Trailer Tire Flies Off at 55mph

[bigmac]

You have to torque 'em up (in a criss-cross pattern) at least yearly, and I'd do it before any long trip especially. You'll need a good torque wrench that will go to 90 ft lbs, and keep with with you on those trips.

[woobiedmd]

Here are the pictures from my misadventure

[JLeuck64]

So the morale of this story is... check your nuts! Often...

[thatsmrmastercraft]

Simple to follow pattern.

[scott023]

Originally Posted by JLeuck64

So the morale of this story is... check your nuts! Often...

You said it. Certainly doesn't hurt to check every time you stop.

[psychobilly]

Originally Posted by bigmac

Lug nuts probably loosened up, sheared a lug followed by the rest.

big mac said it....

Many years ago I built main line cable tv. I was following the owner of the company I worked for and we were running down I-10 coming out of New Orleans the night before. (BTW that was the first time we had ever been to NO so needless to say we were WASTED that night so when this happened I was WAY HUNG OVER!) I had noticed 3 lugs gone on the left rear duals on the old ford 1 ton I was drive'n but we said, she'll be right and went on. Well we were about in Crowley LA, coming up on an over pass, running 80 mph, and the speedometer pegged. Scratched my head, tapped the brakes and then all heII broke out! The outside tire passed us and hit my bosses step at his drivers door and jumped over his hood! The inside tire started flipping end over end and went all the way across I-10 and ended up on the east bound side in the ditch! TALK ABOUT THE PUCKER FACTOR!!!! I had traffic stopped on the West bound side where we were and the East bound side!!! When I finally got the truck and trailer stopped I got out and kissed I-10 in front of all the stopped traffic!!!


It's not a good feeling when you loos a tire man! You're dang lucky this wasn't messy, well worse than it was I should say. ;-)

[aaron.]

my 2000 prostar 190 (single axle) had the same issue. Had the wheel rip off on the interstate, cross the median, and then bounce over all the oncoming traffic into the ditch (phew).

i would have to stop every hour or so on the interstate ramps to re-tighten the lugs. My buddies 1999 ps190 single axle had the identical problem (he lost a wheel too).

I haven't had a single issue with my new trailer, even after towing the new boat further in one season than i pulled my old boat in it's lifetime...so i'm not sure what they did differently.

[yippikaiyay]

I lost a wheel from a friends trailer, luckily no one was hurt and the only damage was the trailer's fender.
But from that point on, I don't pull anyone's trailer without torquing the wheels first, and torque my own trailer wheels alot more regularly.

[old blue]

Lost a wheel in the middle of the night, dog tired, doing 75mph, cruise control on. Looked in the rear view mirror sparks like a hydroplane roostertail. I towed it like that for a ways.

Turns out that there was no grease in the bearing buddy, the wheel got hot and all the welds to the outer rim came apart.

[awal]

Not to thread jack, but have any of you broke a factory Mastercraft trailer wheel? I know that Mastercraft does not manufacture the wheel, but the stock one on the MC trailer? Last year while wipping down, I noticed a crack through one of the wheels! Did not hit anything that I can recall? 2000 Maristar, 14" wheel, of course they are not available!