Help! Stuck wheel nut/stud

[RolandRat]

Hi I have on one wheel 3 nuts that are stuck on the studs. Rear wheel, outer, so they are down in the 'well' of the wheel. I can get the studs off the hub, but then the 3 stud/nuts are 'captive' on the wheel. Any suggestions please? Roland

[Bill_Wolf]

On one of my trucks a previous owner had put both left and right hand thread studs on the same wheel. I know...how could that ever be done.

No matter what I did I could not get the outer rim nuts off until I cut the nut on the first stud off and found that it was so. A quick reversal of the Impact and off came the outer nut.

Not happy!

Check thread direction if you have not all ready

And then on to the fire cutting disk or fire wrench.

[RolandRat]

Hi thanks for that. They are correct, RH on RH side. The studs have unscrewed from the Hub. Just now the nut is still on the stud, and on the wheel .

[mudflap]

On one of my trucks a previous owner had put both left and right hand thread studs on the same wheel

Just when I thought that I had heard everything....

Hi RolandRat,

As Bill mentioned, check the direction. If that's OK, are you using an impact wrench, or trying to get them off by hand? The hammering caused by an impact wrench will often break loose fasteners that will never come off by hand.

Next I would try a little heat. Quick in and quick out with an torch - preferably something like an oxy acetylene rig with a small tip to concentrate the flame. However, I have also had success on stubborn fasteners in the past using MAP torches.

A die grinder with a small abrasive cut-off wheel would probably be my next choice. Cut off the outer nut first, then once the outside wheel is off, concentrate on the inner nut.

If you finally resort to pulling the wheel and hub as an assembly, and are prepared to replace the stud anyway, here is another method that you can try to remove a rusty fastener:

http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=292328

I just used this recently when working on the spring trunnions, and found that it worked quite well.

Lastly, before applying heat to a rim with a tire attached, you may want to watch this video produced by Bridgestone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBUVzgCHHuA

Granted, heating a CCKW lug nut is not the same as welding on a tubeless tire truck rim, but it is always prudent to be aware of the inherent danger and take the appropriate precautions.

Like they say on the range: "Safety first, last, and always"

Best Regards...

[RolandRat]

Hey Mudflap, I got it done !!! there were 3 adjacent stud/nuts. I welded 2 pieces of bar between each pair and removed the stud by 'screwing it in'.
Then broke the 3 nuts from the welded bar. Cleaned up the nuts, hey presto.

[mudflap]

AWESOME!

Very clever solution...

Best Regards....

[Motto]

Before getting involved in more work than necessary it would be worth re-installing the wheel, tightening five of the nut, stud combinations and then winding the problem hexagonal nut off relying on the wheel to stop the secondary nut/stud from winding off all the way. You can judge if the two nuts are locked together too tightly and likely to distort the wheel but usually this method works before that point is reached. Get one freed up then re-install and tackle another one until they are all free or proven to be too locked together for this method.
I ran up against this problem many years ago and the solution I used was to drill and file a 1-1/2" hexagonal hole in the end of a piece of 1/2" plate about 2 feet long and 3" wide. Installed on the nut with the other end passing through one of the cut outs in the wheel, this effectively locks the nut to the wheel. The square end of the tube nut/stud can then be used to wind it down through the hex nut.

David