OK How many have changed there own wheel?

[Chopper Scott]

Cages are for the old widow makers and the split rims. Not much of an issue with the rims on our rigs except older stuff and schoolies. In fact you may have a hard time even getting most places to even work on that type of rim. I know someone that after repairing a tire on such a rim, beating the hell out of it while it was in the cage and leaving it sit for 1/2 an hour had the ring pop off as he was rolling it out of the cage. Unfortunately that was the last tire he fixed. Nasty stuff and best left to the pros.

[babell2]

Hey Camperbrat you listening?  I know some one was going out to help and teach but don't learn this one by your self.

Brice

[robertglines1]

Scott is rite about cage but I have noticed at my local truck tire place they still use it. I ask and was told they had recent injury with tire popping off 1 piece bud wheel.  I know they air up to about 75 and let sit 10minutes before taking up to final pressure. Only takes 1 awe sh-t to hurt you bad. dealing with allot of energy at rest-best kept at rest. Maybe I'm cautious with no reason.I'm no pro.     Bob

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I couldn't even begin to count how many times i have had the wheels on and off during the last 5-6 years.    Each winter it seems like i have one or two projects where i need to take off some or all of the wheels. This winter it was only one wheel, but it was on and off 4-5 times during the course of the project. The reason for so many times?  The project was one that took about 4-5 days to figure out what i wanted to do and what would work to do it. The Yuma/Mexico/California  area here has a lot of earthquakes, so each day when i get thru, the last thing i do is put my wheels back on and finger tighten the nuts. Even though i have it jacked and blocked i do not want to run the risk of having the bus knocked off of the blocks by a quake.

[buswarrior]

for the enlightenment of the newer folks...

Tire cages are a regular and modern tool in a tire shop. In fact, depending on your jurisdiction's labour laws, failing to have and use one is endangering your workers. Google "Tire zipper failure", it isn't about the rims anymore...

As for left or right turning threads...

Why don't we just LOOK AT THEM? pretty easy to determine where the tail of the threads comes out, turn the fastener accordingly. You only have to check your own coach the first time...

Hub pilot wheels are usually all right turning. Stud pilot wheels are one way on one side, the other way on the other... yes, I'm being evasive...

Sometimes, busnuts have discovered wrong turning studs on the wrong side of the vehicle...

Best you do some Google on "stud pilot wheels" and "hub pilot wheels" to learn lots more.

Removing wheels is a good thing to do regularly, (then they WILL come off when you need them to...) and makes doing all manner of maintenance a lot easier and faster than struggling under the coach.

Air over hydraulic jack, a good piece of pipe to use as an extension or an air gun to remove the fasteners, and ONLY re-install with proper torque, which does NOT involve the air gun.

An air gun is not how I would allow my wheel fasteners to be installed.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[happycamperbrat]

Hey Camperbrat you listening?  I know some one was going out to help and teach but don't learn this one by your self.

Brice

YUp! Im listening, it would be a real B if I died before getting this bus done  I'd like to drive it finished just once lol

The Yuma/Mexico/California  area here has a lot of earthquakes, so each day when i get thru, the last thing i do is put my wheels back on and finger tighten the nuts. Even though i have it jacked and blocked i do not want to run the risk of having the bus knocked off of the blocks by a quake.

Good point 

[zubzub]

I do all ( so far ) of my own repairs on the bus.  It is why I have  a bus ( I was bored with my '68 Volvo which never breaks now that it is sorted).  So I take off wheels when I need to.  I don't find them that big or difficult, and thanks to this board I knew in advance that one side had lefty threads.
I will say this though, it is harder to safely jack up a bus than a car. Keep on bussin

[chev49]

Im old... but to be honest, I thought 20 and 22.5 tires were hard to change until I had to change all 5' high foam filled gradall tires for a customer, not to mention those rubber tracks of like a 331 bobcat or even a large skid steer... Changing the tires on the wheel isn't too bad with the new wheels, but be careful with the split rims, and esp the antique widow makers...

[bevans6]

Since I do some racing I run into left hand threads on different things from time to time, inside gearboxes, on wheel nuts on center  lock wheels, on suspension arms.  I learned to look at the thread.  I honestly don't recall how I learned that the studs on the drivers side were lefties, but I did the first time I pulled the wheels off my bus to inspect the brakes (I do that twice a season).  The first time was a serious PITA since I went through the learning curve of how to undo over tightened wheel nuts (neighbour's SnapOn 1" air gun and turn the compressor up to 140 lbs).  I broke my new torque multiplier and my new 4' bar.

So yeah, I take my wheels off on my own all the time.

Brian

[luvrbus]

The split wheel was a 2 piece wheel that locked in the center has not been made since the 60's the outside lock ring type wheels people call split wheels are still made and in use today they are pretty safe like every thing made most of the danger comes from human error.
Fwiw my dad owned a large trucking co in Houston all his trucks had the lock ring he had the same tire guy for 30 years I never saw one blow off the wheel if the lock ring showed wear he changed to a new one I remember my dad would complain that the rings cost 4 dollars lol.
With the dropped center tubeless tire wheels the tire can be removed without taking the wheel off lot of tire shops repair that way it looks to me if comes off that easy it could blow off while airing up but the tire guys don't seem to worry about it I keep my distance lol

good luck

[Mex-Busnut]

At a small tire shop just a few miles out of our town, a 23-year-old young man was killed last year. He was airing up a truck tire. It was NOT a lock-rim. The tire blew off the wheel and took his life. He was the only financial support for his widowed mother and five younger syblings.

As in everything, we need to keep our brains engaged when doing tire work.

[Bussman84]

Just remember you hardly ever hear a horror story about the guy (or girl) that was too overly cautious... These are big machines with big parts. I'm all about doing things yourself but please be sure to put safety first.

Billy

[white-eagle]

f

Air over hydraulic jack, a good piece of pipe to use as an extension or an air gun to remove the fasteners, and ONLY re-install with proper torque, which does NOT involve the air gun.

An air gun is not how I would allow my wheel fasteners to be installed.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

Where were you with this enlightenment when i let Goodyear put 6 new tires on?  Thank God i have coachnet.

[TomsToy]

Thank You! Thank You! THANK YOU!!! I think a 1957 Chrysler was the last vehicle that I fooled with that had left hand lugs and I would't have thought about it with the bus.  At least now I have been told, whether I remember it will be the question.

[John316]

Yup, when we have a tire shop work do something to the tires, I always watch.

Some places will let me run the lug nuts on myself (seriously, not many will let me, but some do). I simply run them on until they get a little bit snug.

Then I take a torque wrench to them. We carry our own.

However, if I can't do it myself, when we are at a shop, then I watch. Sometimes I have to stand just outside of the shop door (per insurance regs). But I tell them, that I really don't want a 1" used on the bus. If so, I tell them that they can't hammer it on at all. Just a little bit snug, and torque wrench from there. So far, I have had a couple of guys get a little grumpy. However, I WILL NOT let them hammer those lugnuts down with their guns. Simply, no way.

Also, while we are on the topic, be careful when you are having another shop lube your bus. We were at WW Williams in Tucson, a year ago. All we needed was the oil changed, but they did us a "favour" and lubed it too. As soon as I found that out, I asked the gent to stop, and spoke with the shop manager. I hadn't authorized the to do that for a reason. I crawled under there myself, and sure enough, there was grease globed off of every part of the brakes. It was a MESS. Grease was on the drums and everything. They told me not to worry about it, but I simply stated that I wasn't moving the bus until the problem was solved. I said all I needed was some brake cleaner and rags, and I would do it myself. They finally said to pull into the wash bay, and a VERY helpful young man, cleaned things up. He told us that whenever the other gent did anything, he had to clean up after him.

Moral of that story? Take what you want. I don't let anybody else lube our bus. And yes, WW Williams made it right.

God bless,

John