim NOT on should be required. Maybe that last half thread is the culprit. Too many use an air wrench too powerful for the job, and don't know, or care how hard the fastener is turning.
I used to never sieze on my heavy truck wheels. They started to get gummy and sticky. Then I went to a thin oil. (Marvel Mystery Oil) just because I keep some in a squirt can. Have had no problems.

 

[Mike M]

I use a little neverseze and a torque wrench. Even more
important is to put some around the center pilot hub this
keeps the rims from growing fast to the hub.

 

[onefarmer]

I have always lubed with what ever was available. Be it oil or grease or wheel bearing grease. Never has a wheel come loose, except once when the tire dealer failed to tighten them

 

[Mel in SW Iowa]

I like to thin Permatex anti seize 50/50 with 5/30-15/40 motor oil, whichever is available. Makes the anti seize easier to apply, doesn't dry out as quick, and saves money. Torque to lubricated or minimum listed values. I have never had a lubed thread gall up and seize, but I have experienced that on dry threads. Wipe the lube off of exposed threads when you are done if you want to cut dirt buildup.

 

[RayP(MI)]

I have had far too many fights with frozen lug nuts, bolts. Especially steel nuts on aluminum wheels. Every lug gets lubed, not only on the threads, but on the shoulders of the nut/bolt. Torqued to the proper amount, they don't come loose. In fact, lubrication probably allows them to get tighter on the same torque setting. Usually use white lithium, gun grease, or anti-sieze, depending what I have on hand.

 

[David G]

A little dab of grease

 

[rbortnem]

Thanks to everyone, for your input and sharing your time proven experience. By the way, I went with a light film of Permatex anti-seize paste.
For what it's worth, I decided to do a second trailer as well because the new hubs I found (Ultra-Tow, Ultra-Pack from Northern Tool) feature a new greasing system that I think is better than Bearing Buddy. This time I pulled the hubs off with the wheels attached and soaked the threads with Kroil and spun the nuts off easily, even though they looked as bad as the ones on the first trailer. I took the extra precaution mostly to make it easier to reuse the wheels not to save the hubs.

 

[Owen Aaland]

Liability issues are the reason manufacturers always state to never use lubricant on the threads. OSHA is also involved with the regulations. The clamping force created by stretching the studs or bolts is what holds the wheels tight. Different lubricants will have amounts of torque needed to achieve this clamping force. The only way a manufacturer can be sure the clamping force is correct it to have a standard way of tightening the bolts/nuts. That is why the torque specs are always given for clean and dry threads.

On the other hand the only wheels I have had that have come loose are those that were assembled dry. I uses NeverSeize for years but switched to Mobil Synthetic grease a few years ago. It provides better corrosion resistance than the NeverSeize.

 

[rlp in Co.]

Well, I have been using silicon on lug nuts for many years now and it has been working great for me. In fact I have been using it on almost every nut and bolt now, especially a bolt that fits into aluminum. You can take the nuts and bolts apart ten years later and they will come apart like you put them on yesterday. I use the cheap house silicon. Of course, I always do things differently than most people. I have even been doing a little experimenting with just using silicon and no lock washers.

 

[Texasmark1]

I always lube studs/bolts that are infrequently removed and usually
use PB Blaster penetrating oil. If you are a torque wrench hardware
installer, the torque value of a certain sized/grade fastener is
irrespective of friction. Therefore the lube helps you to get the
accurate torque value between the surfaces to be mated, not the
bolt to mating thread "fastening" value.

Mark