Ruined wheel, need advice on what I need and where to look

Sept 3, 2014 16:01:12 GMT -8 saphie113 said:

So on our way out of town Friday, two of the lug bolts sheered off our 1961 Astrodome.  They think one failed from age causing the other to give.) Thankfully, everyone is safe, but we need a new wheel.  What exactly do I measure to be able to describe what I'm looking for?  And where do we start looking?  


We are a bit heartbroken at having this set back as we head into the fall camping season, but I am trying to focus on the positive.  No one was hurt and there wasn't even a broken window, which was surprising to me since it hit the ground so hard that you can see the impact if you drive over where it happened.  There are two long gauges in the asphault that then head off to the shoulder.

When was the last time the wheel was off the trailer? Were the lug nuts correctly torqued? A 1/2" lug nut should be (measured) at least 85# of torque. If driven with loose lug nuts, they will "quickly" break, and elongate the holes in the wheel. Check the other side.

Replacing a trailer wheel is easy (even cheap) unless you want it to also mount a hub cap. Most replacement trailer wheels do not have a provision for a hub cap. Most old trailer wheels were from cars and trucks made during the same time period of the trailer. As BigBill said you need to know the number of bolt holes, the diameter of the bolt hole pattern, measure the back space from the hub mounting surface to the edge of the rim, and you need the correct rim size for the tire you will be using (see the other side).  Take the other wheel and tire with you to compare whan you go for a replacement.

You will also need to replace "all the studs" in the old hub, if it is not damaged beyond repair. Good time to pull the hubs and check the bearings. I would also suggest you make two quick alignment checks to make sure you did not tweak anything during the accident,

1) Measure from the outside of the axle to the towing ball on the hitch. Do the same for the other side, axle to the ball. It does not really matter what you measure, as long as you use the same points on each side. The measurement should be within 1/8" side to side.

2) Measure the toe in, of the axle. The tires can be straight to approximately 1/8" narrower in the front. All you need is a steel tape measure, two straight edges, and four blocks to hold the straight edges up. A total of five minutes. If you find a toe measurement of more than 1/8", or toed in more than zero, you will have excessive tire wear, or a poor handling trailer.

Again, you have had a serious accident, and it only takes a few minutes to make sure everything is still OK.