Let’s talk about torque

So there it is. Official confirmation you don’t need to torque wheel bolts. Thanks lads

Actually I don’t normally bother either.   Another potential problem can be do you need different bolts for your alloys and steel spare?

As a torque wrench is an essential piece of equipment in a caravan tool box, ......

???

It's not.

The manufacturers say that torque wrenches should be recalibrated periodically. Unfortunately that costs nearly as much as buying them in the first place so it is a dilemma whether to use one that may be inaccurate or to just guess. I adopted the former practice.

as everyone says its all guesswork as you don't know how accurate the wrench is in the first place unless you get a lever of 1 foot long and put a 100lb weight on the end, or 2 foot long and 50lb weight. that's of course if the bolts need to be 100 lb ft.

And that potential was something I only thought of the other day. I do need shorter bolts for my steel spare & they didn't come with the caravan  ☹ Why can't they make it so the same bolts do for both ..... like my Vauxhalls had.

Comments on above(my opinions of course):

Swift bolts are same for steel as alloy (at least for 2010 and beyond AFAIK)

Would much rather use a possibly slightly inaccurate torque wrench than rely on "feel" or As Tight As Possible By Hand.

More important to check bolts a short time (20 mils/20 min?) after a service or if wheels have been removed.

If you KNOW bolts are tightened correctly initially, bad idea to loosen and tighten to check them - just use the wrench set at the correct value and watch for any movement.

I check on each leg of our tours as part of routine for how long it takes  and the potential for disaster if a wheel comes off.

No lubrication of wheel bolts, just clean dry threads.

There are You Tube videos for perfectly acceptable ways to check torque wrenches but leaving them set loose is the best way to maintain accuracy. I actually feel that for infrequent "domestic" use there isn't any real cause for concern (still use 40 yr old cared for Britool but also bought cheapest off e-bay for extended range needed for car)

Your views may well differ...

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

Depends on what your day job is. If you push pens around a desk all day, then guessing the torque of a wheel bolt/nut is going to outside your skill set. If on the other hand, you twirl a spanner of sorts all day, then I reckon a guess won't be that far out. 😉

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

I collected my ‘van from service a few years ago and checked the wheel bolts after a short tow. I found one of the wheel bolts had been stripped.

They claimed to have used a torque wrench, but my suspicion is they used an air tool to ‘run the bolts in’ then checked they were tight. If you do I this and the ‘running in of the bolts’ is too tight, the torque wrench will click but you only know it is at least that tight,

Fortunately they believed me and accepted liability. They replaced the brake drum at their expense.

Use a torque wrench but make sure you know how to use it.