Missing wheel stud (and the nut) - Adelaide

we carry several spare studs and nuts for the tug and the van - watch the mechanic and you'll learn how to do it yourself - not difficult

Dave,
it's a common problem and is easily repairable.
Check the other nuts (Don't over tighten to compensate for the missing one).
Then go directly to the nearest trailer/caravan service centre (or Brake service) at a reduced speed.
There are number of causes for the breakage either on their own or in conjunction with one or more of the others.
# Poor metalergy of the stud.
# Over or under tightening of the nut(s).
# Nut doesn't match stud hole profile.
# Cracked powder coating on rear mating surface of wheel that allows the wheel to wobble a little when under high loads. The rear mating surface should have been cleaned back to bare metal when the wheels where fitted or at least during the vans first service.
# Incorrect tyre pressure.
# Wheels out of balance. Have the van wheels been balanced??????
The Industry recommendation is the after fitting a wheel the tension of the nuts should be check again after around 100Km and then every 100Km.
Best of luck,
Ozjohn.

The wheel stud has broken off and the nut has gone with it, the remains of the stud are probably still in place.

Straight forward easy job......take the hub off and belt what is left out with a pin punch and pull a new one in with the flat side of a wheel nut.

Not a bad idea to replace your wheel studs from time to time, they do waer stretch and break.

If you are buying well from a trailer parts suppiler in a big city they will cost you $2 to $3 each...if you are buying retail in outerwhykickamoocow they will probaly cost you $20 a throw.

definitely worth carrying allong with a set of bearings..... or take the easy option, carry a couple of complete assembled and greased spare hubs.

cheers

http://www.exploroz.com/Members/92954.75/7/2011/Toyota_Wheel_Studs_-_Replacing_the_standard_78_79_series_studs_with_custom_made__high_tensile_units.aspx?ky=&p=%2fMembers%2f92954.8%2fMyBlog.aspx

MickO had a similar problem on his Toyota. He covers the story above. The best place to fix wheel studs it is in Adelaide. Check the story out and MickO has it well and truly covered as well as where in Adelaide. It is in the nothern suburbs and the people are very good craftsmen. I went there with MickO when he got it repaired. It would be interesting to see a similar blog on van wheel stud repairs.

Mick is currently freezing in Canada and may not be able to reply before you get to Adelaide.

Dave, I can't help with a repairer but if your coming into Adelaide from Port Wakefield, there are a few Caravan places that may be able to help you. They are on the left hand side and you can't really miss them.
If your coming in from Murray Bridge, Males at Murray Bridge have been around for a while.
Any mechanic or tyre dealer should be able to help you out too.
As others have said, they aren't difficult to do once you know how to do them.

Probably because the nut had been over-tightened, perhaps because a rattle-gun had been used.

Having had the same problem I now always undo, then redo, using a conventional X-brace whenever a third party fiddles with my wheels.

As to replacement, I'll leave that advice to somebody who's had to do that recently, it's years since I had to do it and I've forgotten what complications might arise with brake drums, discs, getting the studs in behind the whatever etc etc.

Good Luck,
DickyBeach

SA trailers at 136 port wakfield road, cavan Ph 0882627170.
They will have all that you will need , good mob to deal with , they can do the job for you if you dont want to do it yourself.
I would change all of the studs on that hub just icase the others have stretched.
Regards bob

Dave

It is always worth reading this article when you are towing a van or trailer on unsealed roads.http://www.caravanandmotorhomebooks.com/articles/why_wheels_fall_off.html Replacing a broken stud is easy enough but it is not a bad idea to try and find out why it broke in the first place. If it happens once it can happen again and it can be worse. It is not uncommon to hear of cases where all the studs have broken at the same time. This happened to a friends car a couple of years ago but it is much more common on trailers.

Make sure whoever replaces the stud checks the rest of them. I would be inclined to replace the whole five. When one goes the remaining ones are left doing more than their share of the work. The longer you drive the more stressed they get.

Find out the correct tension and stick to it. The van manufacturer should be able to tell you if it is not listed in any information that came with the van. If they are 12 mm studs. it will most likely be somewhere around 80 to 100 ft/lbs. 14 mm studs could be as high as about 150. That creates a problem because it is not easy to go that high with ordinary wheel changing tools. Most people won't go far enough and if they put a piece of pipe on the end of their wheel brace and try, chances are they will go too far and start the stud on the path to failure.