Posted 2012-02-16 9:02 AM (#141058) Subject: Changing a tire
Expert
Posts: 1391 Location: North of Detroit, MI
As a small woman with not so much strength, I have invested in a "breaker bar" - a 2' long, 2" diameter steel pipe that I can place over the 4-way lug wrench to give me more leverage in removing lug nuts.
But I take it one step further. I always carry WD-40 (or similiar product) and before loosening the lug nuts and jacking up the vehicle, I spray each lug which works to loosen any grime on the stud.
Recently I was traveling with someone else and the tire on a loaded trailer had to be changed. She called for assistance and the "guy" arrived with his breaker bar & battery-operated impact wrench. I wasn't watching too closely, but it was after he had broken a stud and ruined the threads on another stud that I realized he jacked up the trailer before loosening anything and then had to use too much muscle. We then had to try to locate a repair shop that would be able to replace the studs in that wheel - which, by the way, was the electric brake axle - further complicating things.
No studs could be found at any parts stores - but the repair facility was at least able to re-arrange the existing ones to spread out the torque.
I truly believe if we had first "pre-lubed" the lug nuts/stud bolts with WD-40, and loosened them before jacking up the trailer, the studs would not have been damaged which increased our "down time" and repair costs.
Posted 2012-02-16 10:04 AM (#141063 - in reply to #141058) Subject: RE: Changing a tire
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
If the wheel studs are lubricated with an anti seize compound or synthetic grease BEFORE the lug nuts are wet torqued, their removal is much easier. Installing full wheel or hub covers will reduce the amount of rusting to the lug nuts.
Using a spray lubricant on the stud threads, will greatly reduce the lug nut removal efforts.