Is It Really Necessary to Re Torque Trailer Lug Nuts After Mounting the Wheels

Updated 03/10/2020 | Published 03/09/2020

Question:

I gotta tell you I’m a little skeptical about this trailer torquing method. I have owned many vehicles and trailers for more than fifty years ad never had to re-torque a wheel more than once after it was reinstalled. Nor have I ever seen it in any trailer, or new vehicle owners manual to torque, re-torque and torque some more like your suggesting. Regards

asked by: Mark

Expert Reply:

It's a pretty common practice to torque the lug nuts of a wheel to the recommended value and then check the torque value again after 50 to 100 miles to ensure they are still at spec. I've actually chosen to ignore the recommendation when I was younger and lost lug nuts on my car as the lugs had worked loose. Basically you tighten them down, and after you drive a bit sometimes the wheels settles differently and the lug nuts aren't uniformly torqued down anymore. You are obviously free to do what you want with your trailer and vehicles but it won't hurt to check the torque after some miles.

expert reply by: Jameson C