Sevice wheelnut tightening

After reading all this I am wondering why the roads are not littered with caravan wheels

Because, maybe like me, unless the wheel(s) have been removed I don't bother.

Most know the reasoning behind it all, but in reality it is a rare occurrence.

Take cars for instance, you go into a garage for new tyres. Wheels put back on and air gunned, then torque wrench applied and they always click but never turn so already over tightened, but never lost a wheel yet.

When ours go for a service with the dealer he checks the torque in front of me every time it leaves the dealer then tells me to check them again when you get home around 24 miles.

I am sure that is because most people who lose a caravan wheel will at least pick the wheel up?

IMO they are a bit too valuable as well as posibly needed, just to leave  them there  "littering" the verge. Then there could be needed of it in support of an insurance claim.

So, not seeing the roads littered with them is no great surpise, and no indication it never occurs.

That caravans do lose wheels is a fact, I have actually seen it a few 10s of metres in front of me. We have friends who have had it happen, plus on forums it has been reported, a little seaching could well find cases.

A product was even brought to market to mitigate against wheel lose, and one manufacturer adopted them as a standard build feature. I suspect not simply to make their build cost higher but because of a need.

I've yet to see it happen  ..... but I've only been driving 40 years. 🤔

I like it when you put something light hearted on here how the serious brigade have to come along.

I have only seen one and I have been driving about 60yrs, and that was on a new caravan we had just picked up after the dealers handover

I have never yet seen one lose a wheel, been driving 50 years, 30 of them driving HGV’s sometimes over 400 miles per day. Have seen a lot of caravans on there side though.

I've seen the remnants of a fair few caravans on their sides too .... but having seen the way I've been cut up over the years by those cars that have to be in front of the caravan, I'll give some the benefit of the doubt. 

I don't own a torque wrench but I wouldn't trust the little wrench that comes with the van. I have a socket on the end of a 1ft bar (about the same length as a torque wrench). In the motor trade we had a highly technical universal setting called "FT".  I leave you to work that one out, but it basically means that as long as you're not standing on the end of a 6ft scaffold pole, one hard shove on each nut before every trip will pretty much guarantee your wheel will stay put. One serious point though, a nut/bolt/stud that constantly needs re-tightening is a clear pointer that either the thread is worn or the bolt/stud is over stretched and should be replaced.