Let's see I only had the truck two days and I already have a question for you all.
I am reading the owners manual for our new 2016 F-450 and it states:
"On vehicles equipped with dual rear wheels retighten the wheel lug nuts to the specified torque at 100 miles and again at 500 miles of new vehicle operation and after any wheel disturbance (such as tire rotation, changing a flat or wheel removal)."
I do not have a torque wrench, so am I to assume I need to find a Ford dealer or a tire shop and have them (pay them) to check the torque as detailed above? Should I just buy a torque wrench that can be used on the F-450 lugs so I can do this myself each time? Does anyone have one or recommend where I could buy one?
Thanks!
igotjam said
03:10 PM Mar 26, 2016
Good advise but one that most do not heed. If it were me, I'd go to the nearest tire shop or Ford dealer and have them torque them. I doubt if they would charge you anything. I've had duallies for 9 years and replaced tires etc and never retorqued them after having the wheels off. Even the Ford dealers who service my duallie and rotate tires have never asked me to return for a retorque. My guess is that the manual states that as a "cover your ass" thing.
Dave and Denise said
04:00 PM Mar 26, 2016
igotjam wrote:
Good advise but one that most do not heed. If it were me, I'd go to the nearest tire shop or Ford dealer and have them torque them. I doubt if they would charge you anything. I've had duallies for 9 years and replaced tires etc and never retorqued them after having the wheels off. Even the Ford dealers who service my duallie and rotate tires have never asked me to return for a retorque. My guess is that the manual states that as a "cover your ass" thing.
Thanks...I might be a bit overly anxious when it comes to the tire situation. This is our first foray into the trailer life and for years I have read so much about tire management, air pressure, blowouts and have seen firsthand some of the resulting damage.
I never checked torque in any of my vehicles or my F-150, but didn't know if there was something unique about DRW that made Ford put that special statement in the owners manual. It doesn't say that for SRW.
Terry and Jo said
07:52 PM Mar 26, 2016
I was like so many others in the world in that I had never owned a torque wrench either, in spite of driving professionally for a while and working on the farm. Then, when we got our Mobile Suites, there was a lot of discussion on the forums about torque on the trailer wheels. Since the torque rated for those wheels was 150 ft lbs, I thought maybe I ought to buy one. So, with the advice of others to get one where the target torque amount would be in the middle of the range for the torque wrench, I went to Lowe's and found a Kobalt torque wrench that was rated as 0 to 250 ft lbs. While we don't move much at all, I still crawl under the coach before we do move and check the torque.
All that said, I've never torqued the truck's wheels.
Terry
Rickl said
06:27 AM Mar 27, 2016
Having been in the tire industry for 35+ years I will say this, if you read most invoices coming out of the shops now it will clearly state that you MUST retorque your wheels within a specified distance (usually 50-100 miles). In fact in Canada on commercial vehicles it's the law.
I would highly recommend retorquing if for no other reason your own piece of mind. I believe most shops will now charge for this service. Buying a torque wrench would be your best bet, but make sure you buy a decent one. Stay away from Harbour Freight pricing is my advice. Also a lot of people don't realize that you SHOULD have the torque wrench recalibrated every year so it accuracy is maintained.
Dave and Denise said
08:01 AM Mar 27, 2016
OK, I am driving it about 100 miles today, so tomorrow I will look into getting a torque wrench. I think the manual said about 160 ft lbs so I will get something to keep it in the mid range. Just one more new item for us to get that we didn't plan on. These seem to pop up more than we had expected.
CurveCarver said
10:27 AM Mar 27, 2016
IMHO this is overkill. I concur with "igotjam" Save your money, stop at any reputable tire place and they will check them for you in minutes for free, course you can always offer a tip if you like. The chances of loose lugs from the factory is mighty slim.
Glenn West said
10:46 AM Mar 27, 2016
I'm not changing tires nor re-torquing them. That what tire shops are for. They are heavy.
Neil and Connie said
10:53 AM Mar 28, 2016
On our 2012 F450 I have to retorque the lug nuts probably 3-4 times before they're finally fully seated after having a tire off. They're not real loose…but enough so they move just a tad before the torque wrench clicks. Same with the ones on our New Horizons.
Probably best to just buy a torque wrench…finding somebody to do it is just too danged hard.
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
03:29 PM Mar 28, 2016
Glenn West wrote:
I'm not changing tires nor re-torquing them. That what tire shops are for. They are heavy.
Glenn- in our case any of the Loves tire service centers will do a free retorque. Just pull around and ask.
Yeah, I'm not torquing 40 truck lug nuts to 450ftlb, or changing tires, or even picking one of those tires up!
Let's see I only had the truck two days and I already have a question for you all.
I am reading the owners manual for our new 2016 F-450 and it states:
"On vehicles equipped with dual rear wheels retighten the wheel lug nuts to the specified torque at 100 miles and again at 500 miles of new vehicle operation and after any wheel disturbance (such as tire rotation, changing a flat or wheel removal)."
I do not have a torque wrench, so am I to assume I need to find a Ford dealer or a tire shop and have them (pay them) to check the torque as detailed above? Should I just buy a torque wrench that can be used on the F-450 lugs so I can do this myself each time? Does anyone have one or recommend where I could buy one?
Thanks!
Thanks...I might be a bit overly anxious when it comes to the tire situation. This is our first foray into the trailer life and for years I have read so much about tire management, air pressure, blowouts and have seen firsthand some of the resulting damage.
I never checked torque in any of my vehicles or my F-150, but didn't know if there was something unique about DRW that made Ford put that special statement in the owners manual. It doesn't say that for SRW.
I was like so many others in the world in that I had never owned a torque wrench either, in spite of driving professionally for a while and working on the farm. Then, when we got our Mobile Suites, there was a lot of discussion on the forums about torque on the trailer wheels. Since the torque rated for those wheels was 150 ft lbs, I thought maybe I ought to buy one. So, with the advice of others to get one where the target torque amount would be in the middle of the range for the torque wrench, I went to Lowe's and found a Kobalt torque wrench that was rated as 0 to 250 ft lbs. While we don't move much at all, I still crawl under the coach before we do move and check the torque.
All that said, I've never torqued the truck's wheels.
Terry
I would highly recommend retorquing if for no other reason your own piece of mind. I believe most shops will now charge for this service. Buying a torque wrench would be your best bet, but make sure you buy a decent one. Stay away from Harbour Freight pricing is my advice. Also a lot of people don't realize that you SHOULD have the torque wrench recalibrated every year so it accuracy is maintained.
On our 2012 F450 I have to retorque the lug nuts probably 3-4 times before they're finally fully seated after having a tire off. They're not real loose…but enough so they move just a tad before the torque wrench clicks. Same with the ones on our New Horizons.
Probably best to just buy a torque wrench…finding somebody to do it is just too danged hard.
Glenn- in our case any of the Loves tire service centers will do a free retorque. Just pull around and ask.
Yeah, I'm not torquing 40 truck lug nuts to 450ftlb, or changing tires, or even picking one of those tires up!