Rear wheel fell off while towing motorcycle trailer

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buddy guy

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Joecal...State Police called tow trucks to get us off the highway. We had to disconnect the trailer from the truck, which was not easy because the back of the truck was now so close to the ground that the trailer jack would not fold down. So we had to use floor jacks to get the trailer off the ball. Then the tow guys eff'd up the trailer jack by cranking it up too much, so we couldn't get it to go back down. We lucked out in a way because one of the tow truck drivers was on his way to work in his personal pickup (with a hitch) and he stopped at the scene. We ended up using his truck to tow the trailer off the highway because none of the tow trucks that showed up could do that. The kid's truck was lifted though, so that is why the trailer jack got extended up beyond its capacity. So because it wouldn't go down, we ended up getting the tow ball under the trailer, then we used a sledge to kick the trailer jack out from under the trailer and the trailer receiver fell onto the tow ball. It was a comedy of sorts to be sure (although it wasn't funny at the time). It was also the hottest day of the year in New England (97 degrees).

So the kid towed the trailer with his pickup, and the truck got dragged up onto the flatbed. Because it was a weekend, and on a state highway (Rt 495 in MA), the tow truck drivers could not take me home (60 miles away). They had to bring me to a parking lot of a local mall and drop the truck and the trailer there. That alone cost me $133 for the tow...plus I threw the kid $40 for using his own truck to tow the trailer. From there, I called AAA to tow the truck home, and I called Uber to bring me to a U-Haul shop so I could rent a truck to tow the trailer home (AAA won't tow a trailer). First, though, I had to go to Home Depot and buy a new trailer jack and install it on the trailer so that I could maneuver the trailer up and down. Good thing I remembered to bring tools with me on vacation. After all that, of course, I had to bring the rental truck back the next day (60 miles away).

As much as a PITA as the whole thing was, I was very fortunate. 1) no one got injured 2) No accident from my wheel rolling across the highway 3) I have AAA Plus so the tow home was free 4) insurance covered the damage to the truck as a comprehensive claim.

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wow. amazing.
 

Rodenti

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Wow, that looks surprisingly similar to my situation.

I have a 2017 1500 Sport that lost the driver side back wheel this past weekend. Felt a vibration in the truck that started earlier in the day but couldn't pinpoint the source. I headed home so I could check it out further and on the way I felt a strong shudder then lost a wheel as I pulled onto the shoulder. Fortunately it wasn't at high speed so the wheel didn't go into traffic.

Towed to a dealership and $1000 later she's all fixed up.

Scary situation that could have been much worse.

I last checked the torque of my lug nuts before towing my camper in June and all was good. I'm going to be much more **** about checking my wheels in the future.

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BWL

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Looks like you got lucky like I did. No damage to the wheel well. Cost me a couple hundred for wheel studs, lug nuts and new diff fluid since I couldn't get the studs in without sliding the axle out. Couldn't believe the price on wheel studs! My wheel was also ruined so I spent another 500 on a set of wheels off craigslist.
 

Rodenti

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Yes, I was very lucky!

The dealership had to slide the axle out too; poor design in my opinion.

New rotor, parking brake assembly, wheel studs, lug nuts, fluids, grease, sealant, and a few hours of labour to get it fixed. Most of the work had to be done in the dealership parking lot since they couldn't get the truck into the garage without a back wheel.

I picked up two used alloy rims for $400 (including tpms sensors) and transferred the tire from the wrecked rim, so now I have a spare.

The only body issue is black tire marks on the paint. I'll wash the truck later this week and try to buff them out.
 

grizzstang

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^^^ Wow, and you checked the torque in June. In less than 4 months you lost a wheel. Is it possible someone loosened them for you?

Since this thread popped up I have checked my truck and our Jeep couple of times and every time they are to spec.
 

Rodenti

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^^^ Wow, and you checked the torque in June. In less than 4 months you lost a wheel. Is it possible someone loosened them for you?

Since this thread popped up I have checked my truck and our Jeep couple of times and every time they are to spec.

No idea what happened. I changed the brakes in May, re-torqued a few days later and then again the next month. My security camera doesn't show anyone messing with my wheels over the past few weeks.

I got home Saturday and immediately checked my car wheels, and I expect I'll be extra watchful for a while.

It's possible that my torque wrench is out of calibration and torqued the nuts less than needed so they loosened over time. I just ordered a new torque wrench to compare with my current one to see if it under torques. As insurance I'll keep the new one in my truck for any time I feel a vibration while driving.
 
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pacofortacos

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Unfortunately, there are a few people (mainly kids) that think it is funny to loosen peoples lug nuts.
So it may not be personal and could be that it is just that, someone loosened the lug nut.

Unfortunately, you tend not to notice a loose wheel until it is almost ready to go off on it's own.
 

aufan3416

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I have a Ram 1500. I was riding down the interstate last Friday night pulling my camper and I had the same thing happen. My right rear tire and rim came off the truck. I was driving about 63MPH. No warning at all. Fortunately no one was hurt and no one wrecked. I bought this car in November and the wheels haven't been touched. I can't understand what happened.
 

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Rlaf75

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I have a Ram 1500. I was riding down the interstate last Friday night pulling my camper and I had the same thing happen. My right rear tire and rim came off the truck. I was driving about 63MPH. No warning at all. Fortunately no one was hurt and no one wrecked. I bought this car in November and the wheels haven't been touched. I can't understand what happened.
In my almost 30 years as a mechanic I can honestly say I've only come across something like this happening 2 times. Fortunately not caused by me. I actually got hit by the car tire that flew off a vehicle traveling the opposite direction on the highway and the other happened across the street from the shop I used to work at. Both incidents were because of mechanic error. The only thing I could see causing this is loose lug nuts. Aluminum wheels are supposed to be re-torqued within a certain amount of mileage after they've been removed and reinstalled. Either that or someone tried to steal your rims and didnt quite get the job done.
 

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